Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparing the landscape level perceptual abilities of forest sciurids in fragmented agricultural landscapes*

  • Published:
Landscape Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Perceptual range is the maximum distance from which an animal can perceive the presence of remote landscape elements such as patches of habitat. Such perceptual abilities are of interest because they influence the probability that an animal will successfully disperse to a new patch in a landscape. Furthermore, understanding how perceptual range differs between species may help to explain differential species sensitivity to patch isolation. The objective of this research was to assess the perceptual range of eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus), gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), and fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) in fragmented agricultural landscapes. Animals were captured in remote woodlots and translocated to unfamiliar agricultural fields. There they were released at different distances from a woodlot and their movements towards or away from the woodlot were used to assess their ability to perceive forested habitat. Observed perceptual ranges of approximately 120 m for chipmunks, 300 m for gray squirrels, and 400 m for fox squirrels, suggest that differences in landscape-level perceptual abilities may influence the occurrence of these species in isolated habitat patches.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen, D.L. 1943. Michigan fox squirrel management. Dept. of Cons., Game Div. Publ. 100: 1–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreassen, H.P., Bjornbom, E., Carlson, R.G., Gunderson, G. and Gunderson, H. 1998. Visual cues as determinants of perceptual range in root voles Microtus oeconmus. Acta Theriologica 43: 371–378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andren, H. 1994. Effects of habitat fragmentation on birds and mammals in landscapes with different proportions of suitable habitat: a review. Oikos 71: 355–363.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batschelet, E. 1981. Circular Statistics in Biology. Academic Press, New York, NY, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumgartner, L.L. 1940. Trapping, handling, and marking fox squirrels. J. Wildl. Manage. 4: 479–484.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, A.F., Henein, K. and Merriam, G. 1994. Corridor use and the elements of corridor quality: chipmunks and fencerows in a farmland mosaic. Biol. Cons. 68: 155–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bendel, P.R. and Therres, G.D. 1994. Movements, site fidelity and survival of Delmarva fox squirrels following translocation. Am. Midl. Nat. 132: 227–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boonstra, R. and Craine, I.T.M. 1986. Natal nest location and small mammal tracking with a spool and line technique. Can. J. Zool. 64: 1034–1036.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowers, M.A. and Ellis, A. 1993. Load size variation in the eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus: the importance of distance from burrow and canopy cover. Ethology 94: 72–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowers, M.A., Jefferson, J.L. and Kuebler, M.G. 1993. Variation in giving up densities of foraging chipmunks (Tamiais striatus) and squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Oikos 66: 229–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crist, T.O. and Wiens, J.A. 1995. Individual movements and estimation of population size in darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). J. Anim. Ecol. 64: 733–746.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diffendorfer, J.E., Gaines, M.S. and Holt, R.D. 1995. Habitat fragmentation and movements of three small mammals (Sigmodon, Mocrotus, and Peromyscus). Ecology. 76: 827–839.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fahrig, L. 1988. A general model of populations in patchy habitats. Appl. Math. C. 27: 53–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Firle, S., Bommarco, R., Ekbom, R. and Natiello, M. 1998. The influence of movement and resting behavior on the range of three carabid beetles. Ecology 79: 2113–2122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgibbon, C.D. 1993. The distribution of grey squirrel dreys in farm woodland: the influence of wood area, isolation and management. J. Appl. Ecol. 30: 736–742.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.J., and Smith, D.A. 1973. Temporal variability in home ranges of eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) in a South-eastern Ontario woodlot. Am. Midl. Nat. 90: 107–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodwin, B.J., Bender, D.J., Contreras, T.A., Fahrig L. and Wegner, J.F. 1999. Testing for habitat detection distances using orientation data. Oikos, 84: 160–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillis, E.A. and Nams, V.O. 1998. How red backed voles find habitat patches. Can. J. Zool. 76: 791–794.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gustafson, E.J. and Gardner, R.H. 1996. The effect of landscape heterogeneity on the probability of patch colonization. Ecology 77: 94–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gustafson, E.J. and Van Druff, L.W. 1990. Behavior of black and gray morphs of Sciuris carolinensis in an urban environment. Am. Midl. Nat. 123: 186–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haddad, N.M. 1999. Corridor use predicted from behaviors at habitat boundaries. Amer. Nat. 153: 215–227.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, M.T., Merriam G. and Wegner, J. 1985. Patchy environments and species survival: chipmunks in an agricultural mosaic. Biol. Conserv. 31: 95–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henein, K., Wegner, J. and Merriam, G. 1998. Population effects of landscape model manipulation on two behaviourally different woodland small mammals. Oikos 81: 168–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hungerford, K.E. and Wilder, N.G. 1941. Observations on the homing behavior of the gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). J. Wildl. Manage. 5: 458–460.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ims, R.A. 1995. Movement patterns related to spatial structures. In Mosaic landscapes and cological rocesses. pp. 85–109. Edited by L. Hansson, Fahrig, L. and Merriam, G. Chapman and Hall, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Key, G.E. and Woods, R.D. 1996. Spool-and-line studies on the behavioural ecology of rats (Rattus spp.) in the Galapagos Islands. Can. J. Zool. 74: 733–737.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koprowski, J.L. 1994a. Sciurus niger. Mammalian Species Account 479: 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koprowski, J.L. 1994b. Sciurus carolinensis. Mammalian Species Account 480: 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, K.W. and Boutin, S. 1994. Movements, survival, and settlement of red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) offspring. Ecology 75: 214–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurance, W.F. 1995. Extinction and survival of rainforest mammals in a fragmented tropical landscape. In Landscape approaches in mammalian ecology and conservation. pp. 46–63. Edited by W.Z. Lidicker, Jr. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurance, W.F. 1990. Comparative responses of five arboreal marsupials to tropical forest fragmentation. J. Mammal. 71: 641–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lidicker, W.Z., Jr. and Koenig, W.D. 1996. Responses of terrestrial vertebrates to habitat edges and corridors. In Metapopulations and wildlife conservation. pp. 85–111. Edited by D.R. McCullough. Island Press, Washington D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lima, S.L. 1998. Stress and decision making under the risk of predation: recent developments from behavioral, reproductive, and ecological perspectives. Adv. Study Behav. 27: 215–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lima, S.L. and Zollner, P.A. 1996. Towards a behavioral ecology of ecological landscapes. Trends Ecol. Evol. 11(3): 131–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lima, S.L. and Valone, T.J. 1986. Influence of predation risk on diet selection: a simple experiment in the gray squirrel. Animal Behav. 34: 536–544.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., Dunning, J.B. and Pulliam, H.R. 1995. Population effects of a forest management plan on Bachman's sparrows (Aimophila aestivalis): linking a spatially-explicit model with GIS. Conserv. Biol. 9: 62–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAdam, G. and Krammer, D.L. 1998. Vigilance as a benefit of intermittent locomotion in small mammals. Animal Behav. 55: 109–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, C.M., Havera, S.P. and Greenberg, R.E. 1978. Distribution and abundance of the gray squirrel in Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Biological Notes, Vol. 105, 55p.

