– My research investigates how various factors influence the behaviour and interactions of carnivores in Norway’s boreal forests, explains Martinez herself to inn.no.
Rocio Cano Martinez has been affiliated with the PhD programme in Applied Ecology and Biotechnology at the University of Inland Norway, and will defend her doctoral thesis on 16th December.
To answer the above questions, Rocio used wildlife cameras and snow tracking data. This allowed her to study how large predators, habitat conditions, prey availability, and human activity affect smaller predators such as the red fox, badger, and pine marten.
– I found that landscape characteristics and food availability had a greater impact on these animals than the presence of large predators like lynx and Wolves, likely due to their low population densities, she explains.
Furthermore, the PhD candidate discovered that seasonal changes and fluctuations in rodent populations also influenced the interactions between carnivores, particularly during harsh winters when food was scarce.
And not least, human activity also had an impact on what happened in the forest. In fact, human presence caused some species to become more nocturnal.
– These findings highlight the importance of considering both natural and human-related factors when managing carnivore populations, as their behaviour can be significantly altered by a diversity of factors, Martinez advises.
The PhD candidate believes her research could contribute to improved management strategies in boreal ecosystems, which experience strong seasonal changes and human influences.
The title of her thesis is 'Carnivore species interactions and influential factors in a boreal ecosystem'.
- Here you can find more information about Rocio Cano Martinez's defence on the 16th of December, 2024
Main findings in the doctoral work:
- Bottom-up forces dominate: In this boreal ecosystem, bottom-up forces like land cover and resource availability had a stronger impact on mesocarnivore Activity than top-down effects from large carnivores. This highlights the importance of resource availability in structuring carnivore communities in low-productivity environments.
- Rodent population fluctuations: Cyclic fluctuations in rodent populations contribute to the unpredictability of food resources, which reinforces bottom-up processes and influences predator interactions and habitat use. These fluctuations influence predator dynamics in ways that vary according to each species’ competition strategies.
- Predominance of positive associations: Harsh winter conditions and limited food resources seem to drive carnivores to share areas and resources, leading to local positive associations, even among potential competitors.
- Human disturbance and behavioral responses: Carnivores showed diverse responses to human disturbance. While large carnivores and pine martens were negatively affected, red foxes and badgers exhibited positive associations With humans, likely due to access to food subsidies. Additionally, some species increased nocturnal activity in response to human presence, demonstrating behavioral flexibility. However, these adjustments may come with ecological and physiological costs.
Contact information:
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