Download or read book The Dynamics of Sarcoptic Mange in an Urban Coyote Canis Latrans Population written by Evan C. Wilson and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Information on the factors that contribute to coyote mortality in urban systems can increase our knowledge about the factors which regulate coyote populations in urban areas, increasing our ability to effectively manage coyote populations. Understanding reasons why human-coyote conflicts take place can not only inform management decisions on how to handle conflicts, but educating the public about causes of conflict can prevent conflicts from occurring in the first place.
Download or read book Anthropogenic Resource Use and Disease Dynamics in a Desert Coyote Population written by Craig Daniel Reddell and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Colonization of urban areas by synanthropic wildlife introduces novel and complex alterations to established ecological processes, with emerging infectious diseases being of paramount concern for wildlife and public health. Aggregation at anthropogenic resources can increase disease transfer among hosts and allow debilitated individuals to survive longer, with wide-ranging species potentially infecting outlying rural populations. The permanently occupied garrison at the National Training Center Fort Irwin, CA has become home to a number of coyotes (Canis latrans) infected with sarcoptic mange that also use the surrounding Mojave Desert and provides an ideal site to examine the effects of anthropogenic resources on disease dynamics. To assess the mechanisms maintaining the epizootic of mange, I captured and fitted coyotes with either GPS or VHF radio collars to compare body weights, evaluate space use by calculating home range size and spatial overlap, and evaluate the influence of anthropogenic subsidies, water sources, and prey density on urban resource selection using mixed-effects logistic regression models. I found no difference between healthy and infected individuals (n = 21) with respect to body weight and home range size but found infected individuals had considerably more spatial overlap than healthy individuals. Coyotes generally selected for urban areas, with infected residents and transients primarily selecting for anthropogenic subsidies, while use of urban resources by healthy residents was more variable. To determine the spatial extent of the epizootic beyond the garrison, I deployed remote cameras across 180 sites within the outlying region of the garrison, I used multi-state occupancy models to calculate the probability that a site was used by a coyote and the probability that mange was present at a site, based on environmental covariates. The probability a camera site was used by a coyote, regardless of infection status, decreased as either slope and distance to urban areas increased, and the probability mange was present at a camera site also decreased as distance to urban areas increased. These results suggest that infected coyotes may be meeting their nutritional requirements and aggregating at anthropogenic subsidies, which could be prolonging their lifespan and facilitating horizontal transfer of mange. Moreover, I found evidence that urban areas have a strong effect on the spatial extent of transmissible diseases and that multi-state occupancy models are an effective tool in assessing disease dynamics for observable diseases.
Download or read book A New Niche for the Itch written by Jaime Leanne Rudd and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) is the only subspecies of kit fox endemic to California and is federally endangered. Although this small fox exhibits incredible adaptability, its geographic distribution is limited and contracting due to profound habitat destruction. Only twelve populations persist, including a unique urbanized satellite population which, until recently, thrived in the city of Bakersfield. This urban population had been considered a potential source population for reintroductions into remaining natural lands in the event of catastrophic kit fox population declines. In spring 2013, sarcoptic mange was first detected in the Bakersfield population. Preliminary data demonstrate that most or all infested kit foxes die if not treated, and therefore individual-based citywide treatment and rehabilitation are underway. Yet this individual-based approach to sarcoptic mange treatment has done little to slow the progression of disease through the population and there have been over 460 documented cases as of October 2018, demonstrating a need for a population-level intervention strategy. Therefore, the objectives of my dissertation were to: 1) determine whether sarcoptic mange in kit foxes and other sympatric canids is due to a shared vs. multiple diverse mite strains, 2) evaluate the effectiveness of a long-lasting acaricidal collar that might be used for a population-level intervention, and 3) identify additional health problems