During the downward trend of Quaternary global temperatures, crown-group marmots evolved to occupy harsh, seasonal environments at high latitudes and elevations. Marmots evolved hibernation and large body size, which allowed them to cope with a long, cold season with low, stressful ambient temperatures when food was unavailable. Harsh conditions during a short active season frequently cause reproductive failure and reproductive skipping in marmots. Seasonal phenology is controlled by a circannual rhythm that directs metabolic changes and fat accumulation for hibernation and reproduction. Metabolism and water balance in marmots are adapted to the low environmental temperatures of hibernation. Thus, marmots are subject to heat stress from solar radiation and high ambient temperatures during the active season. Energy conservation characterizes metabolism in marmots throughout the annual cycle: metabolic rates are lower than predicted from body size and decline during the active season, metabolism is actively suppressed to enter torpor, and most of the time during hibernation is spent at low metabolism in deep torpor. Young typically require 2 or more of the short active seasons to reach reproductive maturity and are retained at home, which leads to sociality based on kinship. Competition within the social group is expressed primarily as reproductive suppression, which delays the age of 1st reproduction that in turn strongly affects demography. Early snowmelt due to global warming may enable marmots to colonize new habitats or increase population growth. However, climate change most likely will diminish the ability of marmots to mobilize sufficient energy resources in a drier, warmer active season, which will reduce both survivorship and reproduction.

The mongoose family (Herpestidae) has provided a wealth of data on life history patterns and behavior of its more social species but little is known about the many solitary mongoose species. Here, we provide the 1st longterm data on life history patterns and the biology of the solitary slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea) in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa. Slender mongooses are strictly diurnal, solitary foragers, opportunistically hunting vertebrates and invertebrates. Life history patterns, such as a prolonged period of offspring dependence, including age at 1st emergence, at 1st foraging, and at weaning, compared to social meerkats (Suricata suricatta), seem to be an adaptation to their mainly solitary life style.

Seasonal reliance on plant-based resources is very uncommon in temperate insectivorous bats. The pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus) is an exception and in the Sonoran Desert switches from an arthropod-based diet to one that includes cactus nectar during spring when columnar cacti bloom. Such cactophily is a common strategy among nectar-feeding phyllostomid bats, including migratory Leptonycteris species that consume nectar and fruit from columnar cacti. Spring nectarivory by A. pallidus begs the question of whether they also consume cactus fruit during the summer, despite lacking morphological and physiological adaptations for frugivory. We recorded foraging behavior of bats at 134 fruits of the cardón cactus (Pachycereus pringlei) in Baja California Sur, Mexico, and used stable isotope analysis to quantify incorporation of fruit into the summer diet of A. pallidus. We found that A. pallidus visited cardón fruits just as frequently as the lesser long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris yerbabuenae (51.0% and 49.0% of total observed visits, respectively), and removed the same amount of fruit (t₅₉ = –0.85, P = 0.40). Carbon isotopes in wing tissue (n = 37) and exhaled breath (n = 35) of A. pallidus were consistent with frugivory, although variability in the proportion of cactus-derived δ¹³C in A. pallidus was higher in summer than in spring. Our results confirm that nectarivory in A. pallidus extends to frugivory, highlighting remarkable dietary plasticity in a temperate bat. Moreover, these data suggest that A. pallidus may be an important mutualist to columnar cacti in parts of the Sonoran Desert.

Monitoring demographic and genetic parameters of reintroduced populations of endangered species is essential for evaluating and informing conservation strategies to maximize the chances of a successful recovery. We applied noninvasive genetic monitoring using fecal DNA to evaluate demographic and genetic parameters as they relate to the recovery of the endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) in central Washington, United States, during the initial 3 years of a renewed reintroduction effort. We quantified post-release dispersal, apparent survival, and reproduction in the wild, and monitored the genetic diversity and composition of the released cohorts, wild surviving population, and breeding population held in large enclosures. During this study, we reintroduced 1,206 pygmy rabbits into the wild, and detected a total of 176 individuals living on or near the release area during surveys the following winters. Median dispersal distance of juveniles was 776 m, compared to 471 m for adults, and dispersal distances for juveniles decreased for rabbits released later in the release season. Survival of juveniles differed across years and was positively associated with release date, release weight (a surrogate for age), and heterozygosity. Survival of adults was similarly influenced by release day, with some evidence for a positive effect of heterozygosity. Only 14 wild-born individuals were detected during the study. Genetic monitoring was an effective way to evaluate the demographic and genetic status of the reintroduced population within a limited study area, to inform changes to the conservation strategy, and to generate a data set to address long-term research and recovery goals.

