Local-level determinants of wildcat occupancy in Northeast Scotland

Author(s)

Silva, Andre P. ^[1] ; Rosalino, Luis M. ^{[1, 2]} ; Johnson, Paul J. ^[3] ; Macdonald, David W. ^[3] ; Anderson, Neil ^[3] ; Kilshaw, Kerry ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Lisbon, Ctr Biol Ambiental, Fac Ciencias Lisboa, P-1749016 Lisbon - Portugal

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Ecol Isotop, CENA, BR-13416000 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Oxford, Dept Zool, Recanti Kaplan Ctr, Wildlife Conservat Res Unit, Tubney OX13 5QL, Oxon - England

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH; v. 59, n. 3, p. 449-453, JUN 2013.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

We studied the influence of food abundance, land cover and disturbance on European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris Schreber, 1777) presence in Scotland. Wildcat records were collected using camera trapping, and prey data were assessed through linear transects and small mammal trapping. Surveys were carried out in three study areas in northeast Scotland. Wildcat occupancy was best predicted by a combination of food and land cover variables. This species detection was associated with higher rodent abundance and areas of higher habitat diversity encompassing patches of mixed and coniferous woodlands. Wildcat presence was negatively linked with the prevalence of dwarf shrub areas. We suggest that wildcat conservation actions at local scale should take into account the availability of feeding resources and landscape heterogeneity. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/00408-4 - Mesocarnivores adaptations to man shaped environments in two different spatio-temporal contexts: the eucaliptus production forests in Brazil and Portugal as case studies
• Grantee: Luis Miguel do Carmo Rosalino
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral