nach oben

Urban Ecosystems

Erschienen in:

11.05.2018

Home range and habitat use of feral cats in an urban mosaic in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

verfasst von: Kerushka R. Pillay, Jarryd Streicher, Colleen T. Downs

Erschienen in: Urban Ecosystems | Ausgabe 5/2018

Einloggen

Aktivieren Sie unsere intelligente Suche, um passende Fachinhalte oder Patente zu finden.

search-config

KI-gestützte Suche

Aus

Abstract

Feral cats (Felis catus) are one of the world’s worst invasive species with continuing expanding populations, particularly in urban areas. Effects of anthropogenic changing land-use, especially urbanisation, can alter distribution and behaviour of feral cats. Additionally, resource availability can influence home range and habitat use. Therefore, we investigated home range and habitat use of feral cats (n = 11) in an urban mosaic with varying degrees of urbanisation and green spaces in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Using global positioning cellular trackers, individual feral cats were followed for a minimum of six months. Minimum convex polygons (MCP) and kernel density estimates (KDE) were used to determine their home range, core area size, and habitat use. Mean home range (± SE) for feral cats was relatively small (95% MCP 6.2 ± 4.52 ha) with no significant difference between male and female home ranges, nor core areas. There was individual variation in home ranges despite supplemental feeding in the urban mosaic. Generally supplemental resources were the primary driver of feral cat home ranges where these feeding sites were within the core areas of individuals. However, the ecological consequences of feeding feral cats can increase their survival, and reduce their home ranges and movement as found in other studies.

Vorheriger Artikel Potential distribution of coyotes (Canis latrans), Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), and raccoons (Procyon lotor) in the Chicago Metropolitan Area

Nächster Artikel Vertical segregation by breeding ring-necked parakeets Psittacula krameri in northern Italy

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Nur mit Berechtigung zugänglich

Aguilar GD, Farnworth MJ (2013) Distribution characteristics of unmanaged cat colonies over a 20 year period in Auckland, New Zealand. Appl Geogr 37:160–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2012.11.009 CrossRef

Baker PJ, Bentley AJ, Ansell RJ, Harris S (2005) Impact of predation by domestic cats Felis catus in an urban area. Mammal Rev 35:302–312. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2907.2005.00071.x CrossRef

Barratt DG (1997) Home range size, habitat utilisation and movement patterns of suburban and farm cats Felis catus. Ecography 20:271–280. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1997.tb00371.x CrossRef

Bengsen AJ, Butler JA, Masters P (2012) Applying home-range and landscape-use data to design effective feral-cat control programs. Wildlife Res 39:258–265. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR11134 CrossRef

Bengsen AJ, Algar D, Ballard G, Buckmaster T, Comer S, Fleming PJS, Friend JA, Johnston M, McGregor H, Moseby K, Zewe F (2015) Feral cat home-range size varies predictably with landscape productivity and population density. J Zool 298:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12290 CrossRef

Bradley CA, Altizer S (2007) Urbanization and the ecology of wildlife diseases. Trends Ecol Evol 22:95–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2006.11.001 CrossRefPubMed

Bradshaw J, Horsfield G, Allen J, Robinson I (1999) Feral cats: their role in the population dynamics of Felis catus. Appl Anim Behav Sci 65:273–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(99)00086-6 CrossRef

Brickner I (2003) The impact of domestic cat (Felis catus) on wildlife welfare and conservation: a literature review. With a situation summary from Israel. http://www.tau.ac.il/lifesci/zoology/members/yom-tov/inbal/cats.pdf . Accessed 01 August 2015

Burt WH (1943) Territoriality and home range concepts as applied to mammals. J Mammal 24:346–352. https://doi.org/10.2307/1374834 CrossRef

Calenge C (2006) The package “adehabitat” for the R software: a tool for the analysis of space and habitat use by animals. Ecol Model 197:516–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2006.03.017 CrossRef

Calhoon RE, Haspel C (1989) Urban cat populations compared by season, subhabitat and supplemental feeding. J of Anim Ecol 58:321–328. https://doi.org/10.2307/5003 CrossRef

Collins T (1976) Control of pet animals. S Afr Med J 50:1054–1057PubMed

Coman BJ, Brunner H (1972) Food habits of the feral house cat in Victoria. J Wildlife Manage 36:848–853. https://doi.org/10.2307/3799439 CrossRef

Coughlin CE, van Heezik Y (2015) Weighed down by science: do collar-mounted devices affect domestic cat behaviour and movement? Wildlife Res 41:606–614. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR14160 CrossRef

