In some regions of the world, long traditions of herding practices have coevolved with the natural ecosystems, sustaining livelihoods and biodiversity. However, in emerging economies, the populations that have long relied on livestock as their main income are now driving a dramatic increase in livestock numbers on the landscape. This study investigates the impacts of livestock (cattle and horses) and human activities on wild ungulates, Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), wapiti (Cervus canadensis), and wild boar (Sus scrofa), in Bogd Khan Mountain, Mongolia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn resource-limited producer-consumer systems, environmental variables such as weather, habitat structure, and resource availability interact to shape consumer dynamics. We conducted a comparative analysis on territorial Fremont's squirrel (Tamiasciurus fremonti) in Arizona mountain ranges (three sites) and non-territorial Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in the Italian Alps (five sites) to investigate the effects of forest composition, pulsed seed resources, weather, and climate change-induced forest disturbances on population density. We also explored potential synchrony in spatial and temporal dynamics between squirrel populations, driven by endogenous and exogenous processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDisturbance events are increasing at a global scale, with cascading impacts to ecosystems and residents therein that include fragmentation and altered vegetation structure and composition. Such changes may disproportionately impact small mammal movements, risk perception, and community dynamics as smaller species perceive such changes at finer spatial scales. We examined movement response to burn severity, vegetation structure, and composition in Mexican woodrats (), a common but understudied small mammal species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn understanding of species-environmental relationships is invaluable for effective conservation and management under anthropogenic climate change, especially for biodiversity hotspots such as riparian habitats. Species distribution models (SDMs) assess present species-environmental relationships which can project potential suitable environments through space and time. An understanding of environmental factors associated with distributions can guide conservation management strategies under a changing climate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConnectivity is essential for the maintenance of genetic diversity and stability of wildlife populations. Drought and changing precipitation regimes have caused natural aquatic amphibian breeding habitats to disappear or become isolated and have led to the replacement of natural surface water with artificial livestock water tanks. Terrestrial movement is the only means of responding to aquatic threats in arid landscapes and to allow population connectivity.
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