Source: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS submitted to
MORTALITY, PREDATION RISK, AND MOVEMENTS OF WOODCHUCKS ACROSS AN URBAN-RURAL GRADIENT WITHIN AN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0208540
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
ILLU-875-327
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2006
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2012
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
Schooley, R. L.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
2001 S. Lincoln Ave.
URBANA,IL 61801
Performing Department
NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Non Technical Summary
Rural agricultural landscapes in the Midwest are being further fragmented and modified due to urbanization. We need to develop an understanding of how wildlife species are responding to urbanization to predict cumulative effects on biodiversity. This project examines the mortality rates and causes, perceived predation risk, and movement behavior for woodchucks across an urban-rural gradient to determine how this urban adaptor species is responding to ongoing landscape change.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
13508301070100%
Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife;

Subject Of Investigation
0830 - Wild animals;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
Habitat loss and fragmentation due to urbanization are key threats to biodiversity. A focus on how urbanization affects wildlife populations and communities is relatively recent. Comparative studies that include suburban and exurban sites are especially relevant to land-use planning and conservation because low-density home development is the fastest-growing type of land use in the United States. Autecological studies of urban exploiters and adapters are needed that compare demographic vital rates and life-history traits across urban-rural gradients to facilitate development of general predictive principles. Urbanization can directly affect key demographic processes such as rates and causes of mortality. Urbanization also can indirectly affect demography by altering behavior of wildlife species. In particular, changes in vigilance behavior related to perceived predation risk could be crucial because tradeoffs between antipredator behavior and foraging should influence energy gains and survival probabilities. Many landscapes in the Midwest are dominated by agriculture so that rural areas are highly modified and fragmented ecosystems, and urban-rural gradients do not include relatively continuous natural habitats as endpoints. Nevertheless, urbanization can further fragment agricultural environments for wildlife species creating smaller, isolated patches of suitable habitat. Matrix habitat in urban and suburban areas may be relatively impermeable to movements by individuals compared to rural areas. Dispersal capacity of species and functional landscape connectivity could be related negatively to levels of urbanization. Landscape connectivity is important to viability of populations in patchy landscapes. I will compare demographic and behavioral traits of woodchucks across an urban-rural gradient in an agriculture-dominated landscape in Illinois. The woodchuck is a characteristic species of rural agricultural habitat in Illinois, but also it is an urban adaptor species that can achieve high densities in urban habitats. Woodchucks potentially have important effects on ecosystems, and they offer recreational opportunities to humans in rural communities through regulated hunting and trapping. I have three specific objectives: 1) estimate seasonal and annual survival rates and mortality causes of woodchucks across an urban-rural gradient, and identify important environmental covariates related to mortality in different habitats, 2) assess whether perceived predation risk by woodchucks varies across the urban-rural gradient, and 3) compare movement behavior of woodchucks along the urbanization gradient to determine how fragmentation and matrix habitats influence dispersal success and contribute to spatial connectivity of populations.
Project Methods
The study area will include Urbana-Champaign, Illinois and surrounding agriculture-dominated rural areas. I will select three sites from each of three landscape types (urban, suburban, rural) defined by densities of humans. I will quantify additional measures of urbanization and habitat fragmentation at several spatial scales and use these metrics as covariates in statistical analyses. I will livetrap woodchucks and mark individuals uniquely with passive integrated transponders. I will focus on survival of adult females because population rate of increase often is most sensitive to that vital rate. I will radiocollar individuals and then use the telemetry data with known-fate models in program MARK to estimate survival rates. The power of the known-fate approach is that precise survival estimates are possible with moderate sample sizes. I will use a binomial model for survival that allows for use of covariates such as the urbanization and fragmentation metrics. I plan to radiocollar five adult females from each of the nine sites, and to locate each woodchuck at least 2 times per week during the active season. Alternative hypotheses for explaining mortality patterns will be evaluated as competing statistical models using an information-theoretic approach. Estimation of survival rates and causes, in conjunction with investigations of predation risk, will be the focus of Years 1-3 of the study. To examine how predation risk as perceived by woodchucks differs across the urbanization gradient, I will determine activity budgets of individuals and estimate giving-up-densities (GUD). I will quantify activity budgets through direct observation of marked individuals using focal animal sampling in which behavior will be recorded every 20 seconds for up to 30 minutes. Then, I will analyze proportion of time spent in vigilance across the urbanization gradient while considering environmental covariates that could be related to vigilance including conspecific density, vegetation structure, and distance to burrow. I also will assess predation risk along the gradient using GUD, which is the density of resources left in an experimental patch at which a forager gives up and stops foraging. Differences in GUDs can be used to assess how predation risk varies spatially because a forager should balance benefits and costs of foraging. In riskier situations, foragers should have higher GUDs. During Years 4-5, I will focus on how landscape fragmentation and matrix permeability affects movement behavior of woodchucks across the urbanization gradient. Because it is difficult to obtain data on matrix effects on dispersal through observational studies, I will use translocation experiments. Adult territory holders will be livetrapped, transported standardized distances to release sites, and tracked as they return home. I will examine movements of 20 individuals in each of the three landscape types. Individuals will be tracked using a combination of fluorescent powder, tracking spools, and radio telemetry. Movement rates, pathway metrics, and homing success will be compared among landscape types, and preference and avoidance of landscape components will be established.

