Spacing behaviour of red squirrels, Sciurus vulgaris: variation between habitats and the sexes

摘要: Abstract Home range size, use and overlap of adult male female red squirrels in a coniferous deciduous woodland were studied using radio-telemetry. Hypotheses, concerning (1) resource predictability territorial behaviour, (2) sex-related habitat-related differences spacing strategies tested. In both habitats males had larger home ranges than females. Range size varied seasonally, tending to increase April–June decrease winter. Both females intensively used core-areas (70% all locations) that much smaller their total range. Dominant subordinates, body weight was positively correlated with size. For females, inversely food abundance (coniferous area) or local density (deciduous area). Core-area within sex between sexes. defended exlusive core-area exclusive against other while subordinates behaved as floaters settled on the edges dominant ranges, significantly more strongly overlapping tolerant conspecifics woodland. The results support hypotheses time space resources, sexual key resources reproductive success mammals promiscuous polygynous mating systems, cause behaviour habitat types