College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus, 6073 South Backus Mall, Mesa, AZ, 85212, USA.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 1 Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL, 62702, USA.
Sci Rep. 2022 Mar 7;12(1):4023. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-07297-y.
An individual's spatial behavior is shaped by social and environmental factors and provides critical information about population processes to inform conservation and management actions. Heterogeneity in spatial overlap among conspecifics can be evaluated using estimates of home ranges and core areas and used to understand factors influencing space use and territoriality. To understand and test predictions about spatial behavior in an invasive large mammal, the wild pig (Sus scrofa), we examined variation in space use between sexes and seasons. We predicted that if animals were territorial that there would be a reduction in space-use overlap when comparing overlap of home ranges (HR-HR), to home ranges and core areas (HR-CA), and in-turn between core areas (CA-CA). Home ranges and core areas were estimated for 54 wild pigs at Buck Island Ranch, FL from GPS telemetry data. Overlap indices were calculated to estimate the strength (space-use overlap) and number of potential interactions within three wet seasons (June-October) and two dry seasons (December-April). Among sexes, home range size did not vary seasonally, and males exhibited larger home ranges compared to females (M = 10.36 ± 0.79 km (± SE), F = 3.21 ± 0.16 km). Strength of overlap varied by season with wild pig home ranges overlapping more during the dry season. Males interacted with a greater number of individuals of both sexes, compared to females, and exhibited greater strength of overlap during the dry season. Consistent with our predictions, wild pigs appeared to exhibit territorial behavior, where strength of overlap decreased when comparing HR-HR to HR-CA and HR-CA to CA-CA. Our framework can be used to understand patterns of space use and territoriality in populations, which has important implications in understanding intraspecific interactions and population processes, such as how pathogens and parasites might spread within and among populations.
个体的空间行为受到社会和环境因素的影响，为保护和管理行动提供了有关种群过程的关键信息。同种个体之间空间重叠的异质性可以通过估计栖息地范围和核心区域来评估，并用于了解影响空间利用和领地性的因素。为了理解和测试入侵大型哺乳动物野猪的空间行为预测，我们研究了性别和季节之间空间利用的变化。我们预测，如果动物具有领地性，那么在比较栖息地范围（HR-HR）的重叠、栖息地范围和核心区域（HR-CA）的重叠，以及核心区域（CA-CA）之间的重叠时，重叠度将会降低。使用来自 GPS 遥测数据的 54 头野猪的 Buck Island Ranch，FL 的数据来估计栖息地范围和核心区域。重叠指数用于估计在三个湿季（6 月至 10 月）和两个干季（12 月至 4 月）内的三个潜在相互作用的强度（空间利用重叠）和数量。在性别方面，栖息地范围大小季节性没有变化，雄性的栖息地范围大于雌性（M=10.36±0.79km（±SE），F=3.21±0.16km）。重叠强度随季节而变化，野猪的栖息地在旱季重叠更多。与雌性相比，雄性与更多的雄性和雌性个体相互作用，并且在旱季表现出更大的重叠强度。与我们的预测一致，野猪似乎表现出领地行为，当比较 HR-HR 与 HR-CA 和 HR-CA 与 CA-CA 时，重叠强度降低。我们的框架可用于理解种群中空间利用和领地性的模式，这对于理解种内相互作用和种群过程具有重要意义，例如病原体和寄生虫如何在种群内部和种群之间传播。
