Habitat use of the raccon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in north-eastern Germany

This study investigated habitat availability and its selection and preference by adult, resident raccoon dogs inhabiting the countryside in north-eastern Germany. Habitat composition within home ranges and within the whole study area was almost equal. Although percentage share of farmland and meadow was 16.35% smaller and 12.06% higher within the home ranges, respectively. All nine habitat types (farmland, forest, settlement, water, meadows, maize fields, small woods, reeds and hedges) were used opportunistically by raccoon dogs. No significant, recognisable difference for habitat preferences between seasons was detected. Male and female raccoon dog showed equal habitat preference pattern. A comparison of active and inactive locations in different habitats found no remarkable differences.Habitat composition of individual home ranges was used to classify animals. If the percentage of forest within a home range exceeded 50% the individual was classified as a ‘forest type’ raccoon dog. If the percentage of forest habitats within a home range was less than 5%, the share of pastureland was mean 81.82%±16.92 SD. Consequently the individual was classified as a ‘agrarian type’ raccoon dog. Neither habitat preference nor habitat selection process differed between the two ‘types’. Habitat use and preference is discussed with relation to the ability of the raccoon dog to expand its range towards Western Europe.     

Daytime habitat selection by introduced eastern cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus and native european hare Lepus europaeus in Northern Italy

We used radiotelemetry to investigate resting sites habitat selection by introduced eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) and native European hare (Lepus europaeus) under sympatric conditions. We tracked 24 hares and 34 cottontails in a protected area of northwestern Italy. Hares were found in different sites every week, while cottontails used the same site for two weeks, and occasionally for longer. It is supposed that this periodic nest switching reduces the risk of predation and parasitism. Hares and cottontails forms were located in different habitats and characterized by dense vegetation cover near the ground. This cover increased from winter to summer in both species, while in autumn it continued to increase in cottontails only, and decreased in hares. Cottontails selected shrubby habitats near the river, and avoided crop fields in all seasons. Hares were more adaptive in their search, using high herbs and shrubs all year round, wheat fields in spring, maize in spring and summer, and stubbles in winter. Arguably, partial niche differentiation is necessary to allow the coexistence of similar species. In our study area, hares and cottontails differentiated in the use of resting sites habitats, presumably so as not to compete in this part of their ecological niche.     

How far a protected area contributes to conserve habitat species composition and population structure of endangered African tree species (Benin,West Africa)

The Pendjari Biosphere Reserve located in the Sudanian zone of Bénin, is a protected area well managed, but mainly aimed at wild animal conservation. This study assessed its effectiveness to conserve habitat species composition and population structure of three endangered African tree species: Afzelia africana Sm., Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir. and Khaya senegalensis (Desv.) A. Juss. We randomly sampled 120 plots in the protected and surrounding unprotected habitats by inventorying plant species. For the three target species, we estimated adult and juvenile densities and recorded size classes. According to floristic composition four habitats groups were recognized in relation to human disturbance, vegetation type, and moisture. These were protected savannas, unprotected savannas, old fallows and gallery forests. The estimated adult densities of A. africana were similar between protected (14 ± 1.2 tree/ha) and unprotected savannas (17 ± 0.9 tree/ha) while for P. erinaceus the adult density was significantly higher in protected (12 ± 3.7 tree/ha) than in unprotected savannas (5 ± 1.9 tree/ha). Estimated adult density of K. senegalensis was also significantly higher in protected gallery forest (40 ± 5.8 tree/ha) than in unprotected one (29 ± 4.8 tree/ha). Juvenile densities of A. africana, K. senegalensis and P. erinaceus were higher in protected habitats than in unprotected ones but the difference was not significant. Skewness coefficient indicated that populations of investigated trees were declining in their protected habitats. However, in the case of A. africana and K. senegalensis populations seemed to be mostly threatened in the protected area. We concluded that although the studied protected area is effective to conserve some habitats species compositions, protection is not sufficient to guarantee future conservation of some threatened tree species.     

