Species-specific responses of mammal activity to exurbanization in New Hampshire, USA

Abstract

Urbanization and habitat fragmentation can disrupt wildlife behavior and cause declines in biodiversity and ecosystem function. Most urban wildlife research has compared highly urbanized regions with rural areas. However, human development is also rapidly occurring in exurban areas, which consist of a matrix of lower-density housing and natural patches. Thus, although such “exurbanization” is intensifying, little research has examined how mammals respond to exurban development. To address this knowledge gap, we evaluated the activity of 12 species using 104 camera traps in exurban and rural areas across southeastern New Hampshire, USA, during summer 2021 and winter 2021–2. We quantified species’ activity levels (overall portion of daily activity) and patterns (variation of diel activity period) to test hypotheses regarding how species’ space requirements and nocturnality modulated their responses to exurban development. We found mixed support for our hypotheses. Two species with large space requirements (bobcats Lynx rufus and white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus) reduced activity levels in exurban areas, following hypothesized predictions, while other species (e.g., coyote Canis latrans) did not. As predicted, nocturnal species were less likely to shift activity patterns, but this varied across species and seasons. We also found evidence for a coupled predator–prey response among bobcats and lagomorphs in summer, with similarly altered activity in exurban areas. These results suggest that wildlife modify activity in response to exurban development with substantial species and season-specific variation within the mammal community, highlighting the complex ways wildlife adapt to urbanization and the potential consequences thereof for mammal communities.