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dc.contributor.authorBison, Marjorie
dc.contributor.authorYoccoz, Nigel Gilles
dc.contributor.authorCarlson, Bradley Z.
dc.contributor.authorBayle, Arthur
dc.contributor.authorDelestrade, Anne
dc.date.accessioned2024-09-12T08:11:40Z
dc.date.available2024-09-12T08:11:40Z
dc.date.issued2024-03-01
dc.description.abstractMountain hare is a cold-adapted species threatened by climate change, but despite its emblematic nature, our understanding of the causes of population decline remains limited. Camera traps are increasingly used in ecology as a tool for monitoring animal populations at large spatial and temporal scales. In mountain environments where field work is constrained by difficult access and harsh conditions, camera traps constitute a promising tool for surveying rare and elusive species such as the mountain hare. Our study explored the use of camera traps as a tool for studying seasonal habitat occupancy and daily activity patterns of the mountain hare, in order to carry out longterm monitoring of populations. We installed 46 camera traps along elevation gradients in the Mont-Blanc massif (France) from January 2018 to June 2022. We measured habitat variables at each camera trap site in order to define vegetation composition and habitat structure. We performed multi-season and single-season occupancy models to respectively describe habitat occupancy of the mountain hare throughout the year and identify the environmental variables influencing mountain hare presence during the breeding season. Mountain hares occupy coniferous forest in winter, and then switch to mixed areas of shrubland and grassland above treeline in spring and the beginning of summer. In spring, occupancy probability of the mountain hare increases with relative cover of mixed low shrub and herbaceous layer (i.e. the 10–40 cm vegetation layer), suggesting a link to food resources and protection from predation. Our results also confirm the nocturnal and crepuscular activity of the mountain hare during the breeding season, and strictly nocturnal activity in winter. Our results demonstrate the efficiency of camera traps as tools for monitoring mountain hare habitat occupancy in mountain environments and underline the importance of diverse habitat mosaics for the preservation of the species.en_US
dc.identifier.citationBison, Yoccoz, Carlson, Bayle, Delestrade. Camera traps reveal seasonal variation in activity and occupancy of the Alpine mountain hare Lepus timidus varronis. Wildlife Biology. 2024en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 2258743
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/wlb3.01186
dc.identifier.issn0909-6396
dc.identifier.issn1903-220X
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/34696
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherWileyen_US
dc.relation.journalWildlife Biology
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2024 The Author(s)en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0en_US
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)en_US
dc.titleCamera traps reveal seasonal variation in activity and occupancy of the Alpine mountain hare Lepus timidus varronisen_US
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)