Use of space by Necromys lasiurus (Rodentia,Sigmodontinae) in a grassland among Atlantic Forest fragments

The spatial patterns presented by the rodent Necromys lasiurus were studied through capture-mark-recapture in a grassland among Atlantic Coastal Forest fragments in Southeastern Brazil. Males moved farther than females. Males moved similar distances in the dry and wet seasons, whereas females moved significantly longer distances in the dry season. Home ranges sizes were estimated for 32 individuals, and varied from 0.02 to 0.52 ha. Males had larger home ranges than females when all data are pooled and in the wet season; in the dry season home ranges of both sexes were of similar sizes. Home range sizes did not vary significantly between seasons for either sex. Home ranges of males overlapped extensively among themselves and with females, whereas females showed mutually exclusive home ranges. The spatial patterns described here are consistent with the results found for this species in different habitats and they suggest that N. lasiurus has a promiscuous mating system.     

Habitat use and sensitivity to fragmentation in America’s smallest wildcat

Fragmentation and human-wildlife conflicts represent severe threats to wildcats such as the kodkod cat (Leopardus guigna), endemic to the heavily impacted Chilean temperate rainforest. Here we assess to which extent this vulnerable forest specialist is able to use altered habitat (agricultural matrix, forest edge, human presence) by studying its home ranges, habitat use, and patch selection in privately owned rainforest remnants. We radio-tracked five individuals over 33–376 days. Mean 95% kernel home ranges were 623 ha, with a mean 50% core area of 191 ha. Ecological-niche and Mahalanobis distance factor analysis confirmed forest-dependency and revealed that the individuals made intensive use of forest edges, close to water. They did not avoid houses. Generalized linear mixed models showed that the monitored kodkods selected elongated woodland patches. We conclude that the kodkods compensated the non-forest space by maintaining larger home ranges and making efficient use of forest edges probably due to higher prey availability. Future studies should identify ecological traps, and describe connectivity and source-sink dynamics in the agricultural matrix to develop long-term conservation efforts for the smallest cat of the Americas.     

Home range,movements and diurnal roosts of the endangered thin-spined porcupine,Chaetomys subspinosus (Rodentia: Erethizontidae), in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Chaetomys subspinosus is the sole species within the Chaetomyinae subfamily of Caviomorph rodents. This poorly studied porcupine is restricted to the Atlantic Forest in eastern Brazil, where deforestation and habitat fragmentation threaten its survival. Data on the ranging and roosting behavior of C. subspinosus is fairly scarce as it is difficult to observe these behaviors in nature and, consequently, it is very rarely detected during field surveys. We monitored the home ranges of three radio-tagged females over the course of 1 year (2005–2006) and collected data on several aspects of their natural history including movement patterns and the use of diurnal roosts and latrines. The animals were monitored at Parque Estadual Paulo Cesar Vinha, a nature reserve dominated by restinga forests, a subtype of Atlantic Forest occurring on sandy soil. The estimated home range varied little between individuals and was relatively small (mean = 2.14 ha/individual and 1.09 ha/individual using minimum convex polygon and kernel methods, respectively). The animals travelled an average of 147 m/night (range: 21–324 m/night) between two consecutive day roosts. The day roosts were mostly located on vine and liana tangles in the canopy which also aid in connecting the canopy to adjacent trees or the forest floor. Latrines were mostly located near the ground in places heavily protected by spiny bromeliads or by other tangled vegetation. Our data suggests that C. subspinosus has the smallest range among all Neotropical Erethizontids which is likely due to its small size and strictly folivorous diet. Our data also helps explain why C. subspinosus is so difficult to observe in nature: researchers should focus on arboreal masses of tangled vegetation where individuals will normally rest during the day.     