associated with mange to optimize medical management of mange-infested individuals in rehabilitation. The overarching goal was to conduct applied conservation research to inform future disease mitigation efforts. In Chapter 1, I used microsatellite genotypes of 351 Sarcoptes mites collected from kit foxes, red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), and coyotes (Canis latrans) to determine whether a kit fox variant of Sarcoptes scabiei mite was circulating only among kit foxes or if it was shared with these other sympatric canids. Bakersfield mites from kit foxes and red foxes showed the least loci polymorphism compared to coyotes and domestic dogs from the same area. The closest genetic relationship was between Bakersfield kit fox mites and Bakersfield red fox mites (FST = 0.060). In contrast, Bakersfield kit fox mites and Bakersfield coyote mites (FST = 0.509), and Bakersfield kit fox mites and Bakersfield dog mites (FST = 0.742) were much less closely related genetically. Further, only a single private allele (frequency of 0.005) was detected in kit fox mites; otherwise they shared alleles with coyotes and domestic dogs. These results demonstrate that the Sarcoptes mites are relatively host-specific and, although a spill-over event occurred initially, the primary route of mite transmission appears to be fox-to-fox. Therefore, future planning for a citywide intervention should focus on treating kit foxes. Accordingly, in Chapter 2, I evaluated a pilot intervention strategy that could reduce mite-infestation risk by deploying long-acting acaricidal collars on at-risk kit foxes. Traditional Sarcoptes treatments last anywhere from 10 days (ivermectin) to 28 days (selamectin), but S. scabiei infested individuals can live for up to 100 days before death and remain infectious during that time. The short duration of protection from standard treatment is not a feasible means to achieve herd immunity because individuals would need to be captured and treated every month. Flumethrin collars reportedly prevent sarcoptic mange infestation for up to 8 months, which make this an appealing alternative, but there was a need to test the claims of long-term protection and the true efficacy at the population level in reducing disease risk before a citywide intervention could be planned. Therefore, I performed a 2-year field trial with 35 kit foxes to study flumethrin’s safety, longevity, and efficaciousness. All kit foxes were treated with a single dose of selamectin (6mg/kg) and then assigned to the flumethrin treatment group (n = 17) and to the control group (n = 18). A Cox Proportional Hazards model was used to compare the duration of time it took for an individual to develop mange in the treated and control groups. There was no overall significant difference in the number of days before a kit fox in the treatment group developed mange (176 days) compared to the control group (171 days). Further, most mange transmission was observed within social groups, which could have serious consequences for mange transmission and spread if the entire family group is not synchronously treated. Like numerous drugs available on the market, flumethrin showed promise as being safe, long-lasting, and efficacious. However, its extra-label use in the field was not as effective as it is for treatment of mange in domestic animals. Finally, to better understand this debilitating, multisystemic disease process, in Chapter 3, I analyzed serum biochemistry and hematology values of kit foxes with mange and compared them to healthy kit foxes. Several serum chemistry and CBC parameters in mange-infested foxes were consistent with chronic disease and inflammation, starvation, and dehydration – a similar pathogenesis that has been observed in other canids and bobcats (Lynx rufus). The alterations in blood values observed indicate that kit foxes must be properly hydrated and their protein requirement supported while antibiotics and antiparasitic medications are administered in order to improve their chance of survival in rehabilitation. This dissertation focused on various aspects of a recent sarcoptic mange outbreak in San Joaquin kit foxes living in an urban city in California. Using molecular epidemiology, I was able to show that the current transmission dynamics of sarcoptic mange and thus intervention efforts should focus on kit foxes. While flumethrin was safe, its extra-label use in the field was not as efficacious for the treatment and prevention of sarcoptic mange as it is for domestic animals. Further, these results identified various health parameters that should be addressed for mange-infested kit foxes presented for rehabilitation to increase their chances of survival during treatment. Additional studies focusing on mange transmission, novel medications, and kit fox sociology should be conducted to determine what refinements could improve individual animal protection and reduce the impacts of this disease in kit foxes.
Download or read book Models for Sarcoptic Mange in Canis Latrans written by Kimberly Dianne McGowan and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Connectivity of Two Urban Coyote Canis Latrans Populations Sacramento and San Francisco to Surrounding Rural Populations written by Katherine Frances Marquez and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The total land-mass of urban areas is rapidly increasing, forcing wildlife species to respond either by reductions in their distribution and abundance or acclimation to urban and otherwise modified habitats. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are found in the heart of some major cities within their range but relegated to the fringes of others. I examined two urban coyote populations. One population, San Francisco, is relatively new, having become established in patches of habitat within the city only within the last several years, providing a window into the process of colonization. The other, Sacramento, is linear and provides a natural connection between the valley and the foothills. The goal of my research is to investigate genetic connectivity between these two urban coyote populations and surrounding rural populations and to assess the possibility of a single founder pair origin for the San Francisco population. Recent research in provides evidence for natal habitat preference in California coyotes. Using genetic assignment methods, at least four genetic subdivisions, corresponding to bioregions, were found: Great Valley, Cascades/Sierra Nevada/Modoc (hereafter referred to as Sierra Nevada), Northwestern, and Central Western. Coyote DNA from scat and some opportunistically collected blood and tissue samples from our two study sites were genotyped at 14 microsatellite loci. Those genotypes were ran in STRUCTURE along with reference genotypes from previously establish clusters in order to determine assignment. The American River Parkway results indicate both a high level of assignment to the Sierra Nevada cluster and no assignment to the Great Valley cluster. The elevational change along the American River Parkway did not appear to have an effect on the results. When the data were analyzed in STUCTURE with K = 3, most coyotes assigned to a cluster distinct from the Great Valley or Sierra Nevada, which indicates high genetic similarity among the American River Parkway coyotes relative to the surrounding populations. The San Francisco population, having allele counts of greater than four for half of our loci, does not support the single founder pair hypothesis but these counts could have been skewed due to genotyping error. The significant difference between the number of loci with allele counts greater than four in the sample population and the Northwestern reference population provides support for a small founding population. We did not see a strong clustering of the San Francisco genotypes with either the Northwestern or Central Western cluster. The single individual that did assign to the Central Western cluster was from the most southern park sampled, indicating that there is some immigration from the Central Western population. The high relatedness among San Francisco individuals does not support a hypothesis of high immigration from either/or both the Northwestern or Central Western populations. The Central Western displayed high levels of within cluster relatedness, similar to within San Francisco, but Northwestern displayed low levels of relatedness within its cluster. When assessing relatedness among populations we found some error due to probability. This error is evident in relationship levels between the Northwestern cluster and the Central Western cluster, which are geographically isolated from each other. When assessing relationships by park, high relatedness was seen within the Presidio. Among the different parks, the pairs of parks that showed the three highest number of relationships were between Glen Park and each of the other three parks. This shows both evidence of the willingness of coyotes to traverse urban landscapes and the inability of small parks to sustain many individuals. I used noninvasive genetic sampling, which has inherent limitations to for genetic analysis because it yields low quality and quantity DNA. For this reason, genotypic error due to allelic dropout is common. Lack of detection can produce null alleles that may result in false homozygotes. In addition, season/weather, age of feces at collection, and time between preservation and DNA extraction all greatly affect PCR amplification success. Both the American River Parkway and the San Francisco study sites offer insight from a wildlife management perspective. This information can be used, either for the development of corridors and wildlife areas to promote urban wildlife and/or for strategies in managing the population size of current urban coyote populations. Both strategies meet the purpose of limiting the human-wildlife interface within urban areas and thus limiting the opportunity for conflict.
Download or read book Population Dynamics Across Selected Habitat Variables of the Helminth Community in Coyotes Canis Latrans from South Texas written by Danny B. Pence and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Genetic Analysis of Dispersal and Population Dynamics of the Southeastern Coyote Canis Latrans written by Dalinda Lee Dennis and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Urban Wildlife Conservation written by Robert A. McCleery and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-11 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the past, wildlife living in urban areas were ignored by wildlife professionals and urban planners because cities were perceived as places for people and not for wild animals. Paradoxically, though, many species of wildlife thrive in these built environments. Interactions between humans and wildlife are more frequent in urban areas than any other place on earth and these interactions impact human health, safety and welfare in both positive and negative ways. Although urban wildlife control pest species, pollinate plants and are fun to watch, they also damage property, spread disease and even attack people and pets. In urban areas, the combination of dense human populations, buildings, impermeable surfaces, introduced vegetation, and high concentrations of food, water and pollution alter wildlife populations and communities in ways unseen in more natural environments. For these ecological and practical reasons, researchers and mangers have shown a growing interest in urban wildlife ecology and management. This growing interest in urban wildlife has inspired many studies on the subject that have yet to be synthesized in a cohesive narrative. Urban Wildlife: Theory and Practice fills this void by synthesizing the latest ecological and social knowledge in the subject area into an interdisciplinary and practical text. This volume provides a foundation for the future growth and understanding of urban wildlife ecology and management by: • Clearly defining th e concepts used to study and describe urban wildlife, • Offering a cohesive understanding of the coupled natural and social drivers that shape urban wildlife ecology, • Presenting the patterns and processes of wildlife response to an urbanizing world and explaining the mechanisms behind them and • Proposing means to create physical and social environments that are mutually beneficial for both humans and wildlife.
