Path tortuosity of Eurasian badgers (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Meles meles</Emphasis>) in a heterogeneous Mediterranean landscape |
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Authors: | Filipa Loureiro Luís Miguel Rosalino David W Macdonald Margarida Santos-Reis |
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Institution: | (1) Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Ed. C2-3° Piso, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal;(2) Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Oxon, OX13 5QL, UK |
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Abstract: | Movement is the process by which individual organisms are displaced over time to eat, reproduce and defend resources. Fractal
analysis is a technique used to study animal movement that measures spatial complexity of path tortuosity; here, we apply
it to characterize the movement patterns of the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) in a Mediterranean landscape. We calculated path tortuosity overall and seasonally, and for individuals of different sexes
and social groups. The influence of variables related to badgers’ resources (food, shelter, water), human infra-structures
and weather conditions were analysed with respect to the tortuosity of each badger’s path. A total of 55 search paths from
six badgers were considered for this study. Although badgers generally displayed convoluted movement, there were two exceptions:
(a) males overall and (b) all badgers in summer; for both, movements had a lower fractal value, i.e. were less tortuous. The
convoluted movement pattern generally observed is probably adapted to the clumped distribution of food in the study area.
Nevertheless, our results suggest that the use of dens and latrines were the principal determinants of tortuosity of badgers’
paths while foraging. |
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Keywords: | Eurasian badger Mediterranean habitats Random walks Tortuosity Fractal analysis |
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