Graduation Date
Fall 2020
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Natural Resources, option Wildlife
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Barbara Clucas
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Daniel Barton
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Angela Baker
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Fourth Committee Member Name
Dr. Brett Furnas
Fourth Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Keywords
Mesopredator, Urban, Drought, Spatiotemporal, Partitioning, Activity, Mammal, Camera trap, Central Valley, Human, Coyote, Raccoon, Opossum, Skunk, Cat
Subject Categories
Wildlife
Abstract
Mammalian mesopredators commonly associated with human dominated landscapes often exhibit generalist diets, behavioral plasticity, and relatively high reproductive rates. Because of this wide range of adaptive traits, ecologists have been speculative of what conditions may drive species to change their activity and behavior to avoid or mitigate against resource competition, intraguild predation, and human disturbance. I investigated a community of common mesopredators within the Sacramento Metropolitan Area of California’s Central Valley to address whether species are spatially and/or temporally partitioning due to a defacto apex predator, coyotes (Canis latrans), and humans alongside large landscape altering disturbances: urbanization and drought. I used single species occupancy models and temporal overlap analyses to evaluate raccoon (Procyon lotor), opossum (Didelphis virginiana), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), domestic cat (Felis catus), and coyote spatiotemporal activity following drought and recovery across 2016, 2017, and 2019 as well as their response to varying scales of urban intensity post drought. Coyote activity was more diurnal and varied during the drought, with coyotes overlapping with nocturnal mesopredators near water sources following drought recovery. Coyotes and skunks avoided humans and increased temporal overlap post drought. Opossums and raccoons were associated to wetlands during the drought but were the most wide-ranging species across urban intensities. Cats were the most urban tolerant, while coyotes were least urban tolerant. My results suggest mesopredators avoid humans across urban intensities while still benefiting from urban resources. Coyotes may influence mesopredators primarily in non-urban areas, while drought and urban residences may lessen mesopredator fear of intraguild predation.
Citation Style
Journal of Wildlife Management
Recommended Citation
Moura, Chad W., "Spatiotemporal partitioning of mammalian mesopredators in response to drought and urbanization in California's Central Valley" (2020). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 434.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/434
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Behavior and Ethology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons, Zoology Commons