Food Caching and Outward Intrusion Behaviors in North American Red Squirrels

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/4b29b758v

Abstract

In food-hoarding territorial species, the quantity of food stored by each individual may be a key driver of how frequently individuals intrude on others (outward territorial intrusion behavior), yet this relationship remains understudied. This research leverages data from a long-term investigation of a food-hoarding rodent population to examine how cache size influences outward intrusion behavior in response to fluctuating food availability in the environment. The results reveal a non-linear relationship between cache size and outward intrusion behavior, with distinct patterns across years with varying food abundance. These findings highlight the flexibility of territorial animals in adjusting outward intrusion behaviors based on the quantity of stored resources and environmental resource availability. Further research is needed to determine the causality for the uncovered relationship.

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