20.500.12556/RUL-165588 Females know better sex-biased habitat selection by the European wildcat The interactions between animals and their environment vary across species, regions, but also with gender. Sex-specific relations between individuals and the ecosystem may entail different behavioral choices and be expressed through different patterns of habitat use. Regardless, only rarely sex-specific traits are addressed in ecological modeling approaches. The European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) is a species of conservation concern in Europe, with a highly fragmented and declining distribution across most of its range. We assessed sex-specific habitat selection patterns for the European wildcat, at the landscape and home range levels, across its Iberian biogeographic distribution using a multipopulation approach. We developed resource selection functions in a use-availability framework using radio-telemetry data from five wildcat populations. At the landscape level, we observed that, while both genders preferentially established home ranges in areas close to broadleaf forests and far from humanized areas, females selected mid-range elevation areas with some topographic complexity, whereas males used lowland areas. At the home range level, both females and males selected areas dominated by scrublands or broadleaf forests, but habitat features were less important at this level. The strength of association to habitat features was higher for females at both spatial levels, suggesting a tendency to select habitats with higher quality that can grant them enhanced access to shelter and feeding resources. Based on our results, we hypothesize that sex-biased behavioral patterns may contribute to the resilience of wildcats’ genetic integrity through influencing the directionality of hybridization with domestic cats. Our study provides information about European wildcats’ habitat use in an Iberian context, relevant for the implementation of conservation plans, and highlights the ecological relevance of considering sex-related differences in environmental preferences. European wildcat Felis silvestris habitat selection sex differences divja mačka izbira habitata razlike med samci in samicami true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2024-12-09 12:38:47 2024-12-09 12:38:54 2024-12-10 03:54:26 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2018 0 0 Str. 9464-9477 issue 18 Vol. 8 Sep. 2018 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 591.5 2045-7758 10.1002/ece3.4442 216718851 RAZ_Oliveira_Teresa_2018.pdf RAZ_Oliveira_Teresa_2018.pdf 1 D2BD73D6905BC78871BD465C92C66E4B 3298419499219a24549905cf976071dd36d3bace4c3838854a94fe79d1961478 0b857d89-b622-11ef-b232-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=196749 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ece3.4442 1 b1370bcc-b621-11ef-b232-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=196748 Biotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0