The impact of forest encroachment after agricultural land abandonment on passerine bird communities: The case of Greece

Agricultural land abandonment is one of the main drivers of land use change, leading to various responses of farmland ecological communities. In an effort to better understand the effect of agricultural land abandonment on passerine bird communities, we sampled 20 randomly selected sites [1 km × 1 km] in remote Greek mountains, reflecting an abandonment gradient, in terms of forest encroachment. We sampled 169 plots using the point count method of fixed distance (47 passerine species), and we investigated bird diversity and community structure turnover along the gradient. We found that grazing intensity has a beneficial effect hampering forest encroachment that follows progressively land abandonment. Habitat composition changes gradually with forests developing at the expense of open meadows and heterogeneous grasslands. Forest encroachment has a significant negative effect on bird diversity and species richness, affecting in particular typical farmland and Mediterranean shrubland species. Birds form five distinct ecological clusters after land abandonment: species mostly found in pinewoods and cavity-dwelling species; species that prefer open forests forest edges or ecotones; species that prefer shrubland or open habitats with scattered woody vegetation; Mediterranean farmland birds that prefer semi-open habitats with hedges and/or woodlots; and, generalist forest-dwelling or shrubland species. We extracted a set of 22 species to represent the above ecological communities, as a new monitoring tool for agricultural land use change and conservation. We suggest that the maintenance of rural mosaics should be included in the priorities of agricultural policy for farmland bird diversity conservation.     

Wild bison as ecological indicators of the effectiveness of management practices to increase forage quality on open rangeland

Habitat manipulations through the use of fire or mechanical treatments are often used to combat woody plant encroachment and increase foraging opportunities for wildlife and livestock. This creates spatial heterogeneity in habitat quality that large herbivores should respond to in ways predicted by ideal free distribution theory. We monitored free-ranging bison to test whether, (1) manipulated habitats offer higher quality forage than habitats in undisturbed rangeland, (2) bison respond through changes in herd composition or activity to differences in habitat quality, and (3) burned and mechanically treated habitats offer similar forage qualities. We found that habitat types burned ∼10 years ago continue to produce higher quality forage as evidenced by bison fecal N concentration (14.4 g kg⁻¹ dry mass) than open (10.5 g kg⁻¹), closed (10.6 g kg⁻¹), or mechanically manipulated habitats (11.7 g kg⁻¹). Bison herd composition and activity did not vary across habitat types within seasons, despite some between-season variation in overall group composition with sexual segregation being most evident before mid-summer. For semi-arid rangelands encroached with woody vegetation (e.g. piñon–juniper in the western USA) our evidence from free-ranging bison indicates that burning results in higher quality forage than occurs in both mechanically manipulated and undisturbed habitats. Bison roam widely from water, sample available vegetation continuously, and are long-lived gregarious animals that learn to exploit the spatiotemporal heterogeneity in their large home ranges. Bison also have very similar diets to cattle and so, where bison and cattle are allowed to comingle, we suggest the foraging parameters of free-ranging bison are effective ecological indicators of rangeland quality for both bison and cattle.     

Puma spatial ecology in open habitats with aggregate prey

Solitary felids are commonly associated with structurally complex habitats, where their foraging success is attributed to stealth and remaining undetected by competitive scavengers. Research in North America suggests that pumas (Puma concolor), a wide-ranging species found throughout the Americas, conform to the general characteristics of solitary felids and avoid open grasslands with aggregating prey. Researchers hypothesize that pumas are limited to structurally complex habitats in North America because of pressures from other large, terrestrial competitors. We explored the spatial ecology of pumas in open habitat with aggregating prey in Chilean Patagonia, where pumas lack large, terrestrial competitors. We tracked 11 pumas over 30 months (intensive location data for 9 pumas with GPS collars for 9.33 ± 5.66 months each) in an area where mixed steppe grasslands composed 53% of the study area and carried 98% of available prey biomass, to track resource use relative to availability, assess daily movements, quantify home ranges and calculate their density. As determined by location data and kill sites, Patagonia pumas were primarily associated with open habitats with high prey biomass, but at finer scales, preferentially selected for habitat with complex structure. On average, pumas traveled 13.42 ± 2.50 km per day. Estimated 95% fixed kernel home ranges averaged 98 ± 31.8 km² for females and 211 ± 138.8 km² for males, with high spatial overlap within and between the sexes. In a multivariate analysis, available prey biomass was the strongest predictor of variation in the size of an individual puma's home range. Finally, we determined a total puma density of 3.44 pumas/100 km², a significantly smaller estimate than previously reported for Patagonia, but similar to densities reported for North America.     

Habitat overlap between sympatric European hares (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepus europaeus</Emphasis>) and Eastern cottontails (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sylvilagus floridanus</Emphasis>) in northern Italy

In northern Italy, the range of the Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) largely overlaps with that of the native European hare (Lepus europaeus) on the Po Plain. Both species appear to have similar habitat requirements. We studied habitat selection by hares and cottontails during feeding activity from September 2006 to August 2007 in two areas where they occur alone (allopatry) and in one area where they occur together (sympatry). The three areas were basically similar, so that shifts in habitat use observed in sympatry should reflect the response to interspecific competition. Habitat selection was examined at micro- and macro-habitat levels throughout seasons. Habitat breadth of both species followed the change of resource availability through seasons in allopatry as well as in sympatry. No shifts in habitat use were evident at macro-habitat level, even during autumn which was the limiting season. Exploitation of shared habitats by the two species seems to be promoted by differential micro-habitat use within macro-habitat types. Cottontails used woods with dense understory in greater proportion than hares, and their present sites were concentrated within the maximum distance of 20 m of the nearest shelter site. Hares were more likely than cottontails to exploit crops, and their sites were distributed even greater than 80 m away from permanent cover patches. The habitat heterogeneity of agricultural ecosystems within the sympatry range could buffer the negative effects of external factors (climate, human disturbance and predation) on hares, and enhance the chances of exploitation of shared habitats by both species.     

Spatial ecology and habitat use of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) in South Africa

The lack of long-term studies remains a limiting factor in understanding the home range, spatial ecology and movement of giraffes. We equipped eight giraffes with GPS satellite units and VHF capacity, which were built in to the collars for the remote collection of data on their movements and home ranges over two years on Khamab Kalahari Nature Reserve (KKNR) within the Kalahari region of South Africa. Giraffe numbers in KKNR dropped from 135 individuals to 111 in just five years, revealing the lack of knowledge about their required habitat needs, space use and diet. With over 1000 km² available for roaming within the reserve, habitat selection, principle and preferred food species played a significant role in home range size and overlap between individuals. These giraffes used an average annual home range of 206 km² (20 602 ha) as calculated by a 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) with a standard deviation core home range calculated by a 50% MCP of 10.1 km² to satisfy their annual needs for survival and reproduction in their preferred vegetation. In the wet, hot season (summer: December–February) when food was abundant, giraffes frequented smaller areas (average 177 km²), while in the dry, cool season (winter: June to August) the mean home range size increased to approximately 245 km². Rainfall influenced spatial distribution since it determined vegetation productivity and leaf phenology. The different seasons influenced giraffe movements, while different vegetation types and season influenced their home range size. Season and food availability also influenced home range overlap between different giraffe herds. Home range overlap occurred when giraffes were forced to roam in overlapping areas during the dryer months when the winter deciduous nature of the majority of the tree species resulted in lower food availability. In winter, the overlap was approximately 31% and in autumn approximately 23%. During the wet and warmer months, overlapping was 15% in summer and 19% in spring, respectively. The percentage of time spent in different vegetation type areas was influenced by the abundance of the principal food species of that plant community. It is thus concluded that the movements of giraffes were primarily influenced by a combination of environmental factors such as season, rainfall and vegetation density.     