Dauphiné N, Cooper RJ (2009) Impacts of free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) on birds in the United States: a review of recent research with conservation and management recommendations. Proceedings of the Fourth International Partners in Flight Conference, pp 205–219

Doherty TS, Bengsen AJ, Davis RA (2015) A critical review of habitat use by feral cats and key directions for future research and management. Wildl Res 41:435–446. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR14159 CrossRef

Driscoll CA, Clutton-Brock J, Kitchener AC, O'Brien SJ (2009) The taming of the cat. Sci Am 300:68–75. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0609-68 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Duarte A, Castro I, da Fonseca IMP, Almeida V, de Carvalho LMM, Meireles J, Fazendeiro MI, Tavares L, Vaz Y (2010) Survey of infectious and parasitic diseases in stray cats at the Lisbon Metropolitan area, Portugal. J Feline Med Surg 12:441–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2009.11.003 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Duffy DC, Capece P (2012) Biology and impacts of Pacific Island invasive species. 7. The domestic cat (Felis catus). Pac Sci 66:173–212. https://doi.org/10.2984/66.2.7 CrossRef

Edwards G, De Preu N, Shakeshaft B, Crealy I, Paltridge R (2001) Home range and movements of male feral cats (Felis catus) in a semiarid woodland environment in Central Australia. Austral Ecol 26:93–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2001.01091.pp.x CrossRef

Euromonitor International (2015) Cat food in South Africa. Passport, Cape Town, pp 1–4

Finkler H, Hatna E, Terkel J (2011) The impact of anthropogenic factors on the behavior, reproduction, management and welfare of urban, free-roaming cat populations. Anthrozoös 24:31–49. https://doi.org/10.2752/175303711X12923300467320 CrossRef

Fitzgerald B, Karl B (1986) Home range of feral house cats (Felis catus L.) in forest of the Orongorongo Valley, Wellington, New Zealand. New Zeal. J Ecol 9:71–82

Genovesi P, Besa M, Toso S (1995) Ecology of a feral cat Felis catus population in an agricultural area of northern Italy. Wildlife Biol 1:233–237CrossRef

Goltz DM, Hess SC, Brinck KW, Banko PC, Danner RM (2008) Home range and movements of feral cats on Mauna Kea, Hawai. Pac Conserv Biol 14:177–184. https://doi.org/10.1071/PC080177 CrossRef

Gosling L, Stavisky J, Dean R (2013) What is a feral cat? Variation in definitions may be associated with different management strategies. J Feline Med Surg 15:759–764. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X13481034 CrossRefPubMed

Gunther I, Terkel J (2002) Regulation of free-roaming cat (Felis silvestris catus) populations: a survey of the literature and its application to Israel. Anim Welf 11:171–188

Guttilla DA, Stapp P (2010) Effects of sterilization on movements of feral cats at a wildland-urban interface. J Mammal 91:482–489. https://doi.org/10.1644/09-MAMM-A-111.1 CrossRef

Hajipour N, Keighobadi M, Abad AMR, Golabi M, Badali A (2015) Prevalence of flea infestation in stray cats in North West of Iran. Biological Forum, Research Trend, Iran, p 575

Hall L, Kasparian M, Van Vuren D, Kelt D (2000) Spatial organization and habitat use of feral cats (Felis catus L.) in Mediterranean California. Mammalia 64:19–28. https://doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2000.64.1.19 CrossRef

Hansen MC, Riggs RA (2008) Accuracy, precision, and observation rates of global positioning system telemetry collars. J Wildlife Manage 72:518–526. https://doi.org/10.2193/2006-493 CrossRef

Harper GA (2007) Habitat selection of feral cats (Felis catus) on a temperate, forested island. Austral Ecol 32:305–314. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2007.01696.x CrossRef

Haspel C, Calhoon RE (1993) Activity patterns of free-ranging cats in Brooklyn, New York. J Mammal 74:1–8. https://doi.org/10.2307/1381900 CrossRef

Horn JA, Mateus-Pinilla N, Warner RE, Heske EJ (2011) Home range, habitat use, and activity patterns of free-roaming domestic cats. J Wildlife Manage 75:1177–1185. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.145 CrossRef

Hutchings S (2003) The diet of feral house cats (Felis catus) at a regional rubbish tip, Victoria. Wildlife Res 30:103–110. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR99067 CrossRef

Jessup DA (2004) The welfare of feral cats and wildlife. J Am Vet Med Assoc 225:1377–1385. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2004.225.1377 CrossRefPubMed

Kays RW, DeWan AA (2004) Ecological impact of inside/outside house cats around a suburban nature preserve. Anim Conserv 7:273–283. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1367943004001489 CrossRef