The red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) indigenous to the mountains of the western United States are high-elevation specialists that could face range reduction due to climatic warming, as well as potential encroachment, loss of adaptive alleles, and displacement by introduced nonnative red foxes. We investigated the genetic integrity of the native Rocky Mountain red fox (V. v. macroura) in Colorado through analysis of the composition, distribution, and patterns of gene flow between native and nonnative red fox populations along an elevational gradient. The study area spanned the high plains around Denver in the east to the alpine zone of the Rocky Mountains adjacent to Gunnison and Crested Butte in the west. We used microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from Colorado foxes, along with previously published reference data from other native western and nonnative populations, to evaluate the distribution of native versus nonnative ancestry and its relationship to elevation, distance, and landscape type. Nonnative red fox ancestry predominated in Denver and low-lying areas, whereas native ancestry was most prevalent at high elevations. The genetic integrity of foxes at higher elevations (i.e., within the historical native range) was greater in terms of mtDNA than nuclear DNA, consistent with higher male-mediated gene flow. Nonnative admixture was most pronounced in human-altered landscapes. Our findings provide baseline data necessary to monitor future trends of these Rocky Mountain red fox populations and highlight the potential for similar threats to affect genetic integrity of endangered montane red fox subspecies along the Pacific Crest.

Concerns about cumulative population-level effects of bat fatalities at wind facilities have led to mitigation strategies to reduce turbine-related bat mortality. Operational mitigation that limits operation may reduce fatalities but also limits energy production. We incorporated both temperature and wind speed into an operational mitigation design fine-tuned to conditions when bats are most active in order to improve economic efficiency of mitigation. We conducted a 2-year study at the Sheffield Wind Facility in Sheffield, Vermont. Activity of bats is highest when winds speeds are low (< 6.0 m/s) and, in our region, when temperatures are above 9.5°C. We tested for a reduction in bat mortality when cut-in speed at treatment turbines was raised from 4.0 to 6.0 m/s whenever nightly wind speeds were < 6.0 m/s and temperatures were > 9.5°C. Mortalities at fully operational turbines were 1.52–4.45 times higher than at treatment turbines. During late spring and early fall, when overnight temperatures generally fell below 9.5°C, incorporating temperature into the operational mitigation design decreased energy losses by 18%. Energy lost from implementation of our design was < 3% for the study season and approximately 1% for the entire year. We recommend that operational mitigation be implemented during high-risk periods to minimize bat fatalities and reduce the probability of long-term population-level effects on bats.

An animal's energetic costs are dependent on the amount of time it allocates to various behavioral activities. For Arctic pinnipeds, the time allocated to active and resting behaviors could change with future reductions in sea ice cover and longer periods of open water. The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is a large Arctic pinniped that rests on sea ice or land between foraging trips to feed on the seafloor. We used behavioral data collected from radiotagged walruses in the Chukchi Sea (2008–2014) in a Bayesian generalized linear mixed effects model to estimate the probability a walrus was in water foraging, in water not foraging, or hauled out, as a function of environmental covariates. The probability of a walrus being in water increased with wind speed and decreased with air temperature, and the probability a walrus was foraging, given it was in water, increased with available benthic macrofaunal biomass. The probability of each behavior was also related to the nature and availability of haul-out substrates. The amount of time walruses spent in water foraging and hauled out was greatest when only sea ice was available, which typically occurs when walruses occupy feeding areas during summer and early autumn. This situation may be most energy efficient for walruses because it allows the highest proportion of in water energy expenditure to be allocated to foraging. Conversely, the amount of time walruses spent in water foraging and hauled out was lowest when only land was available, which typically occurs in late autumn, in years when walruses were constrained to land haul-outs because sea ice was absent over the continental shelf.

