For these mammals, the coastal zone may provide beneficial foraging opportunities that increase dietary breadth, mitigating some of the environmental challenges of island life and allowing for locally higher population densities. Insular populations of terrestrial mammals are often subject to deleterious effects of fluctuations in food supply, pathogens, non-native species, and habitat modifications that can dramatically affect their dynamics and long-term viability. Abundant allochthonous marine resources on beaches, including inputs of giant kelp, may expand habitat use and diet breadth of the island fox, increasing population resilience during declines in terrestrial resources associated with climate variability and long-term climate change. δ 13C and δ 15N values of fox whisker (vibrissae) segments suggested individualism in diet, with generally low δ 13C and δ 15N values of some foxes consistent with specializing on primarily terrestrial foods, contrasting with the higher isotope values of other individuals that suggested a sustained use of sandy beach resources, the importance of which varied over time. Distance-based linear modeling revealed that abundance of giant kelp ( Macrocystis pyrifera) wrack, rather than beach physical attributes, explained the largest amount of variation in talitrid amphipod abundance and biomass across beaches. Consumption of beach invertebrates, primarily intertidal talitrid amphipods ( Megalorchestia spp.) by island fox varied with abundance of these prey across sites. We examined the use of sandy beach resources by the threatened island fox ( Urocyon littoralis) on the California Channel Islands using scat analysis, surveys of potential prey, beach habitat attributes, and stable isotope analysis. The coastal zone provides foraging opportunities for insular populations of terrestrial mammals, allowing for expanded habitat use, increased dietary breadth, and locally higher population densities. Miller, Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Supervision, Writing – review & editing Hubbard, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review & editing,Īnd Robert J. Linnea Palmstrom, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review & editing,ĭavid M. Schroeder, Investigation, Writing – review & editing, Dugan, Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Writing – review & editing,Īngela Guglielmino, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review & editing,ĭonna M. Schooler, Investigation, Writing – review & editing, Emery, Investigation, Writing – review & editing, * Juliann Schamel, Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Page, Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing,
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |