A reliance on human habitats is key to the success of an introduced predatory reptile
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Electronic versions
DOI
Understanding the success of animals in novel environments is increasingly important as human-mediated introductions continue to move species far beyond their natural ranges. Alongside these introductions, inhabited and agricultural areas are spreading, and correspondingly most animal introductions occur in populated areas. Commensal species which can live alongside humans by making use of specific conditions, structures, or prey, have a significant advantage. Introduced mammal species often use anthropogenic features in their environment and demonstrate a higher tolerance of human disturbance, but their importance remains understudied in ectotherms. The Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) is an ectotherm which has been introduced beyond the northern extremities of its natural range. To understand their persistence, we radio-tracked snakes daily over two active seasons, including high-frequency tracking of a subset of males. We investigated snake home range size using Autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimators (AKDE). Using AKDE-weighted Habitat Selection Functions we identified preferences for habitat features in a mosaic of habitats, and we used Integrated Step Selection Functions to further explore how these features influence movement. We revealed a particular preference for buildings in male snakes, while females preferred woodland. We demonstrate that the success of this ectothermic predator is likely tied to a willingness to use human features of the landscape.
Keywords
- Ecology, Spatial ecology, Introduced species, Radiotelemetry, Serpentes, Herpetology
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | e0310352 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | PLoS ONE |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 5 Feb 2025 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 5 Feb 2025 |
Research outputs (2)
- Published
Britain has a new snake species – should climate change mean it is allowed to stay?
Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
- Published
A reliance on human habitats is key to the success of an introduced predatory reptile
Research output: Working paper › Preprint