Inter-group variability on Seed Dispersal by White-Handed Gibbons in Mosaic Forest

One file contains 7 sheet: 1) location of two groups, 2) movement data of two groups, 3) Home range and Daily path length, 4) seed dispersal distance, 5) tortuosity values of two groups. A second file is the output from the modeled seed dispersal curves

Are Flying-Foxes Coming to Town? Urbanisation of the Spectacled Flying-Fox (<i>Pteropus conspicillatus</i>) in Australia

<div><p>Urbanisation of wildlife populations is a process with significant conservation and management implications. While urban areas can provide habitat for wildlife, some urbanised species eventually come into conflict with humans. Understanding the process and drivers of wildlife urbanisation is fundamental to developing effective management responses to this phenomenon. In Australia, flying-foxes (Pteropodidae) are a common feature of urban environments, sometimes roosting in groups of tens of thousands of individuals. Flying-foxes appear to be becoming increasingly urbanised and are coming into increased contact and conflict with humans. Flying-fox management is now a highly contentious issue. In this study we used monitoring data collected over a 15 year period (1998–2012) to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of association of spectacled flying-fox (<i>Pteropus conspicillatus</i>) roost sites (camps) with urban areas. We asked whether spectacled flying-foxes are becoming more urbanised and test the hypothesis that such changes are associated with anthropogenic changes to landscape structure. Our results indicate that spectacled flying-foxes were more likely to roost near humans than might be expected by chance, that over the period of the study the proportion of the flying-foxes in urban-associated camps increased, as did the number of urban camps. Increased urbanisation of spectacled flying-foxes was not related to changes in landscape structure or to the encroachment of urban areas on camps. Overall, camps tended to be found in areas that were more fragmented, closer to human habitation and with more urban land cover than the surrounding landscape. This suggests that urbanisation is a behavioural response rather than driven by habitat loss.</p></div

Landscape metrics (mean, ±SE) for buffer zones with a 3.3 km diameter surrounding all recorded campsites and random points in the landscape showing: percentage urban land cover, edge density, patch density and mean patch area.

<p>Landscape metrics (mean, ±SE) for buffer zones with a 3.3 km diameter surrounding all recorded campsites and random points in the landscape showing: percentage urban land cover, edge density, patch density and mean patch area.</p

The number of urban associated camps recorded in surveys conducted in November of each year of the study.

<p>The number of occupied camps recorded in each year is indicated on the x axis.</p

Changes through the year in the mean monthly camp size for urban-associated and non-urban camps. Calculated from 2004–2012 data.

<p>Changes through the year in the mean monthly camp size for urban-associated and non-urban camps. Calculated from 2004–2012 data.</p

The percentage of the spectacled flying-fox population of the Wet Tropics found in urban associated camps during November surveys in each year of the study.

<p>The percentage of the spectacled flying-fox population of the Wet Tropics found in urban associated camps during November surveys in each year of the study.</p

Changes through the year in the mean monthly population occupying urban associated and non-urban camps across the Wet Tropics calculated from 2004–2012 data.

<p>Monthly means calculated with survey data from 2004–2012.</p

Location of the study area in the Wet Tropics Region of Northern Queensland, Australia. Spectacled flying-fox camps (triangles), towns (black dots) and urban areas (red shading) are also shown.

<p>Habitat mapping is derived from QLUMP 2009 <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0109810#pone.0109810-Queensland3" target="_blank">[42]</a> and the hillslopes and shading from the Qld. Dept. Natural Resources and Mines 25 m DEM (<a href="http://www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/mapping-data/data/topographic" target="_blank">http://www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/mapping-data/data/topographic</a>).</p

Changes through the year in the percentage (±S.E.) of the population occupying urban-associated camps.

<p>Monthly means calculated with survey data from 2004–2012.</p

Distribution of spectacled flying-fox camps in the central Wet Tropics region, Atherton Tablelands, North Queensland, Australia.

<p>The distribution of rainforest is shown in grey. Enclosed area is the core distribution of <i>Solanum mauritianum</i> based on Queensland herbarium records for the Atherton Tableland (Source: Wikipedia; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia</a>; commons map; and CSIRO, Australia).</p