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1 September 2010 Landscape Scale Correlates of Fox Squirrel Presence on Golf Courses in Coastal South Carolina
Kristin Meehan, Patrick G.R. Jodice
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Abstract

The coastal plain of the southeastern United States has experienced rapid and intense urbanization that has substantially changed the area's landscape. Much of this landscape change has been associated with the development of golf courses and associated communities, and cumulatively, these landscape units occupy thousands of hectares in the region. The opportunity for these golf courses to support native wildlife requires examination as these habitats are becoming more common and often represent some of the largest tracts of remaining open space within an area. Although declining throughout the southeastern US, Sciurus niger (Fox Squirrel) populations are still found on golf courses in this region. We investigated the relationship between Fox Squirrel presence and landscape characteristics on 98 golf courses in coastal South Carolina. Visual and telephone surveys indicated Fox Squirrels were present on 68 of the courses surveyed. The best predictor of Fox Squirrel presence on a course was the presence of a Fox Squirrel population on the nearest neighboring course. The probability of Fox Squirrels being present on a course if they were also present on the nearest neighboring course was 87.3%. Course age was the best predictor of Fox Squirrel presence on golf courses without a Fox Squirrel population on their nearest neighboring course. Our results suggest that regional Fox Squirrel populations may be stabilized by multi-patch population dynamics.

Kristin Meehan and Patrick G.R. Jodice "Landscape Scale Correlates of Fox Squirrel Presence on Golf Courses in Coastal South Carolina," Southeastern Naturalist 9(3), 573-586, (1 September 2010). https://doi.org/10.1656/058.009.0314
Published: 1 September 2010
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