Improving national habitat specific biodiversity indicators using relative habitat use for common birds

It has recently been stated that the global goal of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010 has not been met highlighting the urgent need to monitor trends in biodiversity. Our study suggests that existing indicators of bird biodiversity in Denmark are inaccurate and we present a new objective method for accurately assessing trends in specific habitats using common bird species. Bird species were selected for creating habitat specific indicators by calculating their relative habitat use (RHU) in nine different habitat categories. RHU indicates the degree to which a habitat is preferred (RHU > 2) or avoided (RHU < 0.5) by a species, relative to other habitats. Indicator sets were constructed for each habitat type using species with an RHU > 2 and revealed that existing habitat indicators, based on species lists from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS), often included species that did not in fact have preferences for those particular habitats in Denmark. Habitat specific indicators based on the new species selection method showed significant negative trends in three of nine habitat categories: coniferous forest, bog/marsh and heath. Habitat classes were further combined to create overall indicators for forest, farmland and freshwater. A comparison of these indicators with the existing indicators revealed a negative overall trend for forest habitat, which had previously been overlooked, suggesting that species selection is crucial for the development of informative indicators. The habitat specific farmland indicator confirmed the negative trend in the current farmland indicator. The methodology for indicator species selection presented here could potentially be applied for use in a global context for a wider range of taxonomic groups.     

Genome size variation and polyploidy in the resurrection plant genus Ramonda: Cytogeography of living fossils

The genus Ramonda includes three preglacial paleoendemic species surviving as the rare resurrection angiosperms of the Northern hemisphere in refugia habitats in the Balkan (Ramonda nathaliae and Ramonda serbica) and Iberian Peninsulas (Ramonda myconi). This study focuses on: assessing genome size and base composition, determining chromosome number and ploidy level in several populations, evaluating inter- and intra-specific variations in DNA content and chromosome number as well as looking for the possible hybridization in the sympatric zones of Balkan species. R. nathaliae and R. myconi are diploid species (2n = 2x = 48) while R. serbica is hexaploid (2n = 6x = 144). The mean 2C DNA values ranged from 2.30 pg for R. nathaliae to 2.59 pg for R. myconi compared to 7.91 pg for R. serbica. The base composition for R. nathaliae was 42.1% GC, for R. myconi 39.9% and for R. serbica 41.2%. In one population of R. serbica the DNA content ranged from 2C = 7.65 to 11.82 pg, revealing different ploidy levels among its individuals. In sympatric populations genome size was intermediary (～5 pg) between the diploid and hexaploid classes which indicates the hybridization ability between R. serbica and R. nathaliae. It appears that polyploidization is the major evolutionary mechanism in the genus Ramonda.     

Agri-environment incentive payments and plant species richness under different management intensities in mountain meadows of Switzerland

We investigated whether agri-environmental incentive payments help to maintain biodiversity. We studied the effect of agricultural management intensity on vascular plant species richness and plant assemblages of mountain meadows in Switzerland. Other factors such as slope, altitude or accessibility (distance from farmyard) were also taken into account. Vegetation sampling was conducted at 69 sites representing five different management types, differing with respect to nutrient input and soil moisture: (i) dry extensive meadows; (ii) extensive meadows; (iii) dry low-intensive meadows; (iv) low-intensive meadows; (v) intensive meadows. There was a significant negative relationship between plant species richness and management intensity: The mean number of plant species per management type declined markedly when management intensity increased, although dry sites harboured slightly more species regardless of management intensity (dry extensive > dry low intensive > extensive > low intensive >> intensive meadows). Species richness was clearly affected by management intensity, but not so by slope, altitude or accessibility. There was a gradual shift in plant assemblages among management types with only intensive meadows differing from the other four types of differently managed meadows. We therefore found, in contrast to many studies done in the European lowlands, positive effects of incentive payments on plant species richness.     