Progress 10/01/06 to 09/30/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Increased urbanization coupled with increased abundances of urban-adapted wildlife species has escalated the frequency of human-wildlife conflicts in urban environments. Translocation of nuisance individuals is a common approach for dealing with conflicts because the public views translocation as a humane alternative to euthanasia. However, we know little about the fate of most translocated individuals. Our goal is to develop a clearer understanding of behavior and fates of translocated nuisance woodchucks in the Chicago metropolitan area. Our project has three interrelated research objectives: (1) Determine post-release movements and home ranges for translocated woodchucks, (2) Examine habitat selection by translocated woodchucks, and (3) Estimate survival rates for translocated woodchucks. We collaborated with a nuisance wildlife operator who provided us with captured nuisance woodchucks. Woodchucks were then radiomarked with internal transmitters and released at one of three semi-rural release sites that differed in landscape composition. Each woodchuck was located frequently (daily when possible) for two weeks after release, and then 3-4 times per week during the active season and 3 times per month during hibernation. We have radiomarked and translocated 24 woodchucks and monitored their fates post-release. Results and recommendations from the project were shared with biologists with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources who are responsible for management of woodchucks in Illinois. We communicated our research through presentations and online communications to the public. In March 2012, we presented our research at the Chicago Wilderness Wildlife Task Force Meeting in Riverwoods, Illinois. We also communicated our research via posts on the Lincoln Park Zoo's 'Conservation Field Diaries' blog on 2 Feb 2012 ('Happy Groundhog Day') and on the zoo's website. Postings on this blog are communicated to the public through social media on the zoo's Twitter and Facebook pages. An undergraduate student from the University of Illinois was trained on our project through an internship at the Urban Wildlife Institute. The student was mentored in procedures for capturing, handling, and radiotracking wildlife. PARTICIPANTS: 1) Dr. Robert L. Schooley (Associate Professor, University of Illinois) is the principal investigator on the project. 2) Ms. Elizabeth Watson Lehrer was a MS student being supervised by Dr. Schooley. Ms. Watson was responsible for contributing to experimental design, collecting field data, training and supervising undergraduate assistants, and managing the data. Ms. Lehrer completed her MS degree in 2009 but continued to work on the project as a Research Coordinator at the Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo. 3) R. Julia Kilgour is a Research Associate at the Urban Wildlife Institute who assisted with the field sampling for the project. 4) Dr. Jen Nevis (Wildlife Veterinarian, Willowbrook Wildlife Center) is collaborating on our current study component involving fates of translocated nuisance woodchucks. 5) One undergraduate student (Kelvin Limbrick) was trained during 2012 in ecological field methods under this project. 6) Brad Lundsteen (Suburban Wildlife Control) is a nuisance wildlife operator who provided us with captured nuisance woodchucks from the greater Chicago area. TARGET AUDIENCES: Members of the research community, wildlife biologists and managers, nuisance wildlife operators, and local citizens. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
We have learned that movement patterns of translocated nuisance woodchucks varied among individuals with maximum distances moved from the release location ranging from <0.3 km to >5 km. In general, however, our initial results suggest that translocated woodchucks are more likely to stay near release sites after translocation compared to other species that often move substantial distances immediately after translocation. The woodchucks that moved considerable distances from release sites could be exposed to heightened mortality risk not only from natural predators, but also from human-related factors. Overall, survival rates of translocated woodchucks in Chicago appear to be lower than resident woodchucks studied in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Future efforts will focus on determining how much of the observed mortality of woodchucks in Chicago is due to the translocation process per se versus background predation risk at the semi-rural release sites. The patterns of survival of translocated woodchucks among our three release sites indicate predation risk could vary substantially among release sites. Current management practices for translocated species rarely take into account the habitat quality of release sites. In particular, how landscape structure affects predation risk for translocated individuals at release sites is not normally considered.