Kenward RE (2000) A manual for wildlife radio tagging. Academic Press, London

Kitts-Morgan SE, Caires KC, Bohannon LA, Parsons EI, Hilburn KA (2015) Free-ranging farm cats: home range size and predation on a livestock unit in Northwest Georgia. PLoS One 10:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120513 CrossRef

Langham N, Porter R (1991) Feral cats (Felis catus L.) on New Zealand farmland. I. Home range. Wildlife Res 18:741–760. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR9910741 CrossRef

Lepczyk CA, Mertig AG, Liu J (2004) Landowners and cat predation across rural-to-urban landscapes. Biol Conserv 115:191–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(03)00107-1 CrossRef

Lepczyk CA, Lohr CA, Duffy DC (2015) A review of cat behavior in relation to disease risk and management options. Appl Anim Behav Sci 173:29–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2015.07.002 CrossRef

Levy JK, Gale DW, Gale LA (2003) Evaluation of the effect of a long-term trap-neuter-return and adoption program on a free-roaming cat population. J Am Vet Med Assoc 222:42–46. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2003.222.42 CrossRefPubMed

Levy J, Crawford C, Hartmann K, Hofmann-Lehmann R, Little S, Sundahl E, Thayer V (2008) American association of Feline practitioners' feline retrovirus management guidelines. J Feline Med Surg 10:300–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2008.03.002 CrossRefPubMed

Liberg O (1980) Spacing patterns in a population of rural free roaming domestic cats. Oikos 35:336–349. https://doi.org/10.2307/3544649 CrossRef

Liberg O, Sandell M, Pontier D, Natoli E (2000) Density, spatial organisation and reproductive tactics in the domestic cat and other felids. In: Turner DC, Bateson P (eds) The domestic cat: the biology of its behaviour. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp 119–147

Longcore T, Rich C, Sullivan LM (2009) Critical assessment of claims regarding management of feral cats by trap–neuter–return. Conserv Biol 23:887–894. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01174.x CrossRefPubMed

Looney AL, Bohling MW, Bushby PA, Howe LM, Griffin B, Levy JK, Eddlestone SM, Weedon JR, Appel LD, Rigdon-Brestle YK (2008) The Association of Shelter Veterinarians veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 233:74–86. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.233.1.74 CrossRefPubMed

Luria BJ, Levy JK, Lappin MR, Breitschwerdt EB, Legendre AM, Hernandez JA, Gorman SP, Lee IT (2004) Prevalence of infectious diseases in feral cats in Northern Florida. J Feline Med Surg 6:287–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2003.11.005 CrossRefPubMed

Lyons L (2014) Cat domestication and breed development. 10th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production. Canada

Manly B, McDonald L, Thomas D, McDonald TL, Erickson WP (2007) Resource selection by animals: statistical design and analysis for field studies. Springer Science and Business Media, Netherlands

McKinney ML (2006) Urbanization as a major cause of biotic homogenization. Biol Conserv 127:247–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2005.09.005 CrossRef

McKinney ML (2008) Effects of urbanization on species richness: a review of plants and animals. Urban Ecosyst 11:161–176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-007-0045-4 CrossRef

Molsher R, Dickman C, Newsome A, Müller W (2005) Home ranges of feral cats (Felis catus) in central-western New South Wales, Australia. Wildlife Res 32:587–595. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR04093 CrossRef

Moon OK, Lee HS, Kim IK, Kang TH, Cho HJ, Kim DH (2013) Analysis of the summer season home range of domestic feral cats (Felis catus) - focused on the surroundings of rural and suburban areas. J Asia-Pac Biodivers 6:391–396. https://doi.org/10.7229/jkn.2013.6.3.391 CrossRefPubMed

Möstl K, Addie DD, Boucraut-Baralon C, Egberink H, Frymus T, Gruffydd-Jones T, Hartmann K, Hosie MJ, Lloret A, Lutz H (2015) Something old, something new update of the 2009 and 2013 ABCD guidelines on prevention and management of feline infectious diseases. J Feline Med Surg 17:570–582. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X15588448 CrossRefPubMed

Natoli E, Maragliano L, Cariola G, Faini A, Bonanni R, Cafazzo S, Fantini C (2006) Management of feral domestic cats in the urban environment of Rome (Italy). Prev Vet Med 77:180–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2006.06.005 CrossRefPubMed

Norbury G, Norbury D, Heyward R (1998) Space use and denning behaviour of wild ferrets (Mustela furo) and cats (Felis catus). New Zeal. J Ecol 9:149–159

Putman R, Putman R (1989) Mammals as pests. Springer Science and Business Media, London

