Habitat Selection Of Two Medium-Sized Carnivores In An Isolated And Highly Anthropogenic Mediterranean Park: The Importance Of Riverbank Vegetation

Since habitat selection is a key aspect of animal activity, its study in anthropogenic environments could show some clues about how medium-sized carnivores deal with the fact of living in suburban Mediterranean habitats. Compositional analysis was performed to evaluate the habitat selection of foxes and genets in a highly humanized metropolitan park of the NE Iberian Peninsula at population level by using the results obtained by a camera-trapping survey. A significant selection was found for the two species. Both species positively selected for riverbank vegetation. On the other hand, the red fox selected negatively for shrubs, while the genet did it for crop fields. Species results are discussed considering their respective ecological particularities.