INVESTIGADORES
LUCHERINI Mauro
artículos
Título:
Habitat use and ranging behaviour of the red fox in a Mediterranean rural area: is shelter availability a key factor?
Autor/es:
LUCHERINI M.; LOVARI S.; CREMA G.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Referencias:
Año: 1995 vol. 237 p. 577 - 591
ISSN:
0022-5460
Resumen:
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
@page Section1
{size:21.0cm 842.0pt;
margin:45.1pt 45.0pt 45.1pt 72.0pt;
mso-header-margin:36.0pt;
mso-footer-margin:36.0pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
Factors affecting activity, habitat use,
and home-range size of the red fox were analysed in a highly heterogeneous
rural environment. Individual differences in behaviour were used to test our
hypotheses. Food habits tended to depend on food availability, which, in turn,
was mainly influenced by temperature. Diet was highly heterogeneous. Insects,
e.g. grasshoppers and beetles, and cultivated fruits were the staple of the
diet, but no diet component stood out clearly from all others. For an
opportunistic species such as the fox, habitat heterogeneity may be the main
factor underlying a wide trophic niche. All foxes selected the vineyard as part
of their home ranges, whereas they preferred for activity the abandoned
olive-yard among the habitats of their home ranges. Human intolerance of foxes
affects their pattern of activity, habitat selection, and ranging behaviour.
Foxes were strongly nocturnal. Cover-rich habitats were preferred for resting and
for movements in daylight. Areas under human management were mainly used at
night. Selectivity was higher for resting than for activity sites. Variation in
home-range size and shape can be influenced not only by the dispersion of the
main food patches, but also by the location of shelters.