Download or read book Urbanization and Its Effects on Resource Use and Individual Specialization in Coyotes Canis Latrans in a Southern California written by Rachel Nicole Larson and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecological opportunity in the form of habitat and food heterogeneity are thought to be important mechanisms in maintaining individual specialization. Urban environments are unique because fragments of natural or semi-natural habitat are embedded within a permeable matrix of human-dominated areas, creating increased habitat heterogeneity compared to the surrounding landscape. In addition, urban areas can provide diet subsidies in the form of human trash and domestic animals, which also increases ecological opportunities. I investigated the degree to which coyotes (Canis latrans) utilized anthropogenic subsidies and exhibited individual specialization across the urban-rural gradient in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, California. I used scat analysis to analyze population-level differences in diet combined with stable isotope analysis to understand diet variation on an individual level. Land use surrounding scat and isotope sample collection sites was also evaluated to determine the effect of urban land cover on diet. Human food constituted a significant portion of urban coyote diet (22% of scats, 38% of diet as estimated by stable isotope analysis). Domestic cats (Felis catus) and non-native fruit and seeds were also important prey items in urban coyote diets. Consumption of anthropogenic items decreased with decreasing urbanization. In suburban areas, seasonality influenced the frequency of occurrence of anthropogenic subsidies with increased consumption in the dry season. Seasonal effects were not seen in urban areas. The amount of altered open space (defined as golf courses, cemeteries, and mowed parks) in a coyote's home range had a negative effect on the consumption of anthropogenic items. Urban coyotes displayed reduced among-individual variation compared to suburban and rural coyotes. It is possible that the core urban areas of cities are so densely developed and subsidized that wildlife inhabiting these areas actually have reduced ecological opportunity. Suburban animals had the broadest isotopic niches and maintained similar individual specialization to rural coyotes. Wildlife in suburban areas still have access to relatively undisturbed natural areas while being able to take advantage of anthropogenic subsidies in neighboring residential areas. Therefore, areas with intermediate urban development may be associated with increased ecological opportunity and specialization.
Download or read book Bibliography on the Control and Management of the Coyote and Related Canids with Selected References on Animal Physiology Behaviour Control Methods and Reproduction written by E. H. Dolnick and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Population Dynamics of the Eastern Coyote Canis Latrans in Nova Scotia written by Dennis Cedric Brannen and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Boldness Behavior and Chronic Stress in Free ranging Urban Coyotes Canis Latrans written by Katie E. Robertson and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wildlife have responded to urbanization in a variety of ways. While some species have been displaced from developed areas, others have learned to tolerate and even thrive in anthropogenic landscapes. Even within a single species, there are inter-individual variations in behavior. Such variations are sometimes attributed to the presence of behavioral syndromes (i.e., suites of correlated behaviors in response to a common stimuli). Behavioral syndromes imply that while a population may contain variations in behavior, each individual has a limited amount of behavioral plasticity. If individuals consistently respond to stressors in a particular manner and some responses are more beneficial than others, the environment may influence which behavioral tendencies dominate in a given location. One commonly-studied set of behavioral syndromes are those associated with the bold-shy spectrum. Bolder individuals are typically defined as being more risk-prone, more exploratory, less neophobic, and less sensitive to stressors. In urban environments, high levels of disturbance, increased human activity, and large quantities of novel items may favor bolder, less anxious individuals over shy individuals. If that is the case, one would expect to find a greater proportion of bold individuals in areas with increased development. Using the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area as a case study location, we conducted flight initiation distance (FID) tests (n= 78) and novel object tests (n=50) on free-ranging coyotes from 2015-2017. Additionally, hair cortisol concentrations (n= 198) were measured from coyote hair samples that were collected from 2014-2018. We found that coyotes in more developed locations tended to have lower FIDs, behave less cautiously around novel objects, and show slightly higher hair cortisol concentrations than coyotes in more natural settings. Flight initiation distances were