Mark–recapture models and a sample of 607 Steller sea lion (SSL, Eumetopias jubatus) pups born to individually marked, known-aged females were used to estimate pup survival probabilities from birth to approximately 2 months of age over 8 years (2007–2014) at the Forrester Island complex, the largest rookery in Alaska. Survival of pups was lowest (0.846/week) early in the season when pupping areas were less dense than after the time of maximum counts of adults (≥ 18 June, 0.972/week). Survival was lowest in the first 2 weeks of life and then consistently high after 2 weeks of age. After including age effects, survival was lowest for pups born < 9 June and for pups of 5–7-year-old mothers than 8–20-year-old mothers. Compared to average survival over 6 other years, pup survival to 3 weeks of age was ∼20% lower in 2010, due to a prolonged storm during the middle of the active pupping period, and in 2013, for unknown reasons but not storm-related. Average survival to 3 weeks of age was 0.79, suggesting neonatal mortality was significant and likely important to population dynamics at this stable rookery and in shaping reproductive strategies of females. To prevent disturbance of very young pups and their mothers, SSL pups are first marked for long-term mark–recapture studies at approximately 3 weeks of age throughout their range. When the high neonatal mortality rate observed in this study was ignored, the positively biased model-based population trend estimate (2.3%/year) was triple the estimate produced when the 1st-year survival estimate included neonatal mortality (0.7%/year).

Urban development can fragment and degrade habitat, and such habitat alterations can have profound impacts on wildlife behavior. In urban areas, individuals may occur closer to each other and experience high levels of disturbance, which may favor increased aggression and boldness in urban-dwelling wildlife. We investigated the influence of urbanization on aggression and boldness and the relationships between these traits in Merriam's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami). We predicted that Merriam's kangaroo rats living in urban areas would be more aggressive and bolder than Merriam's kangaroo rats in wildland areas, that the 2 traits would be positively associated, and that the association would be stronger in urban areas. We livetrapped Merriam's kangaroo rats at 4 urban and 4 wildland sites in and around Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States, and assessed aggression using a mirror-image stimulation test and boldness using a predator-scent exposure. We found no difference between urban and wildland Merriam's kangaroo rats in either aggression or boldness. We found a positive statistical relationship between aggression and boldness, but this relationship was not affected by urban versus wildland habitat. These results indicate that Merriam's kangaroo rats may be tolerant of urbanization, if habitat patches within urban areas are similar to wildland habitats.

The abundance of tree seeds is a key parameter affecting the abundance and fluctuations of rodent populations. Nevertheless, despite extensive research on the relationships between seeds and rodent populations, we have an inadequate understanding of the demographic mechanisms by which seed abundance influences population density and population growth rates. To help fill this gap we addressed 3 hypotheses: 1) seed abundance affects individual survival, 2) seed abundance affects recruitment, and 3) seed abundance affects both survival and recruitment. We used data from a long-term (33 years) population study on red-backed voles (Myodes gapperi) in the Holt Research Forest, a mixed deciduous-coniferous forest located in Arrowsic, Maine, United States. We found strong empirical evidence that different tree seeds affected the vole populations differently and that these effects were strongly dependent on vole population density. We found that white pine (Pinus strobus) seeds were particularly important when vole density was low and their main effect was to increase recruitment. Conversely, paper birch (Betula papyrifera) seeds became important only when density was high and exerted their effects mainly by affecting survival. Our results advance our mechanistic understanding of the interactions between seeds and rodents and thus contribute to our understanding of the complex phenomena of rodent population fluctuations.

The Christmas Island flying fox (Pteropus melanotus natalis) is thought to be declining to critically low levels. Mitochondrial sequences of the cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) and cytochrome b (Cytb) genes and the D-loop were generated from 28 animals and used with maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, and maximum parsimony methods to determine its relationship to other Pteropus species. In all analyses, P. m. natalis mapped to a large clade containing Pacific Ocean island and Australian Pteropus species. Analysis using the large numbers of available Cytb sequences for Pteropus showed that P. m. natalis maps to a subclade that contains P. hypomelanus sequences from bats originating from Pulau Panjang, an island off the northeast coast of Java. P. hypomelanus was found to be polyphyletic, mapping to 3 separate subclades. These 3 genetically and geographically defined populations are likely to represent 3 separate species. Eighteen D-loop haplotypes were identified, suggesting that P. m. natalis maintains a degree of genetic diversity similar to other insular flying fox species.

