Hedgehogs in greater London: Viability of fragmented populations in urban environments

大伦敦的刺猬：城市环境中分散人口的生存能力

• 批准号: 2235789
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Queen Mary University of London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2019 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2235789
• 关键词: Hedgehogs; greater; London; Viability; fragmented

The western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is declining rapidly in the UK and across central Europe. Urban environments are becoming increasingly important habitats for the species, due to higher food availability, increased nesting opportunities, and reduced pressure from predators. Yet, urban environments are very different to natural landscapes, with severe habitat loss and fragmentation posing challenges for the long-term survival of wildlife populations. In London, hedgehog populations are declining and have collapsed in the city centre, with a single remaining population in Regents Park. Understanding the impact of fragmented urban environments on hedgehog populations will be vital for effective conservation management but has been little studied. This project aims to address this knowledge gap, combining ecological and genetic approaches to identify how the urban landscape shapes hedgehog distributions, genetic structure, and connectivity across greater London, providing valuable insights for the future management of this charismatic species in urban environments.

西欧刺猬(Erinaceus Europaeus)在英国和整个中欧正在迅速减少。城市环境正在成为该物种日益重要的栖息地，这是因为更多的食物可用，更多的筑巢机会，以及来自捕食者的压力减少。然而，城市环境与自然景观非常不同，严重的栖息地丧失和碎片化对野生动物种群的长期生存构成了挑战。在伦敦，刺猬的数量正在减少，市中心的刺猬数量已经崩溃，摄政公园只剩下一只。了解碎片化的城市环境对刺猬种群的影响对于有效的保护管理至关重要，但研究很少。该项目旨在解决这一知识鸿沟，结合生态学和遗传学方法，确定城市景观如何塑造大伦敦地区刺猬的分布、遗传结构和连通性，为未来在城市环境中管理这种有魅力的物种提供有价值的见解。