consistent across trials for individuals who were tested more than once (n= 18) and coyote responses to two different novel objects (i.e., a garden gnome and a ring stacker toy) were similar, thus providing further evidence that individuals may be predisposed to behave in a particular way each time they are presented with a similar stimulus. The relationship between hair cortisol concentration and behavioral measures was not clear. In addition to urbanization level, coyote social status, health condition, and age were significant predictors of hair cortisol concentration. The findings from this study may have ecological and management implications, as they do imply that human activity and development may be indirectly altering coyote boldness behavior and cortisol production. If coyotes are becoming bolder, their increased tolerance of human activities could lead to increased human-wildlife encounters and more difficulties managing nuisance individuals. Further studies are needed to determine what mechanisms led to the observed differences in coyote boldness across the urbanization gradient (i.e., Are bold individuals the ones that are colonizing urban areas first, do they have higher fitness levels in urban areas and thus are selected for by the environment, or are individual coyotes simply habituating to human disturbance over time?). Additional studies are also needed to determine if the patterns we observed in Chicago’s coyotes are similar to those found in other species and/or in other major metropolitan areas.
Download or read book Coyotes on the Web written by and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coyote (Canis latrans) numbers are increasing in urban areas, leading to more frequent human-coyote interactions. Rarely, and particularly when coyotes have become habituated to humans, conflicts occur. Effective education about urban coyotes and how to prevent habituation reduces conflict. Citizen science, in the form of online education, can be used to engage and educate city dwellers about urban coyotes. In this research, I explore Portland Metropolitan Area (PMA) residents' baseline experiences with, and attitudes toward, urban coyotes. Next, I investigate citizen science as a tool for education. Using the Portland Urban Coyote Project (PUCP), a citizen science project, as a case study, I investigate people's experiences with citizen science and evaluate whether attitudes and knowledge about coyotes changes after an interactive online educational tool. Most participants had seen a coyote at least once, were generally positive about coyotes, and were well-informed about basic facts. Participants who completed a tutorial that provided basic information about coyotes and dispelled common myths, showed higher knowledge scores and more positive, research-based attitudes. These results suggest that educational tools in citizen science projects can be effective for providing information and shaping attitudes about urban coyotes. Increased public access to education about how to live safely with coyotes is an important tool for proactive management. Online educational tools associated with citizen science projects are a viable option for efficient, inexpensive management of urban coyote populations.
Download or read book Canadian Journal of Zoology written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Eastern Coyote canis Latrans in Washington D C written by Lindsay Powers and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a later stage of their range expansion across North America over the last 100 years or so, coyotes (Canis latrans) arrived in the Washington, D.C. area relatively recently, with reported sightings in and around Rock Creek Park since 2004. While coyotes have been studied in many other metropolitan areas, there has been little research on the urban population within the District. This study focused on how coyotes might be moving in and out of Rock Creek Park using camera traps placed in tributary areas that could serve as green travel corridors, and near the park's northern boundary where a green corridor extends into Maryland. Knowledge of coyotes' travel behaviors could help indicate areas outside the park that they might frequent and include in their home ranges. This study also focused on the diet of coyotes within Rock Creek Park through scat analysis to learn more about their potential impact on the local ecosystem. Lastly, this study involved the conduction of howl surveys and investigation of sound analysis of coyote howls as a potential tool that researchers could use to track individuals within the district. With coyotes as an established presence in the area, a greater understanding of their behaviors within this specific urban context can help inform possible management strategies and education efforts.
Download or read book Food Habits and Anthropogenic Supplementation in the Diet of Coyotes Canis Latrans Along an Urban rural Gradient written by Erica M. Santana and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Urban Carnivores written by and published by JHU Press. This book was released on with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