Abrawayaomys is a genus endemic to the Atlantic Forest with unique craniodental attributes within the radiation of sigmodontine rodents. Recent data hypothesized the existence of 2 species of Abrawayaomys, namely A. ruschii (from the Brazilian states of Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo) and A. chebezi (from the Argentinean province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná), as well as a possible undescribed species (from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais). Herein, based on a large series of recently collected specimens, we assessed the congruence between morphologic and molecular characters to search for discontinuities on these features across geography to delimit species within the genus, testing the aforementioned hypothesis. Morphological analyses, both qualitative and quantitative, showed that all characters are polymorphic throughout the geographic range of the genus. Results from phylogenetic analyses of cytochrome b (Cytb) data showed the topology (Misiones (Minas Gerais (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro))), which is better explained as geographic rather than taxonomic variation, based on low values of genetic divergence observed between all specimens. Therefore, we reject the hypothesis of a polytypic Abrawayaomys, synonymizing A. chebezi to A. ruschii, and do not recognize specimens from Minas Gerais state as representing a distinct species.

Octodon (Octodontidae) is an endemic genus of rodents that is typical of southwestern South America and represented by 4 species. Octodon pacificus, commonly referred to as the Mocha Island degu, was initially described from specimens collected in 1959 at Mocha Island, a small coastal island located along the central coast of Chile. Fifty-seven years after its original collection, we report the discovery of a female O. pacificus carcass, identified by its morphological characteristics and its specific locality. In addition, based on the cytochrome b (Cytb) gene of the mitochondrial DNA obtained from O. pacificus and other congeneric species, we assessed phylogenetic relationships within the Octodontidae. Bayesian phylogenetic reconstruction indicated that O. degus represented the basal Octodon sp., followed by O. lunatus; O. bridgesii and O. pacificus were identified as sister taxa. Remarkably, the genetic divergence between O. bridgesii and O. pacificus is low, which suggests that 1 of 2 scenarios may be at play: the occurrence of a recent peripatric speciation process in O. pacificus, or the presence of O. bridgesii on Mocha Island. Documented collections of archeozoological material obtained from Mocha Island only include specimens of O. pacificus, a finding that supports our 1st proposed scenario. While the core of Mocha Island is a national reserve, strong anthropogenic landscape modifications have affected the coastal plains—the only known habitat of O. pacificus. Rodent control using killing traps and poison is a common practice on the island; therefore, population surveys and conservation initiatives are needed to conserve this endangered species.

Carnivores and their prey occurring at the extremes of their ecological niches face particular constraints in terms of habitat suitability (HS). We combined the use of camera traps and Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) to calculate HS for jaguars (Panthera onca), pumas (Puma concolor), and 4 prey species (3-banded armadillos, Tolypeutes tricinctus; 9-banded armadillos, Dasypus novemcinctus; collared peccaries, Pecari tajacu; and gray brocket deer, Mazama gouazoubira) in Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP), located in the semiarid Caatinga biome of Brazil. We also evaluated HS in relation to water management applied in the Park since 1994. Considering the physiological limitations of the Caatinga's species, we used an “edge of niche” habitat-suitability algorithm. For all species examined, distance to waterholes was the ecogeographical variable with the greatest contribution for the ENFA. Water management implemented in SCNP helps to ensure the persistence of predators and prey species, since the combination of topographic characteristics and location of waterholes explained most of HS for the analyzed species.

Foraging behaviors of red wolves (Canis rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans) are complex and their ability to form congeneric breeding pairs and hybridize further complicates our understanding of factors influencing their diets. Through scat analysis, we assessed prey selection of red wolf, coyote, and congeneric breeding pairs formed by red wolves and coyotes, and found that all 3 had similar diets. However, red wolf and congeneric pairs consumed more white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) than coyote pairs. Coyotes forming breeding pairs with red wolves had 12% more white-tailed deer in their diet than conspecifics paired with coyotes. Contrary to many studies on coyotes in the southeastern United States, we found coyotes in eastern North Carolina to be primarily carnivorous with increased consumption of deer during winter. Although prey selection was generally similar among the 3 groups, differences in diet among different breeding pairs were strongly associated with body mass. Larger breeding pairs consumed more white-tailed deer, and fewer rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.) and other small mammals. Partitioning of food resources by sympatric red wolves and coyotes is likely via differences in the proportions of similar prey consumed, rather than differences in types of prey exploited. Consequently, our results suggest coexistence of red wolves and coyotes in the southeastern United States may not be possible because there are limited opportunities for niche partitioning to reduce competitive interactions.

