Graduate Program
Biological Sciences
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Semester of Degree Completion
2005
Thesis Director
Thomas Nelson
Thesis Committee Member
Scott Meiners
Thesis Committee Member
Eric Bollinger
Abstract
Raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations are very high in Illinois due in part to low pelt value and reduced hunting pressure (Gehrt et al., 2002); furthermore, Illinois' agricultural landscape is conducive to high raccoon densities. Such agricultural areas are known to provide a large, reliable food source for raccoons (Pedlar et al., 1997), and higher predator abundance (e.g. raccoons) at northern latitudes may reflect a greater abundance in cropland (Dijak and Thompson, 2000). Other factors known to increase raccoon numbers are edge effects due to habitat fragmentation and the suppression or eradication of top predators (Soulé et al., 1988; Pedlar et al., 1997; Heske et al., 1999; Dijak and Thompson, 2000; Schmidt, 2003). Factors that tend to promote increases in raccoon numbers occur at large landscape scales, but the consequences of such ecosystem alterations have not been investigated widely (Terborgh et al., 1999; Mecheli et al., 2001). Increases in raccoon and other mesopredator populations can result in a landscape that is hostile to many bird species (Askins 1995, 2000). In the Midwest for example, raccoons often prey on songbirds inhabiting the agricultural landscapes that predominate throughout the region (Robinson et al., 1995; Donovan et al., 1995). Because edges often provide abundant and diverse food resources, raccoons may preferentially forage along edges, increasing the risk to birds nesting in or near edge features.
However, the relative importance of predator species can vary within and between adjacent habitats in the same landscape; therefore, the behavioral ecology of nest predators and complex ecological processes affecting nest predation deserves greater and more detailed study (Heske et al., 2001). Given the general importance of raccoons as common nest predators in the Midwest, a better understanding of their ecology and foraging behavior may be beneficial in developing management strategies to reduce nest predation and aid in the conservation of declining avian populations. Thus, I undertook a two-year telemetry study at Prairie Ridge State Natural Area (PRSNA) in Jasper County, Illinois, to investigate raccoon movements and habitat use in an area managed primarily for imperiled grassland bird species. The objectives of my study were to describe: (1) seasonal home range sizes of male and female raccoons at PRSNA, (2) evaluate seasonal movements including movement distances, rates, and the shape of movement pathways using fractal analysis, (3) investigate patterns of seasonal habitat use relative to availability on two spatial scales, and (4) discuss the management implications of seasonal habitat use and foraging pathways for conserving ground-nesting birds. Insights gained from this study may aid in effectively reducing raccoon densities on grassland reserves and configuring avian nesting habitat to reduce raccoon nest predation.
Recommended Citation
Newbury, Roberta K., "Seasonal movements and habitat selection of raccoons in a grassland-agricultural landscape" (2005). Masters Theses. 922.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/922