  • Nixon, C.M., Hansen, L.P. and Havera, S.P. 1986. Demographic characteristics of an unexploited population of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger). Can. J. Zool. 64: 512–521.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunes, S. and Holekamp, K.E. 1996. Mass and fat influence timing of natal dispersal in Belding's ground squirrels. J. Mammal. 77: 807–817.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nupp. T.E. and Swihart, R.K. 1998. Effects of forest fragmentation on population dynamics of white-footed mice and eastern chipmunks. J. Mammal. 79: 1234–1243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nupp. T.E. and Swihart, R.K. in review. Landscape-level correlates of small mammal assemblages in forest fragments of farmlands. J. Mammal.

  • Pettersson, B. 1985. Extinction of an isolated population of the middle spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos medius (L.) in Sweden and its relation to general theories on extinction. Biol. Conserv. 32: 335–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pither, J. and Taylor, P.D. 1998. An experimental assessment of landscape connectivity. Oikos 83: 166–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pulliam, H.R., Dunning, J.B. Jr. and Liu, J. 1992. Population dynamics in complex landscapes: a case study. Ecol. Appl. 2: 165–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oxley, D.J., Fenton, M.B. and Carmody, G.R. 1974. The effects of roads on populations of small mammals. J. Appl. Ecol. 18: 51–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rail, J-F., M. Darveau, A. Desrochers, and J. Huot. 1997. Territorial responses of boreal forest birds to habitat gaps. Condor 99: 976–980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roitberg, B.D. and Mangel, M. 1997. Individuals on the landscape: behavior can mitigate landscape differences among habitats. Oikos 80: 234–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenblatt, D.L. in review. An experimental examination of tree squirrel vagility in an agricultural landscape. Landscape Ecol.