Invasive animal species are a major factor in the extinction and endangerment of native species worldwide. Longterm monitoring reveals some mammal recoveries have not been sustained in the presence of a broad-scale threat abatement program aimed at reducing the impact of the introduced Vulpes vulpes (red fox)—a top-order predator and key threat to many native species in Australia. Over 51,000 records of 19 terrestrial mammal species reported from a range of survey methods (pitfall traps, Elliott box traps, wire cage traps, spotlighting, sand plots, and nest boxes) across the Upper Warren region of southwestern Australia were used to investigate population changes over 41 years (1974–2014). Since the mid-1990s, populations of at least 7 native mammal species or genera have successively declined at similarly rapid rates and magnitudes (80–100%): Sminthopsis spp., Rattus fuscipes, Phascogale tapoatafa, Isoodon obesulus, Pseudocheirus occidentalis, Bettongia penicillata, and Notamacropus irma. R. fuscipes has not been recorded in the region since 2005 and may have become locally extinct. The other species that have declined remain at risk of becoming locally extinct. Three species have increased since 2000: Trichosurus vulpecula, Dasyurus geoffroii, and Notamacropus eugenii. The Upper Warren region in which this community disassembly has occurred is one of the principal sites for the conservation of many threatened mammal species and is within Australia's global biodiversity hotspot. We discuss the critical importance of long-term monitoring and the need to identify the causes of population change to inform how conservation and management activities can best be focussed. Predation by the introduced Felis catus (cat) is hypothesized as the most likely common or primary cause behind many of the recent declines in the Upper Warren. The integrated reduction of both cats and foxes, conducted within an experimental framework, is the most direct and definitive action to test this and deliver the greatest practical conservation outcomes.

We used southeastern fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) in the southeastern United States as an example of how modern approaches to estimate density coupled with a reevaluation of previous estimates can provide important new insights into the management and conservation of mammals. There are few rigorous density estimates of southeastern fox squirrels, which hinders our ability to manage and conserve their populations. Based on an initial estimate from 1957 of 38 squirrels/km² and subsequent decreases in estimates of population densities, noted decreases in hunter harvest reports, and anecdotal observations, southeastern fox squirrels are believed to be declining. To assess the extent of this decline, we first estimated the density of a subspecies of southeastern fox squirrel, Sherman's fox squirrel (S. n. shermani), using live trapping and camera trapping and modern analytical approaches for mark–recapture analysis. Then, to compare our densities to previous work, we calculated a standardized effective survey area correction factor for past studies and recalculated their population densities. Once standardized, we found little temporal or geographic variation in densities of southeastern fox squirrels (2.4–8.5 squirrels/km²) spanning nearly 70 years of research. Past densities were substantially lower than initially reported with corrected survey areas, suggesting that densities may have always been naturally low but were incorrectly inflated due to study designs and statistical approaches. Moreover, corrected densities from all studies were correlated with the bounded survey area, suggesting that researches aiming to estimate population densities of southeastern fox squirrels were frequently conducted at scales too small relative to the size of their home ranges. The use of methodological and analytical approaches such as those used in this study may help to avoid misdirected conservation designations or management actions and misuse of conservation funding.

Reintroducing native wildlife populations is a common conservation-management approach aimed at reducing the threat of extinction and restoring ecosystem function. Captive-born individuals are sometimes used in reintroductions, but the effectiveness of this strategy is poorly understood due to insufficient post-reintroduction monitoring and evaluation. Our objective was to evaluate the utility of using captive-born individuals of an endangered rodent, the Perdido Key beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus trissyllepsis) to reestablish a population on the western end of Perdido Key at Gulf State Park, Alabama, from which it was extirpated in 1997. We released 48 captive-born mice in March 2010 and monitored the population through livetrapping across 8 sessions spanning 5 years. We evaluated temporal changes in microsatellite genetic diversity to determine whether mice born in the wild were derived from released mice. The number of mice declined by 73% to 13 individuals in the first 2 weeks after release but increased to an estimated 206 (95% confidence interval = 195–217) individuals after 5 years. Genetic monitoring demonstrated a slight decrease in diversity during the first 3 months but an increase by year 5. Admixture from a neighboring population was detected in year 2 and year 5, which corresponded to the largest increase in population size between trapping sessions. This change in abundance corresponded with a doubling of Ne/N signifying a possible role of admixture in population growth and resilience. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using captive-born beach mice to reestablish populations when wild populations are too small to serve as donors for a translocation. We could not, however, discern how gene flow from an expanding neighboring population affected growth or persistence of the reintroduced population. Our study emphasizes that in future reintroductions, genetics should be monitored together with demographic patterns, because cryptic gene flow could affect how we interpret reintroduction success.

The Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is a small, semiaquatic mammal endemic to the Pyrenean Mountains and the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula where it lives in cold and well-oxygenated flowing mountain streams. This species is currently classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and has been undergoing habitat loss and fragmentation for decades, inevitably impacting its distribution. A recent genetic study, based on mitochondrial and intronic sequences, showed that the genetic variability of the Pyrenean desman is very low in the Pyrenees. In this study, we investigated the potential existence of genetic structure and gene flow at a smaller scale using 24 polymorphic microsatellite loci. As the Pyrenean desman is a very elusive species, we supplemented our tissue sample collection with samples of feces collected in the French range of this species. We successfully identified 70 individuals based on 355 fecal samples. Bayesian analyses revealed 3 genetic and geographic clusters (1 eastern, 1 central, and 1 western, including 3 genetic subclusters), with origins tracing back only 200 years. These clusters were characterized by low levels of genetic diversity and high inbreeding coefficients. Although gene flow among clusters appeared to be limited, populations seem to have exchanged alleles recently. Therefore, connectivity between watersheds should be enhanced to maintain genetic diversity and potentially improve the long-term survival of the Pyrenean desman in France.

Explosive opening is an important process for pollination of Mucuna flowers. It is generally triggered by an animal pollinator specific to each Mucuna species. Although Mucuna macrocarpa has been reported to be pollinated by a nectar-eating bat, the distributional ranges of this plant and that of the nectar-eating bats do not overlap completely. Previous research suggested that this plant could be pollinated by other species depending on the region. In Taiwan, where nectar-eating bats are absent, 2 species of squirrels (Callosciurus erythraeus and Tamiops maritimus) and masked palm civets (Paguma larvata) were recorded as explosive openers. Of these 3 species, C. erythraeus was the most frequent and successful visitor—it opened the flowers in the same manner as nectar-eating bats. The other 2 species successfully opened only a few flowers and were therefore less effective pollinators. However, these opened flowers were subsequently visited by several insects, suggesting that the actions of the mammalian pollinators might have contributed to pollen transfer. Our data indicate that explosive openers of M. macrocarpa are not highly specialized and vary among the regions depending on the local fauna. Hence, this species, characterized by the explosive opening mechanism, is pollinated by different mammal species and insects in different regions.

Habitat loss and fragmentation present major challenges for wildlife conservation since connectivity between suitable habitat patches is needed for dispersal, allowing for genetic exchange between populations. These exchanges can be particularly important in marginal habitats as they ensure the persistence of populations that are often most vulnerable to natural occurrences or anthropogenic activities. Medium-sized mammals can be particularly susceptible to changes in the landscape and their absence can be an indicator of habitat degradation. In this study, 6 pacas (Cuniculus paca), medium-sized mammals that are an important prey of large felids and a popular game species for hunters in Belize, were radiotracked in the Central Belize Corridor. Home range estimates for these were larger than those documented for pacas inhabiting broadleaf forests of Panama and Costa Rica. When broadleaf habitats were inaccessible due to flooding, pacas selected a savannah habitat with dense vegetation over more open grass savannahs. Knowledge of how pacas and other wildlife use the landscape in the wildlife corridor will allow more effective management by guiding the development of adequate regulations for hunting and resource exploitation.

Estimates of the demographic information necessary to project future population changes are lacking for the endangered Florida bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus). We conducted a mark–recapture study on a population of bonneted bats using bat houses on Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area, Charlotte County, Florida, United States. We captured 175 individuals during 6 capture events that recurred every 4 months between April 2014 and December 2015. We implanted passive integrated transponder tags in all captured individuals and used open population capture-recapture models to estimate apparent survival, recruitment, and population growth rates of this population. Key model assumptions were evaluated via simulation. Apparent survival estimates were lower than estimates for most other bat species. Juveniles had lower annual apparent survival (ϕ = 0.09 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.04–0.19]) than adults (ϕ = 0.46 [0.36–0.57]). Recruitment was constant between sexes and over time (f = 0.48 [0.23–0.75]). Apparent survival had a greater influence on population growth rates than did recruitment, indicating that low survival rates could lead to population declines. Models of population growth rates showed a stable to potentially declining population trend, although the trend was highly variable, with estimates ranging from large declines to increases (λ = 0.89 [0.65–1.22]). Any potential declines in the population may be more pronounced in adult females (λ = 0.81 [0.58–1.13] compared to λ = 1.11 [0.74–1.69] for males); however, the 95% CI of the population growth rate included 1, indicating a need for additional research to derive more precise estimates. This work represents the 1st estimates of demographic parameters of this endangered species.

