Latrine marking patterns of badgers (Meles meles) with respect to population density and range size

摘要: European badgers (Meles meles) use shared defecation sites, termed latrines, to demarcate group ranges. While some latrines are small, comprising few pits with fresh scats spread over a small area, others large, many droppings and extending large area. Although studies have investigated badger latrine usage patterns, speculated on function, this variation in relative size remains unexplained. Using nearest neighbor analyses, we analyzed the positioning, use, inter-latrine distances from four study areas different population densities. We found that were spaced regularly throughout range, border marking was prioritized, increasing chances of traversing intercepting latrine. numbers increased range size, number feces per decreased, suggesting may be limiting resource maintenance maintaining spacing pattern is more important than actual each thus posited that, where territories groups capacity produce exceeds minimum need for perimeter marking, resulting fecal redundancy latrines. In contrast, larger territories, especially when occupied by smaller groups, experience constraint, concluded scent-marking activity involves trade-off between leading degrees while energetic costs signaling minimized.