Publications

  • Lehrer, E.W., Schooley, R.L. and Whittington, J.K. 2012. Survival and anti-predator behavior of woodchucks along an urban-agricultural gradient. Canadian Journal of Zoology 90:12-21.


Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Results and recommendations from the project were shared with biologists with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources who are responsible for management of woodchucks in Illinois. The results from this study contributed to the ability of Dr. Schooley and Ms. Lehrer to obtain an external research grant from the United State Fish and Wildlife Service/Illinois Department of Natural Resources to continue examining the ecology and management of urban woodchucks. The new project is being conducted in Chicago in collaboration with scientists at the Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo. Dr. Schooley provided extension information to local citizens regarding nuisance woodchucks in the Urbana-Champaign area, and Ms. Lehrer provided the same service for citizens in the greater Chicago Region. PARTICIPANTS: 1) Dr. Robert L. Schooley (Assistant Professor, University of Illinois) is the principal investigator on the project. Dr. Schooley was responsible for training a graduate student, managing the project budget, and overseeing the experimental design of the study. 2) Ms. Elizabeth Watson Lehrer was a MS student being supervised by Dr. Schooley. Ms. Watson was responsible for contributing to experimental design, collecting field data, training and supervising undergraduate assistants, and managing the data. Ms. Lehrer completed her MS degree in 2009 but continued to work on the project as a Research Coordinator at the Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo. 3) Dr. Julia Whittington (Assistant Professor, Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois) was responsible for training Ms. Watson in surgical procedures used to implant radio transmitters into woodchucks. Dr. Whittington is a collaborator on the manuscript in review on survival and anti-predator behavior. 4) Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla and Shannon Fredebaugh (University of Illinois) were collaborators on a study of disease prevalence in woodchucks. 5) Dr. Jen Nevis (Wildlife Veterinarian, Willowbrook Wildlife Center) is collaborating on a study component involving fates of nuisance woodchucks. 6) Three undergraduate students (Matt Ulrich, Pat Wolff, and Sarah Turek) were trained in ecological field methods under this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Members of the research community, wildlife managers, and local citizens. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Urbanization is one of the main threats to wildlife species, even in agricultural landscapes already highly modified by humans. Our objectives were to compare movements, survival, and anti-predator behavior of adult woodchucks (Marmota monax) distributed across an urban-rural gradient within an agricultural landscape. Woodchucks are considered an urban adaptor species. Our results produced novel insights into behavioral adjustments and real and perceived risk for an urban adapter species. Home-range sizes of woodchucks in urban areas were approximately 10% of those living in rural areas. Despite lack of natural predators in urban areas, woodchucks were as vigilant against predators as individuals in rural areas. This result partially reflects the fact that woodchucks in urban areas are not strongly habituated to humans and still treat them as potential predators. Survival rates were related positively to urbanization, especially during the winter hibernation period. Mortality causes differed across the urbanization gradient with most urban mortalities related to vehicle collisions or unknown reasons, whereas most rural mortalities were due to predation or probable starvation during hibernation. The next stage of our project involves determining the fates of nuisance woodchucks in the Chicago metropolitan region. Increased urbanization coupled with increased abundances of urban-adapted wildlife species has escalated the frequency of human-wildlife conflicts in urban environments. Translocation of nuisance individuals is a common approach for dealing with conflicts because the public views translocation as a humane alternative to euthanasia. However, we know little about the fate of most translocated individuals. Woodchucks are a common source of nuisance complaints by landowners in Illinois. We have three research objectives: (1) Determine post-release movements and home ranges for translocated woodchucks, (2) Estimate survival rates for translocated woodchucks, and (3) Examine habitat selection by translocated woodchucks.

