AMoveE 2014: Aaron Facka
Channel: Movebank
Date: 20/05/2014

This talk was presented by Aaron Facka on 6 May 2014 as part of the Symposium on Animal Movement and the Environment, held at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

Facka A, Powell RA, 2014, "Identification of occupied home ranges using travel distances, changes in speed and final settlement of translocated fishers (Pekania pennanti)"

Abstract: Animals establish and maintain home ranges to ensure access to important resources such as food, shelter, or mates. Experience and information pertaining to resources should be advantageous to the occupier of a home range compared to conspecifics that frequent other areas. Since interlopers into a home range are less competitive at exploiting limited resources it benefits them to spend limited time and energy in areas that are already occupied. Thus, animals that are dispersing or that have no established home range (e.g., translocated animals) should move quickly and as efficiently as possible when they encounter the home ranges of existing animals. Further, when and where individuals exhibit such behaviors could be used to identify the home ranges of animals that we have no knowledge of. We tested these ideas by studying fishers (Pekania pennanti) that were translocated into the Northern Sierra Nevada of California in 2009-2010, and 2010-2011, and 2011-2012. Using satellite transmitters (Argos) and land-based (VHF) telemetry we made daily observation of fisher locations and movements immediately after release and through the development of their home ranges. Fisher released in the first year averaged maximum movements from their release point of 10 km (SD = 6.2) for females and 33 km (SD = 19.3) for males. The centers of their home ranges averaged 3.5 km (SD = 1.54) females and 32.8 km (SD = 19) for males. Comparison of females fisher released in the second year moved an averaged maximum movements from their release of 13.5 km (SD = 4) for females and 22.2 km (SD = 19) for males. In the third year we placed 4 individuals in locations away and 3 within the established home ranges of the known home ranges of earlier released animals to compare their movements to animals from earlier years. Individuals moved quickly through the home ranges of animals released during all years. We identified fishers moving through 4 home ranges of fisher that were lost from telemetry contact, but suspected to be alive. Fisher released during year 2 and 3, and within already established home ranges, moved faster and further than did animals released in year 1 or those released outside of known home ranges. Trapping and detection by baited camera station revealed that at least 2 of those home range continued to be occupied. Generally, newly released animals responded very quickly to the presence of already established home ranges and the speed of their movements is a promising index of whether areas are occupied by existing animals.