Essential Site Maintenance: Authorea-powered sites will be updated circa 15:00-17:00 Eastern on Tuesday 5 November.
There should be no interruption to normal services, but please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any issues.

loading page

Captures do not affect escape response to humans in Alpine marmot
  • +2
  • Chiara Giari,
  • Luca Corlatti,
  • Elena Morocutti,
  • Ilse Storch,
  • Friederike Zenth
Chiara Giari
University of Siena Department of Life Sciences
Author Profile
Luca Corlatti
University of Freiburg
Author Profile
Elena Morocutti
University of Siena Department of Life Sciences
Author Profile
Ilse Storch
University of Freiburg Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources
Author Profile
Friederike Zenth
Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile

Abstract

Capture and manipulation are an integral part of wildlife research and management. These practices, however, can affect animals either directly or indirectly, and studies should generally evaluate the consequences of captures to ensure animal welfare and reduce sampling bias. Here, we investigated the indirect, behavioural effects of live-capture on escape response to humans in Alpine marmot Marmota marmota within the Stelvio National Park (central Italian Alps) over three seasons (2021- 2023). We used flight initiation distance (FID) as a measure of escape response and tested it in relation to capture status using linear mixed modelling. Captures did not have any detectable effect on escape response, and FID was best explained by covariates such as starting distance, distance to nearest burrow, current behaviour during the observation and year of observation. It might be that, in marmots, escape response to humans is a rather inert behaviour, and as such, although we cannot rule out unmeasured effects, capture may not represent an excessively traumatic experience which could trigger immediate behavioural modification. In turn, capture is unlikely to compromise animal welfare or cause scientific bias in studies investigating escape response in this species, at least over the short term.
Submitted to Wildlife Biology
14 Mar 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
29 Mar 20241st Revision Received
07 Apr 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
07 Apr 2024Editorial Decision: Accept