Growth of eight Gambierdiscus (Dinophyceae) species: Effects of temperature,salinity and irradiance

Little is known about how the growth of individual Gambierdiscus species responds to environmental factors. This study examined the effects of temperature (15–34 °C), salinity (15–41) and irradiance (2–664 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) on growth of Gambierdiscus: G. australes, G. belizeanus, G. caribaeus, G. carolinianus, G. carpenteri, G. pacificus and G. ruetzleri and one putative new species, Gambierdiscus ribotype 2. Depending on species, temperatures where maximum growth occurred varied between 26.5 and 31.1 °C. The upper and lower thermal limits for all species were between 31–34 °C and 15–21 °C, respectively. The shapes of the temperature vs. growth curves indicated that even small differences of 1–2 °C notably affected growth potentials. Salinities where maximum growth occurred varied between 24.7 and 35, while the lowest salinities supporting growth ranged from <14 to 20.9. These data indicated that Gambierdiscus species are more tolerant of lower salinities than is generally appreciated. Growth of all species began to decline markedly as salinities exceed 35.1–39.4. The highest salinity tested in this study (41), however, was lethal to only one species, Gambierdiscus ribotype 2. The combined salinity data indicated that differences in salinity regimes may affect relative species abundances and distributions, particularly when salinities are <20 and >35. All eight Gambierdiscus species were adapted to relatively low light conditions, exhibiting growth maxima at 50–230 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ and requiring only 6–17 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ to maintain growth. These low light requirements indicate that Gambierdiscus growth can occur up to 150 m depth in tropical waters, with optimal light regimes often extending to 75 m. The combined temperature, salinity and light requirements of Gambierdiscus can be used to define latitudinal ranges and species-specific habitats, as well as to inform predictive models.     

Social organization,survival, and dispersal of cape foxes (Vulpes chama) in South Africa

We monitored 20 cape foxes (Vulpes chama) to determine the social organization, survival, and dispersal of this species on two sites in South Africa from 2005 to 2008. Cape foxes were socially monogamous and territorial, with annual home ranges of mated pairs (n = 8) overlapping 80% on average, compared to a mean overlap of 3% between foxes in adjacent ranges. At least 2 pairs remained associated for >1 breeding season, and both sexes exhibited strong site fidelity, as home ranges in consecutive years overlapped 58–98%. Members of mated pairs never foraged together, however they used the same or nearby (<100 m apart) day rests 81% of the time when pups were 0–4 months of age, but only 28% of the time during other months of the year. Dispersal was male biased, as all juvenile males (n = 6) dispersed when 9–11.5 months old, whereas 3 of 4 juvenile females remained philopatric as either breeders or non-breeding associates. At least 6 foxes bred as yearlings (3 F, 3 M), indicating cape foxes have high reproductive potential. Two adult females maintained their territories after their mates died, whereas two adult males dispersed soon after their mates died, indicating cape foxes likely have a female-based social organization. Annual survival was 0.64, and predation from larger carnivores, primarily black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas), was responsible for 71% of mortalities. Our results provided empirical support for previous hypotheses regarding the relationship between body size and life-history patterns in Canidae, as several ecological parameters of cape foxes were similar to that of other small (<6 kg) canid species, especially Vulpes species inhabiting arid and semi-arid environments.     

A comparison of trapping- and radiotelemetry-based estimates of home range of the neotropical opossum Philander frenatus