R Development Core Team (2010) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna http://www.R-project.org. Accessed 27 May 2014

Recio MR, Mathieu R, Maloney R, Seddon PJ (2010) First results of feral cats (Felis catus) monitored with GPS collars in New Zealand. New Zeal. J Ecol 34:288–296

Remfry J (1996) Feral cats in the United Kingdom. J Am Vet Med Assoc 208:520–523PubMed

Ritchie EG, Johnson CN (2009) Predator interactions, mesopredator release and biodiversity conservation. Ecol Lett 12:982–998. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01347.x CrossRefPubMed

RStudio Team (2015) RStudio: integrated development for R. RStudio, Inc., Boston. http://www.rstudio.com/. Accessed 5 Jun 2015

Schmidt PM, Lopez RR, Collier BA (2007) Survival, fecundity, and movements of free-roaming cats. J Wildlife Manage 71:915–919. https://doi.org/10.2193/2006-066 CrossRef

Seaman DE, Powell RA (1996) An evaluation of the accuracy of kernel density estimators for home range analysis. Ecology 77:2075–2085. https://doi.org/10.2307/2265701 CrossRef

Seaman DE, Millspaugh JJ, Kernohan BJ, Brundige GC, Raedeke KJ, Gitzen RA (1999) Effects of sample size on kernel home range estimates. J Wildlife Manage 69:739–747. https://doi.org/10.2307/3802664 CrossRef

Shochat E, Lerman SB, Anderies JM, Warren PS, Faeth SH, Nilon CH (2010) Invasion, competition, and biodiversity loss in urban ecosystems. Bioscience 60:199–208. https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2010.60.3.6 CrossRef

Spada E, Proverbio D, della Pepa A, Perego R, Baggiani L, DeGiorgi GB, Domenichini G, Ferro E, Cremonesi F (2012) Seroprevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukaemia virus and Toxoplasma gondii in stray cat colonies in northern Italy and correlation with clinical and laboratory data. J Feline Med Surg 14:369–377. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X12437352 CrossRefPubMed

Tennent J, Downs CT (2008) Abundance and home ranges of feral cats in an urban conservancy where there is supplemental feeding: a case study from South Africa. Afr Zool 43:218–229. https://doi.org/10.3377/1562-7020-43.2.218 CrossRef

Thomas RL, Baker PJ, Fellowes MD (2014) Ranging characteristics of the domestic cat (Felis catus) in an urban environment. Urban Ecosyst 17:911–921. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-014-0360-5 CrossRef

Turner DC (2000) The domestic cat: the biology of its behaviour. Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom

Walter WD, Fischer JW, Baruch-Mordo S, VerCauteren KC (2011) What is the proper method to delineate home range of an animal using today’s advanced GPS telemetry systems: the initial step. In Modern Telemetry, Dr. Ondrej Krejcar (Ed.) InTech

White GC, Garrott RA (2012) Analysis of wildlife radio-tracking data. Elsevier, New York, USA

Woods M, McDonald RA, Harris S (2003) Predation of wildlife by domestic cats Felis catus in Great Britain. Mammal Rev 33:174–188. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2907.2003.00017.x CrossRef

Worton BJ (1989) Kernel methods for estimating the utilization distribution in home-range studies. Ecology 70:164–168. https://doi.org/10.2307/1938423 CrossRef

Yamane A, Ono Y, Doi T (1994) Home range size and spacing pattern of a feral cat population on a small island. J Mammal Soc Japan 19:9–20. https://doi.org/10.11238/jmammsocjapan.19.9 CrossRef

Titel: Home range and habitat use of feral cats in an urban mosaic in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
verfasst von: Kerushka R. Pillay
Jarryd Streicher
Colleen T. Downs
Publikationsdatum: 11.05.2018
Verlag: Springer US
Erschienen in: Urban Ecosystems / Ausgabe 5/2018
Print ISSN: 1083-8155
Elektronische ISSN: 1573-1642
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-018-0766-6

Springer Professional

Abstract

Bitte loggen Sie sich ein, um Zugang zu Ihrer Lizenz zu erhalten.

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Technik"

Weitere Artikel der Ausgabe 5/2018

The impact of urban forest structure and its spatial location on urban cool island intensity

Coming in like a wrecking-ball: are native Eurasian red squirrels displacing invasive Siberian chipmunks? A study from an urban park

Decay patterns of invasive plants and plastic trash in urban streams

Citizen science reveals widespread supplementary feeding of African woolly-necked storks in suburban areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

A comparative study of urban fragmentation patterns in small and mid-sized cities of Idaho

Correction to: Ecohydrological model for the quantification of ecosystem services provided by urban street trees