Although habitat loss and degradation are major contributors to species declines, some species are able to adapt to changes in land use by selecting different habitats or structures in disturbed areas than they do in more pristine habitats. Bats are particularly vulnerable to changes in land use due to their dependence on specific habitat types and structures. The objective of this study was to determine how selection and use of roost trees, and niche breadth of Rafinesque's big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) varied with land-use history. I examined use and selection of roosts at 3 bottomland hardwood sites that varied in amount and time since timber harvest. Fortynine transects were established as a means of searching for bats in trees with basal cavity openings and were surveyed 2–9 times. Bats at the most-disturbed sites exhibited the broadest niches, using a greater number of tree species and habitat types, although bats at the least-disturbed site used a broader range of cavity volumes. Cavity characteristics were the primary factors governing roost selection by Rafinesque's big-eared bats, but selection varied among sites. Probability of use increased with increasing cavity volume for bats at all sites, but bats at the most-disturbed site primarily used trees in the smallest cavity volume class, whereas bats at the least-disturbed site primarily used trees in the largest cavity volume class. Results of this study suggest that Rafinesque's bigeared bats can adapt to a range of habitat conditions if trees with large cavities are available. However, future studies need to determine the long-term viability of this species in disturbed habitats.

Many bats, including some small-bodied tropical and subtropical Pteropodidae, use torpor to offset energetic constraints. We tested the hypothesis that medium-sized (110–160 g) cave-roosting Egyptian rousette bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) at the southern extent of their range are able to employ torpor. We measured daytime body temperatures (T_b) of 9 wild individuals using implanted temperature-sensitive radiotransmitters. The bats roosted in a cave on Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa (a typically cool and wet area). Daily mean cave temperature (T_c) ranged between 7°C and 12°C (mean 9.3°C). All wild individuals exhibited a circadian cycle in T_b, with an average of 37.7°C upon return from foraging, decreasing to 35.5°C by mid-day. Before emergence for feeding, T_b increased to about 37°C. No individual allowed T_b to drop below 34°C indicating (assuming a threshold temperature of 30°C) that individuals in this population do not use torpor. Bats were active throughout the day within the roost and metabolic heat production may have contributed to the maintenance of rest-phase T_b. Ten individuals implanted with temperature-sensitive passive integrated transponder tags were held in captivity at temperatures of 25–30°C and subjected to food deprivation for 2–3 days. The lowest T_b recorded for any captive individual was 33.4°C despite losing an average of 10% of their initial body mass. Despite exposure to cool T_a in the cave, and often cold, wet, and windy conditions while foraging, or substantial food restriction in captive bats, R. aegyptiacus did not resort to using torpor.

Environmental factors, including exposure to anthropogenic factors such as endocrine disruptors, can affect the luminal fluid of the epididymides in which sperm reside during maturation, causing male reproductive dysfunction. We describe and compare epididymal morphology, histomorphometry, and proteomes of Calomys tener and Necromys lasiurus, 2 species of South American sigmodontine rodent whose reproductive biology has been little studied. Five C. tener and 6 N. lasiurus were collected in a protected area of Atlantic Forest (Minas Gerais State, Brazil), where exposure to anthropogenic influences should be minimal. The left epididymis was processed for histological analysis under light microscopy, and the right was used to assess protein expression using shotgun proteomics. Calomys tener presented higher mean values for luminal and tubular diameters than N. lasiurus in the caput region. We observed similar morphologies and relative frequencies in the epididymal epithelium of principal, basal, and clear cells in the 2 species. Shotgun proteomics detected 58 and 64 proteins in 1 or more epididymal regions of C. tener and N. lasiurus, respectively. Aldose reductase, superoxide dismutase Cu-Zn, carboxylesterase 5A, and clusterin were only detected in the epididymis of N. lasiurus. The epididymides of C. tener and N. lasiurus differed in both histomorphometry and protein expression, suggesting that describing the epididymis in closely related species may provide a complementary tool for taxonomic studies. Knowledge of epididymal histophysiology helps establish a foundation for better understanding of the reproductive biology of these rodents, and our data from a protected area create a baseline for studies investigating the effects of environmental endocrine disruptors on functionality of the epididymal epithelium.