Abstract
Introduction of invasive alien species (IAS) is one of the main threats to biodiversity. The Northern raccoon (Procyon lotor), here after named “raccoon,” recently introduced and rapidly expanding in three main populations in France, is one of the 47 IAS of concern in the European Union. At this date, there is no study on the ecology of the raccoon in France, yet the acquisition of knowledge of the species in its new environment is an essential step for a better evaluation of its impacts and improving its management. We studied space use and habitat selection by French raccoons in a rural population in the Marne department and in a suburban population in Gironde department, respectively, by tracking 14 individuals with GPS collars between May 2019 and August 2021. We estimated the home ranges’ size using minimum convex polygon (MCP), adaptative local convex hull (a-LoCoH), and dynamic Brownian bridge motion model (dBBMM). Habitat selection was studied at the second and third order using Ivlev’s electivity index and integrated step selection analysis (iSSA) models, respectively. Our results show that raccoons of the rural population have home ranges twice larger than those of the suburban population. Habitats are selected differently according to the population, highlighting the great plasticity of the raccoon. Woodlands are the most used habitats for both populations; however, anthropized areas also appear to be very attractive for the rural population. Surprisingly, this is not the case for the suburban population, which tends to avoid these habitats in favor of the wetland.
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Data used for habitat mapping are freely accessible. Data relating to GPS tracking of raccoons are available on request from the corresponding author.
Notes
Data from www.infoclimat.fr for Reims-Prunay meteorological station.
Data from www.infoclimat.fr for Bordeaux-Mérignac meteorological station.
Created by Ecosphère and provided by the commune of Villenave d’Ornon.
Created and provided by the PNRMR.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the local licensed trappers associations in the Marne and Gironde departments for their invaluable help in the capture of free-ranging raccoons. This work would not have been possible without Maden Le Barh, Philippe Ziegelmeyer and Simon Maudet (URCA-CERFE), Chloé Baduel, Léa Ferrand and Mattéo Tauzin (GREGE), Freddy Talarico, Audran Le Gourrierec and Adrien Le Carpentier (Fédération des Chasseurs de la Marne (FDC51)), who actively participated in tracking equipped raccoons. Thanks to the commune of Villenave d'Ornon, particularly Isabelle Maille, the MRRNP and the Office National des Forêts for providing access to the study sites.
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This work was supported by the Association Nationale Recherche et Technologie, the Office Français de la Biodiversité, the MRRNP, the Direction Régionale de l’Environnement, de l’Aménagement et du Logement of the Grand Est, and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Gironde Department Council, the commune of Villenave d’Ornon, the FDC51, the GREGE, and the URCA-CERFE.
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R.H., A.D., and P.F. designed the study. M.G., R.H., P.F., C.F.C., P.H., E.I.L., L.C., M.D., L.D.d.F., and C.A. performed the fieldwork. M.G. and J.F.G. performed the analytical work. M.G. wrote the first draft of the manuscript. M.G. wrote the main manuscript text with the contribution of J.F.G. and C.F.C. All the authors reviewed the manuscript.
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Procedures have been approved by an ethics committee and authorized by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (APAFIS file#20367-2019042511414588 v2). The release of live raccoons into the wild has been authorized for the Northeast by prefectoral decrees n°2017 and 2020-111 issued by the prefecture of the Marne department and for the Southwest by exemption n° DREAL/2021D/617 issued by the DREAL Nouvelle-Aquitaine (regional environment directorate).
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Gautrelet, M., Gerard, JF., Helder, R. et al. First look on the home range, movement, and habitat selection of the invasive Northern raccoon (Procyon lotor) in France through two contrasted populations. Eur J Wildl Res 70, 7 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-023-01756-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-023-01756-1