  • Rosenblatt, D.L. 1999. The effect of habitat fragmentation on forest mammals: An experiemntal analysis of tree squirrel distributions in the agricultural landscape of east central Illinois. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenblatt, D.L., Heske, E.J., Nelson, S.L., Barber, D.M., Miller, M.A. and MacAllister, B. 1999. Forest fragments in east-central Illinois: island or habitat patches for mammals? Am. Midl. Nat. 141: 115–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rushton, S.P., Lurz, P.W.W., Fuller, R. and Garson, P.J. 1997. Modelling the distribution of the red and grey squirrel at the landscape scale: a combined GIS and population dynamics approach. J. Appl. Ecol. 34: 1137–1154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seidel, D.R. 1961. Homing in the eastern chipmunk. J. Mammal. 42: 256–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheperd, B.F. and Swihart, R.K. 1995. Spatial dynamics of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) in fragmented landscapes. Can. J. Zool. 73: 2098–2105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C.C. and Folmer, D. 1972. Food preferences of squirrels. Ecology 53: 82–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, D.P. 1982. Tamias striatus. Mammalian Species Account. 168: 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steele, M.A. and Weigl, P.D. 1992. Energetics and patch use in the fox squirrel Sciurus niger: response to variation in prey profitability and patch density. Am. Midl. Nat. 128: 156–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swihart, R.K. and Nupp, T.E. 1998. Modeling population responses of North American tree squirrels to agriculturally-induced fragmentation of forests. In Ecology and evolutionary biology of tree squirrels. pp. 1–19. Edited by M.A. Steele, Merritt J.F. and Zegers, D.A. Special Publication, Virginia Museum of Natural History, Vol. 6.

  • Taylor, P.D., Fahrig, L., Henein, K. and Merriam, G. 1993. Connectivity is a vital element of landscape structure. Oikos 68: 571–573.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turchin, P. 1998. Quantitative analysis of movement: measuring and modeling population redistribution in animals and plants. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, M.G., Wu, Y., Romme, W.H. and Wallace, L.L. 1993. A landscape simulation model of winter foraging by large ungulates. Ecol. Model. 69: 163–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Appeldoorn, R.C., Celada, C. and Nieuwenhuizen, W. 1994. Distribution and dynmaics of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris L.). Landscape Ecol. 9: 227–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Vuren, D. 1998. Mammalian dispersal and reserve design. In Behavioral ecology and conservation biology. pp. 369–393. Edited by T.M. Caro. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verboom, B. and Van Apeldoorn, R. 1990. Effects of habitat fragmentation on the red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris L. Landscape Ecol. 4: 171–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wauters, L., Casale, P. and Dhondt, A.A. 1994. Space use and dispersal of red squirrels in fragmented habitats. Oikos 69: 140–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wegner, J.F. and Merriam, G. 1979. Movements by birds and small mammals between a wood and adjoining farmland habitats. J. Appl. Ecol. 16: 349–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiens, J.A., Schooley, R.L. and Weeks, R.L., Jr. 1997. Patchy landscapes and animal movements: do beetles percolate? Oikos 78: 257–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • With, K.A. 1994. Using fractal analysis to asses how species perceive landscape structure. Landscape Ecol. 9: 25–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • With, K.A. and Crist, T.A. 1995. Critical thresholds in species' responses to landscape structure. Ecology 76: 2446–2459.

    Google Scholar 

  • With, K.A. and Crist, T.O. 1996. Translating across scales: simulating species distributions as the aggregate response of individuals to heterogeneity. Ecol. Model. 93: 125–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoemans, S.R. 1995. Water-finding in adult turtles: random search or oriented behaviour? Anim. Behav. 49:977–987.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zollner, P.A. and Lima, S.L. 1997. Landscape-level perceptual abilities in white-footed mice: perceptual range and the detection of forested habitat. Oikos 80: 51–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zollner, P.A. and Lima, S.L. 1999a. Search strategies for landscapelevel inter-patch movements. Ecology 80: 1019–1030.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zollner, P.A. and Lima, S.L. 1999b. Orientational data and perceptual range: real mice aren't blind. Oikos 84: 164–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zollner, P.A. and Lima, S.L. 1999c. Illumination and the perception of remote habitat patches by white-footed mice. Anim. Behav. 58: 489–500.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Patrick A. Zollner

    Present address: North Central Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 5985 Highway K, Rhinelander, WI, 54501-9128, U.S.A.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, 47809, USA

    Patrick A. Zollner

Authors
  1. Patrick A. Zollner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zollner, P.A. Comparing the landscape level perceptual abilities of forest sciurids in fragmented agricultural landscapes*. Landscape Ecology 15, 523–533 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008154532512

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008154532512

Search

Navigation