Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
URL http://www.salamandra-journal.com/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=62
Title (Primary) Movement patterns and habitat selection of the giant day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis) in the Masoala rainforest exhibit, Zurich Zoo
Author Wanger, T.C.; Motzke, I.; Furrer, S.C.; Gruber, B.
Source Titel Salamandra
Year 2009
Department CLE
Volume 45
Issue 3
Page From 147
Page To 153
Language englisch
Keywords artificial ecosystem; gecko; movement pattern; habitat selection; ideal free distribution theory
Abstract In 2003, Zurich Zoo opened the Masoala exhibit to help preserving the endemic flora and fauna of Madagascar and to raise public awareness of the threats to this biodiversity hotspot. The enclosure houses more than 45 animal taxa and over 35000 individual plants on almost ÆÌÆÌ 000 m2. After three years of establishment of food webs and demographic changes in the community, there is an urgent demand for animal population monitoring. Therefore, this paper aims (i) to determine how increasing geckodensity affects gecko movement patterns in the exhibit and (ii) to assess habitat selection in ÆÌ2 heterogeneous areas within the exhibit, differing in various environmental parameters (e.g., plant species, sun hours, and food sources). In contrast to an earlier study on this gecko population, our results on gecko movement patterns show that moved distances are evenly distributed amongst distances between 0 to 70 m. Moreover, geckos showed strong habitat preferences for certain areas; plants like Ravenala madagascariensis and Pandanus spp. as well as ventilation tubes and cages were most frequently used as perch sites. When discussed in the framework of the ideal free distribution theory, our results suggest that gecko movement patterns are strongly affected by increasing gecko density.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=10644
Wanger, T.C., Motzke, I., Furrer, S.C., Gruber, B. (2009):
Movement patterns and habitat selection of the giant day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis) in the Masoala rainforest exhibit, Zurich Zoo
Salamandra 45 (3), 147 - 153