TY  - JOUR
A1  - Drygala, Frank
A1  - Zoller, Hinrich
T1  - Spatial use and interaction of the invasive raccoon dog and the native red fox in Central Europe - competition or coexistence?
JF  - European journal of wildlife research
N2  - The main objective was to discover extent of interference and/or exploitative competition between the native red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the introduced, invasive raccoon dog (Nyctereues proconoides) in the intensively used, agricultural landscape of northeast Germany (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) using very high frequency (VHF) radio telemetry. We recorded location data for 12 foxes and 16 raccoon dogs between July 2004 and December 2006. Species had similar average home range sizes estimated in each season (K95). Home ranges of adjacent raccoon dogs and foxes overlapped from 0.5 to 74.5 % with a mean of 26.4 %. We found a significantly different home range overlap index between the species showing that raccoon dog ranges shifted between seasons to a greater extent than red fox ranges. The raccoon dog differed significantly from the red fox in its use of habitat types, preferring dense vegetation cover and avoiding open areas. The red fox displayed less preference for or avoidance of specific habitat types. Moreover, an almost neutral inter-specific interaction index ranging from -0.12 to 0.12 indicates that raccoon dogs and red foxes ignored each other. It is concluded that widespread and available resources and differences in spatial use patterns prevent competition between red foxes and raccoon dogs in the agricultural landscape of northeast Germany.
KW  - Vulpes vulpes
KW  - Nyctereutes procyonoides
KW  - Space use
KW  - Habitat use
KW  - Invasive species
Y1  - 2013
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-013-0722-y
SN  - 1612-4642
SN  - 1439-0574
VL  - 59
IS  - 5
SP  - 683
EP  - 691
PB  - Springer
CY  - New York
ER  -