Home ranges of individuals of the gray four-eyed opossum Philander frenatus were studied by capture–mark–recapture (CMR) and radiotelemetry, within a set of eight Atlantic Forest fragments surrounded by a grassland matrix in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Trapping sessions were carried out in all the forest fragments and in the grassland matrix. Adult individuals were fitted with radio-collar transmitters and monitored throughout the night. Locations were obtained by the “homing-in on the animal” method. Home-range sizes of the individuals with five or more captures or locations were estimated through the minimum convex polygon method. Home-range sizes estimated by radiotelemetry ranged from 0.6 to 7.4 ha (n=8), and by CMR ranged from 0.1 to 12.1 ha (n=17); home-range sizes estimated by radiotelemetry did not differ significantly from those based on CMR. However, comparing radiotelemetry with different CMR designs, the former estimates were larger than those based on either CMR using a single grid or CMR using two grids, but not larger than those based on multiple-grid CMR. In specific cases, animals monitored via radiotelemetry for only one or two nights showed larger home ranges than most individuals for which home ranges were estimated by CMR. Two individuals for which home-range sizes were estimated by both techniques showed larger home ranges when data from radiotelemetry were used. These data indicated that CMR can provide results comparable to radiotelemetry when multiple grids, spread across the landscape, are used, although this necessitates an intensive trapping effort. On the other hand, single- and double-grid CMR tend to underestimate home-ranges compared to radiotelemetry.     

Hair snaring and molecular genetic identification for reconstructing the spatial structure of Eurasian lynx populations

Non-invasive genetic sampling (NGS) is being increasingly applied in wildlife monitoring and population genetic research. This study was designed to evaluate the use of NGS for reconstructing the spatial structure of populations of large felids. We developed a procedure for reliably genotyping individuals of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from samples obtained through a hair-trapping scheme based on a network of lynx scent-marking sites. The spatial locations of the identified genotypes were matched with the home ranges distribution of radio-tracked individuals, thus cross-checking the accuracy of the two methods. We analyzed DNA extracted from 170 hair samples and 11 blood samples from live-trapped lynx collected in 2004–2009 in the Bia?owie?a Primeval Forest, Poland. We obtained PCR products in 96 (67%) hair samples; 82 (85%) of them were reliably genotyped at 12 autosomal microsatellite loci following a multiple-tubes protocol and stringent quality-controls of the data set. The sample included 29 distinct genotypes; 18 were found only in hair samples, five were determined only in live-trapped animals, and six in both hair and blood samples. Based on linkage disequilibrium we estimated an effective population size N_e = 20.3 (90% CI = 15–28). The total population size estimated with Capwire was N_c = 32 (95% CI = 25–37) in close agreement with the observed number of genotypes. The genotypes obtained from hair samples were re-sampled on average 3.9 times and 50% of them were recorded for more than one year. The spatial distribution of six hair-genotypes was consistent with their home ranges obtained by radio-tracking in the same period. The distribution ranges of hair-trapped genotypes overlapped on average in 86.4% (mode 100%) with home ranges of the corresponding individuals. Hair-trapping and molecular identification is a reliable method for reconstructing the spatial organization of lynx population. It is likely to be also efficiently used in other rare and endangered species of felids in combination with data from other monitoring techniques, such as radio- and snow-tracking and photo-trapping.     

Comparison of Zostera marina and maerl community metabolism

The photosynthetic and repiratory metabolism of Zostera marina and maerl communities was compared, in the same area of the Bay of Brest in March–April, using benthic chambers. P–E curves for both oxygen and carbon were established for bottom irradiances between 0 and 525 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹. An exponential function was fitted to calculate daily production. Community metabolic quotients did not differ for maerl and seagrass beds. Community photosynthetic quotients were significantly higher (1.19) whereas community respiratory quotients were lower (0.70) than 1. Maerl and seagrass bed P–E curves mainly differed by the minimum saturating irradiance (E_k). Net community production was estimated to 26.8 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ for Z. marina meadows and 8.6 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ for maerl beds. The two communities can, therefore, be considered as autotrophic during the March–April period. Community respiration did not differ between Z. marina meadows and maerl beds, with an average value of 53.8 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ during a day. In similar environmental conditions, the production of maerl beds corresponds to approximately one third that of seagrass meadows. The maerl communities, therefore, form productive ecosystems, relevant to temperate coastal ecosystems functioning.