The role of red foxes in promoting functional connectivity of the Toronto ravine system through the urban matrix.

城市红狐（Vulpes Vulpes）的研究主要是出于流行病学的原因，然而，它们作为种子传播者具有重要的作用。狐狸摄取的种子包括大量的植物物种，它们可以被携带很远的距离，超越其他陆生哺乳动物的限制，最重要的是，穿过受干扰的地区。多伦多峡谷系统占多伦多城市马赛克的近20%，它由贯穿城市矩阵的山谷和森林组成，其生物多样性正在以惊人的速度消失，主要是由于非本土入侵。红狐可能在谷地种子的涌入中发挥了关键作用，因为它们有能力穿越城市基质，从花园和果园中偶然地吃水果，并在谷地内捕猎猎物，潜在地将高度受干扰的绿色区域与谷地森林区域联系起来。因此，了解红狐的种子传播可能是促进景观更新和遏制外来扩张的关键。然而，目前还没有研究确定城市狐狸分散的植物种类，也没有研究确定城市狐狸的取食区和沉积区。我的目标是理解。城市马赛克斑块内红狐的运动模式及其差异利用2. 确定城市周边的水果种类及其分布规律；3. 它们潜在的种子传播距离。为此，我将使用GPS设备跟踪它们的连续运动，并依次收集粪便。红狐使用的城市马赛克的斑块将使用ArcGIS覆盖到移动数据的区域的等聚类分类来识别。随后，在合作中，我将开发模型来进一步理解栖息地利用和土地连通性，即基于运动模式的贝叶斯状态空间模型来理解栖息地的差异利用，以及基于红狐扩散能力的基于网络的景观动力学模型来理解景观连通性。在粪便中发现的种子将通过条形码进行鉴定，因为DNA条形码参考文库中有96%的序列记录，并且最近使用标准条形码标记（rbcL, matK, ITS2）对其进行了鉴定，成功率很高。最后，利用运动数据和肠道通过时间估算最重要的分散物种的潜在种子传播距离。最后，我将回答红狐是否通过种子交换连接城市绿地，这是这种功能连接的空间范围，以及它们传播的种子阵列是否包括可能对多伦多峡谷系统构成威胁的入侵物种，或者有助于其维护的本地物种。这一分析的结果可能会用于景观管理，促进或限制红狐运动到城市的确定区域，基于它们的栖息地的使用和它们在栖息地再生中的具体作用。

Urban red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have been studied primarily for epidemiological reasons, however, they have an important role as seed dispersers. Seeds ingested by foxes include a vast number of plant species that may be carried for long distances, beyond the limits of other terrestrial mammals, and most importantly, across disturbed areas. The Toronto ravine system comprises nearly 20% of Toronto’s urban mosaic, it is composed of valleys and forests running through the urban matrix, and its biodiversity is disappearing at alarming rates, mainly due to non-native invasions. Red foxes might play a key role in the influx of seeds in ravines due to their ability to travel across the urban matrix, eating fruits opportunistically from gardens and orchards and hunting prey within the ravines, potentially linking highly disturbed green areas with ravine forest areas. Therefore, understanding seed dispersal by red foxes might be key in promoting landscape regeneration and containing alien expansion. However, no study yet has identified the plant species urban foxes disperse, nor identified their feeding areas and deposition areas. I aim to understand 1. Red fox movement patterns within patches of the urban mosaic and their differential use; 2. Identify fruit species dispersed around the city and their dispersal patterns; 3. Their potential seed dispersal distance. For this, I will use GPS devices to track their continuous movement and successively collect scats. Patches of the urban mosaic used by red foxes will be identified using iso-cluster categorization of the area in ArcGIS overlaid to movement data. Subsequently, in collaboration, I will develop models to further understand habitat use and land connectivity, i.e. a Bayesian state-space model to understand the differential use of habitats based on movement patterns, and a Network-based model of landscape dynamics to understand landscape connectivity based on the red fox dispersal capabilities. Seeds found in scats will be identified through barcoding since the DNA barcode reference library has sequence records for 96% of the 5108 known Canadian vascular plant species and their identification has been recently tested with high success rates using standard barcode markers (rbcL, matK, ITS2). Finally, potential seed dispersal distance for the most important dispersed species will be estimated following using movement data and gut passage time. Ultimately, I will answer whether red foxes are connecting urban green areas through seed exchange, which is the spatial extent of such functional connectivity and whether the array of seeds they disperse include invasive species that might pose a threat to the Toronto ravine system, or local species that will aid with its maintenance. The results of this analysis may then be of use for landscape management, promoting or limiting red fox movement to determined areas of the city based on their habitat use and their specific role in habitat regeneration.