Environmental factors regulate occupancy of free-ranging dogs on a sub-Antarctic island, Chile
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Environmental factors regulate occupancy of free-ranging dogs on a sub-Antarctic island, Chile Juan Contardo Elke Schu¨ttler
. Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth . Pedro E. Cattan .
Received: 27 July 2019 / Accepted: 20 October 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are the most common carnivore species in natural ecosystems worldwide. They are of considerable concern for wildlife conservation, particularly in the absence of predators. However, we are only beginning to understand the ecology of free-ranging dogs, and even less is known in sub-Antarctic environments. Here, we used camera-trap data to assess space use of free-ranging dogs on a sub-Antarctic island in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, southern Chile, which lacks native terrestrial carnivores. We predicted free-ranging dogs to be associated with human settlements, trails, and roads and to prefer open habitats over forest for the ease of movement. We obtained 67 independent dog records of 62 individuals over 3909 camera-trap days from 200 sites. Single-species single-season
occupancy models revealed that both rural/village dogs, as well as putative feral dogs chose peatbogs over forest, but their preference for settlements and roads was less pronounced and inconsistent among dog categories. Our findings revealed evidence for a reproducing feral dog population on Navarino Island that may be sustained by recruits from rural/village dogs, as identical sites were visited by both dog categories. However, due to a higher occupancy with proximity to human dwellings, the dependence of feral dogs on human resources remain uncontested. In light of the penetration of dogs into pristine sub-Antarctic habitats and their possible impacts on native vulnerable prey, we recommend the implementation of responsible pet-ownership regulations, as well as ethically-approved control actions for feral dogs to protect one of the planet’s last wilderness areas.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02394-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. J. Contardo (&) Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa, La Pintana 11315, Santiago de Chile, Chile e-mail: [email protected] J. Contardo E. Schu¨ttler Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program, Universidad de Magallanes, Teniente Mun˜oz 166, Puerto Williams, Chile
A. Grimm-Seyfarth Department of Conservation Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany P. E. Cattan Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa, La Pintana 11735, Santiago de Chile, Chile E. Schu¨ttler Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Field Station, Omora Park, Teniente Mun˜oz 166, Puerto Williams, Chile
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Keywords Biological invasion Camera-trap Canis familiaris Invasive species Subsidized predator
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