RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Mammals adjust diel activity across gradients of urbanization
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.09.24.461702
DO 10.1101/2021.09.24.461702
A1 Travis Gallo
A1 Mason Fidino
A1 Brian Gerber
A1 Adam A. Ahlers
A1 Julia L. Angstmann
A1 Max Amaya
A1 Amy L. Concilio
A1 David Drake
A1 Danielle Gray
A1 Elizabeth W. Lehrer
A1 Maureen H. Murray
A1 Travis J. Ryan
A1 Colleen Cassady St. Clair
A1 Carmen M. Salsbury
A1 Heather A. Sander
A1 Theodore Stankowich
A1 Jacque Williamson
A1 J. Amy Belaire
A1 Kelly Simon
A1 Seth B. Magle
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/09/24/2021.09.24.461702.abstract
AB Time is a fundamental component of ecological processes. How animal behavior changes over time has been explored through well-known ecological theories like niche partitioning and predator-prey dynamics. Yet, changes in animal behavior within the shorter 24-hour light-dark cycle have largely gone unstudied. Understanding if an animal can adjust their temporal activity to mitigate or adapt to environmental change has become a recent topic of discussion and is important for effective wildlife management and conservation. While spatial habitat is a fundamental consideration in wildlife management and conservation, temporal habitat is often ignored. We formulated a temporal resource selection model to quantify the diel behavior of eight mammal species across ten U.S. cities. We found high variability in diel activity patterns within and among species and species-specific correlations between diel activity and human population density, impervious land cover, available greenspace, vegetation cover, and mean daily temperature. We also found that some species may modulate temporal behaviors to manage both natural and anthropogenic risks. Our results highlight the complexity with which temporal activity patterns interact with local environmental characteristics, and suggest that urban mammals may use time along the 24-hour cycle to reduce risk, adapt, and therefore persist in human-dominated ecosystems.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.