Publications

  • Lehrer, E.W., Schooley, R.L. and Whittington, J.K 2011. Survival and anti-predator behavior of woodchucks (Marmota monax) along an urban-agricultural gradient. Canadian Journal of Zoology. (In Press).


Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Elizabeth W. Lehrer. 2010. Effects of urbanization on survival, movements, and anti-predator behavior of woodchucks within an agricultural landscape. Presentation at the Chicago Wilderness Wildlife Taskforce Meeting, Deerfield, Illinois. Results and recommendations from the project were shared with biologists with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources who are responsible for management of woodchucks in Illinois. PARTICIPANTS: 1) Dr. Robert L. Schooley (Assistant Professor, University of Illinois) is the principal investigator on the project. Dr. Schooley was responsible for training a graduate student, managing the project budget, and overseeing the experimental design of the study. 2) Ms. Elizabeth Watson Lehrer was a MS student being supervised by Dr. Schooley. Ms. Watson was responsible for contributing to experimental design, collecting field data, training and supervising undergraduate assistants, and managing the data. Ms. Lehrer completed her MS degree in 2009 but continued to work on peer-reviewed publications in 2010. 3) Dr. Julia Whittington (Assistant Professor, Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois) was responsible for training Ms. Watson in surgical procedures used to implant radio transmitters into woodchucks. Dr. Whittington is a collaborator on the manuscript in review on survival and anti-predator behavior. 4) Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla and Shannon Fredebaugh (University of Illinois) were collaborators on a study of disease prevalence in woodchucks. 5) Three undergraduate students (Matt Ulrich, Pat Wolff, and Sarah Turek) were trained in ecological field methods under this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: The research community, wildlife managers, and local citizens. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Urbanization is one of the main threats to wildlife species, even in agricultural landscapes already highly modified by humans. Our objectives were to compare movements, survival, and anti-predator behavior of adult woodchucks (Marmota monax) distributed across an urban-rural gradient within an agricultural landscape. Woodchucks are considered an urban adaptor species. Our results produced novel insights into behavioral adjustments and real and perceived risk for an urban adapter species. Home-range sizes of woodchucks in urban areas were approximately 10% of those living in rural areas. Despite lack of natural predators in urban areas, woodchucks were as vigilant against predators as individuals in rural areas. This result partially reflects the fact that woodchucks in urban areas are not strongly habituated to humans and still treat them as potential predators. Survival rates were related positively to urbanization, especially during the winter hibernation period. Mortality causes differed across the urbanization gradient with most urban mortalities related to vehicle collisions or unknown reasons, whereas most rural mortalities were due to predation or probable starvation during hibernation. The results from this study contributed to the ability of Dr. Schooley and Ms. Lehrer to obtain an external research grant from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to continue examining the ecology and management of urban woodchucks. The new project will be conducted in Chicago in collaboration with scientists at the Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo.

Publications

  • Lehrer, E.W., Schooley, R.L. and Whittington, J.K. 2011. Effects of urbanization of survival and anti-predator behavior of woodchucks within an agricultural landscape. Journal of Wildlife Management (Under Review).


Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: PRESENTATIONS TO SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY: Watson, E.L., Schooley, R.L, Turek, S.A. 2009. Woodchuck movements and anti-predator behavior across an urbanization gradient. Annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists, Fairbanks, AK. Watson, E.L., Schooley, R.L. 2009. Woodchuck movements and anti-predator behavior across an urbanization gradient. Annual meeting of the Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Sparta, IL. Watson, E.L. 2009. Effect of urbanization on movements and behavior of woodchucks within an agricultural landscape. Invited Seminar, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL. DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS TO GENERAL PUBLIC: Multiple newspaper articles on our research project were published in February 2009 around Groundhog Day. The outlets included our local paper in Champaign, Illinois (News-Gazette, February 2, 2009) plus larger outlets including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Watson, E.L. Television interview on thesis research and the ecology of woodchucks for WAND-TV's "Sunrise on the Farm" segment, Champaign, IL. Aired 2/09/09. PARTICIPANTS: 1) Dr. Robert L. Schooley (Assistant Professor, University of Illinois) is the principal investigator on the project. Dr. Schooley was responsible for training a graduate student, managing the project budget, and overseeing the experimental design of the study. 2) Ms. Elizabeth Watson is a M.S. student being supervised by Dr. Schooley. Ms. Watson was responsible for contributing to experimental design, collecting field data, training and supervising undergraduate assistants, and managing the data. 3) Mr. Ben Neece was a paid undergraduate assistant who was responsible for collecting and entering field data. 4) Ms. Sarah Turek was a paid undergraduate assistant who was responsible for collecting and entering field data. 5) Dr. Julia Whittington (Assistant Professor, Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois) was responsible for training Ms. Watson in surgical procedures used to implant radio transmitters into woodchucks. Dr. Whittington is a collaborator on the survival study portion of the research project. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a partner organization. Additional collaborators at the university included Dr. Edward Heske, Dr. Jeff Brawn, and Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, and Shannon Fredebaugh. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audience included the scientific research community, wildlife managers, zoo professionals, undergraduate and graduate students at University of Illinois, and local citizens including urban dwellers underrepresented in environmental sciences. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Urbanization is one of the main threats to wildlife species, even in agricultural landscapes already highly modified by humans. Our objectives were to compare movements, survival, and anti-predator behavior of adult woodchucks (Marmota monax) distributed across an urban-rural gradient within an agricultural landscape. Woodchucks are considered an urban adaptor species. During 2009, we obtained over 400 locations of 22 radio-marked woodchucks and completed our study of survival rates and causes for 40 woodchucks. Our results produced novel insights into behavioral adjustments and real and perceived risk for an urban adapter species. Home-range sizes of woodchucks in urban areas were approximately 10% of those living in rural areas. Despite lack of natural predators in urban areas, woodchucks were as vigilant against predators as individuals in rural areas. This result partially reflects the fact that woodchucks in urban areas are not strongly habituated to humans and still treat them as potential predators. Survival rates were related positively to urbanization, especially during the winter hibernation period. Mortality causes differed across the urbanization gradient with most urban mortalities related to vehicle collisions or unknown reasons, whereas most rural mortalities were due to predation or probable starvation during hibernation.

Publications

  • Watson, E.L., Schooley, R.L. 2009. Space use of woodchucks across an urbanization gradient within an agricultural landscape. Journal of Mammalogy. In review.
  • Watson, E.L., Fredebaugh, S.L., Schooley, R.L., Mateus-Pinilla, N.E. 2009. Prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in woodchucks across an urban-rural gradient. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. In review.
  • Watson, E.L. 2009. Effects of Urbanization on Survival Rates, Anti-Predator Behavior, and Movements of Woodchucks (Marmota monax). MS Thesis, University of Illinois.


Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1) Watson, E.L., Schooley, R.L. and Turek, S.A. Woodchuck movements and anti-predator behavior across an urbanization gradient. Presentation at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, December 2008, Columbus, OH. 2) Watson, E.L. and Schooley, R.L. Effects of urbanization on movements and anti-predator behavior of woodchucks within an agricultural landscape. Presentation at The Wildlife Society Annual Conference, November 2008, Miami, FL. 3) Watson, E.L. Effects of urbanization on movements of woodchucks (Marmota monax) within an agricultural landscape. Presentation at the Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting, March 2008, East Peoria, IL. PARTICIPANTS: 1) Dr. Robert L. Schooley (Assistant Professor, University of Illinois) is the principal investigator on the project. Dr. Schooley was responsible for training a graduate student, managing the project budget, and overseeing the experimental design of the study. 2) Ms. Elizabeth Watson is a M.S. student being supervised by Dr. Schooley. Ms. Watson was responsible for contributing to experimental design, collecting field data, training and supervising undergraduate assistants, and managing the data. 3) Mr. Matt Ulrich was a paid undergraduate assistant who was responsible for collecting and entering field data. 4) Ms. Sarah Turek was a paid undergraduate assistant who was responsible for collecting and entering field data. 5) Dr. Julia Whittington (Assistant Professor, Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois) was responsible for training Ms. Watson in surgical procedures used to implant radio transmitters into woodchucks. Dr. Whittington is a collaborator on the survival study portion of the research project. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a partner organization. Additional collaborators at the university included Dr. Edward Heske, Dr. Jeff Brawn, and Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla. TARGET AUDIENCES: Science-based knowledge was delivered to several target audiences as described in previous sections: 1) Scientists and wildlife managers, 2) Private landowners who participated in the study by providing property access, and 3) Graduate and undergraduate students. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Our objectives were to compare movements and anti-predator behavior of adult woodchucks (Marmota monax) by examining home-range size and vigilance behavior of radio-marked individuals distributed across an urban-rural gradient within an agricultural landscape. Because woodchuck response to human disturbance may vary with urbanization, and this response could affect vigilance behavior, we also examined habituation across the gradient. During 2008, we obtained over 2,300 locations on 39 radio-marked woodchucks, video-recorded 41 animals for behavioral observations, and tested habituation of 27 individuals across an urbanization gradient. Our results indicate that woodchucks responded to urbanization pressures. Male woodchucks had larger home ranges than females across the urbanization gradient. Home-range size was related negatively to urbanization, and this effect was more pronounced for males. Urban woodchucks were more habituated than rural woodchucks after a threshold of 65% urban landcover. However, despite the responses of home-range size and habituation to urbanization, woodchucks did not adjust vigilance behavior in urban areas. This outcome may reflect the high frequency of human disturbance in urban areas, causing woodchucks to maintain elevated levels of vigilance to monitor their environment. Few studies have concurrently examined demographic and behavioral responses of wildlife species to urbanization. Future research will look at how these behavioral adjustments might relate to variation in survival rates.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07

Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1) First-year results from the research study were presented as a poster to scientists and natural resource managers at the 68th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference held at Madison, Wisconsin from 9-12 December 2007. 2) Graduate Student Elizabeth Watson was a guest on the "Ag Answers Segment" on the WCIA TV Morning Show on 5 November 2007. Ms. Watson discussed the ecology of woodchucks and disseminated results from her thesis research on urbanization effects on wildlife species. 3) An update of the research project was provided to cooperating private landowners in the Champaign-Urbana area via a holiday letter format. 4) As part of a campus visit for high-school students from underrepresented groups organized by the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, Dr. Schooley and Ms. Watson gave a presentation on urbanization effects on wildlife and associated research techniques. PARTICIPANTS: 1) Dr. Robert L. Schooley (Assistant Professor, University of Illinois) is the principal investigator on the project. Dr. Schooley was responsible for recruiting and training a graduate student, managing the project budget, and overseeing the experimental design of the study. 2) Ms. Elizabeth Watson is a M.S. student being supervised by Dr. Schooley. Ms. Watson was responsible for contributing to experimental design, collecting field data, supervising an undergraduate assistant, and managing the data. 3) Mr. Matt Ulrich is a paid undergraduate assistant who was responsible for collecting and entering field data. 4) Dr. Julia Whittington (Assistant Professor, Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois) was responsible for training Ms. Watson in surgical procedures used to implant radio transmitters into woodchucks. Dr. Whittington is a collaborator on the survival study portion of the research project. 5) Mr. Aaron Goldberg was an undergraduate student that conducted an independent study under the supervision of Dr. Schooley. Mr. Goldberg developed a preliminary ethogram for woodchucks. 6) Ms. Meghan Bales was an undergraduate student that also conducted an independent study under the supervision of Dr. Schooley. Ms. Bales examined the activity budgets of woodchucks in relation to habitat structure. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a partner organization. Additional collaborators at the university included Dr. Edward Heske, Dr. James Diffendorfer, and Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla. TARGET AUDIENCES: Science based knowledge was delivered to several target audiences as described in previous sections: 1) Scientists and wildlife managers, 2) Private landowners who participated in the study by providing property access, 3) General public, 4) Graduate and undergraduate students, and 5) High-school students planning on attending college who are ethnic minorities.

Impacts
During the reporting period, we livetrapped woodchucks on 71 days for a total trapping effort of 1,466 trap sets. We radiomarked 41 adult woodchucks along an urbanization gradient in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and we collected more than 1,600 radiolocations from these individuals. Our efforts produced new basic and applied knowledge on how herbivorous mammals behaviorally respond to urbanization. Specifically, we learned that urban woodchucks have smaller home ranges than do those in rural areas. These results extend existing knowledge regarding how urbanization affects space-use of mammals. Previous studies have focused mainly on meso-carnivores. We also learned that male woodchucks have larger home ranges than do female woodchucks, and that this pattern holds across the urbanization gradient. Our future research will examine whether anti-predator vigilance behavior of woodchucks also varies across the urbanization gradient, and how these behavioral adjustments might relate to spatial variation in survival rates.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period