| Title: | Behavioral differences at scent stations between two exploited species of desert canids |
| Author(s): | Sergeyev M; Richards KA; Ellis KS; Hall LK; Wood JA; Larsen RT; |
| Address: | "Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States of America" |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0232492 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1932-6203 (Electronic) 1932-6203 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Coyotes (Canis latrans) and kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) are desert canids that share ecological similarities, but have disparate histories with anthropogenic pressure that may influence their responses towards novel stimuli. We used remote cameras to investigate response to novel stimuli for these two species. We predicted that coyotes (heavily pressured species) would be more wary towards novel stimuli on unprotected land (canid harvest activities are permitted) than in protected areas (canid harvest activities are not permitted), whereas kit foxes (less pressured species) would exhibit no difference. We examined differences in the investigative behaviors at 660 scent stations in both protected and unprotected areas. Coyotes showed no differences between protected and unprotected land and were generally more wary than kit foxes, supporting our prediction. Kit foxes were more investigative on protected land, contrary to our expectations. Our study provides evidence that anthropogenic pressure can alter the behaviors of wildlife species" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Animals, Wild/physiology Behavior, Animal/*physiology Coyotes/*physiology Desert Climate Endangered Species Exploratory Behavior/physiology Foxes/*physiology Odorants Pheromones/physiology Photography Remote Sensing Technology Species Specificity;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineSergeyev, Maksim Richards, Kelsey A Ellis, Kristen S Hall, Lucas K Wood, Jason A Larsen, Randy T eng Comparative Study Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2020/05/16 PLoS One. 2020 May 15; 15(5):e0232492. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232492. eCollection 2020" |
