Spatiotemporal Overlap and Scent-Marking Behaviour of the European Badger and the Stone Marten in a Mediterranean Landscape.
- 1Informal Research Group, Centre for Studies on Ecology and Biodiversity of the Apennines (CSEBA), Contrada Vallonica 11, 62010 Treia, Italy.
- 2School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
- 3Natural Reserve Oasi WWF Calanchi di Atri, 64032 Atri, Italy.
Abstract
To investigate how Meles meles and Martes foina share a relatively restricted and heterogeneous Mediterranean environment, we analyzed space use, temporal patterns, and chemical communication of the two mesocarnivores in the WWF "Calanchi di Atri" Regional Nature Reserve (Abruzzo, Italy) over a period of 12 months (August 2022-July 2023), using ten infrared camera traps along fixed transects. For each record, date, time, GPS location, and scent-marking behaviour were annotated. A total of 765 records were documented, of which 595 and 170 referred to M. meles and M. foina, respectively. Spatial analyses revealed similar patterns of territorial use by the two species, while temporal patterns differed slightly. The detection rate of M. meles peaked in central night-time hours, while M. foina extended into crepuscular periods. Scent-marking was more frequent and ritualized in M. meles, peaking in winter and spring, whereas M. foina exhibited opportunistic marking. These differences in temporal patterns and communication behaviours may thus contribute to reducing potential interactions between the two mesocarnivores in a shared, fragmented Mediterranean habitat.
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BibTeX
@article{trenta2026spatiotemporal,
title = {{Spatiotemporal Overlap and Scent-Marking Behaviour of the European Badger and the Stone Marten in a Mediterranean Landscape.}},
author = {Francesca Trenta and Rebecca Mamola and Andrea Gallizia and Claudio Capasso and Matteo Ferretti and Adriana Vallesi and Adriano De Ascentiis and Giampaolo Pennacchioni},
journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ani16193041},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883010},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Spatiotemporal Overlap and Scent-Marking Behaviour of the European Badger and the Stone Marten in a Mediterranean Landscape.
AU - Francesca Trenta
AU - Rebecca Mamola
AU - Andrea Gallizia
AU - Claudio Capasso
AU - Matteo Ferretti
AU - Adriana Vallesi
AU - Adriano De Ascentiis
AU - Giampaolo Pennacchioni
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/27
JO - Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
DO - 10.3390/ani16193041
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883010
AB - To investigate how Meles meles and Martes foina share a relatively restricted and heterogeneous Mediterranean environment, we analyzed space use, temporal patterns, and chemical communication of the two mesocarnivores in the WWF "Calanchi di Atri" Regional Nature Reserve (Abruzzo, Italy) over a period of 12 months (August 2022-July 2023), using ten infrared camera traps along fixed transects. For each record, date, time, GPS location, and scent-marking behaviour were annotated. A total of 765 records were documented, of which 595 and 170 referred to M. meles and M. foina, respectively. Spatial analyses revealed similar patterns of territorial use by the two species, while temporal patterns differed slightly. The detection rate of M. meles peaked in central night-time hours, while M. foina extended into crepuscular periods. Scent-marking was more frequent and ritualized in M. meles, peaking in winter and spring, whereas M. foina exhibited opportunistic marking. These differences in temporal patterns and communication behaviours may thus contribute to reducing potential interactions between the two mesocarnivores in a shared, fragmented Mediterranean habitat.
SN - 2076-2615
ER -