Testing the parasite-mediated competition hypothesis between sympatric northern and southern flying squirrels.

Competition is a driving factor in shaping ecological communities and may act directly or indirectly through apparent competition. We examined a classic example of parasite-mediated competition between northern () and southern flying squirrels () via the intestinal nematode, and tested whether it could act as a species barrier in a flying squirrel hybrid zone. We live-trapped flying squirrels ( and ), grey squirrels (), red squirrels (), and chipmunks () from June-September 2019 at 30 woodlots in Ontario, Canada.

Consistent individual differences and population plasticity in network-derived sociality: An experimental manipulation of density in a gregarious ungulate.

In many taxa, individual social traits appear to be consistent across time and context, thus meeting the criteria for animal personality. How these differences are maintained in response to changes in population density is unknown, particularly in large mammals, such as ungulates. Using a behavioral reaction norm (BRN) framework, we examined how among- and within-individual variation in social connectedness, measured using social network analyses, change as a function of population density.