Divergent activity patterns of male and female fishers in a human-influenced landscape

A species’ daily and seasonal activity patterns are fundamental components of its ecological niche, shaping how it interacts with the surrounding community. Many species modify their activity patterns when near humans, with varying consequences. New technologies that identify the location of wildlife and humans, in combination with their behaviors, can offer insight into whether impacts of human–wildlife interactions are positive, negative, or neutral. We studied activity patterns of southern Sierra Nevada fishers ( Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777)) in the presence of humans in Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks and surrounding National Forests using accelerometers and a novel human mobility dataset. We found that fishers exhibit cathemeral activity patterns (i.e., not nocturnal, diurnal, or crepuscular) that changed seasonally. We found evidence that female fishers increased activity levels when in proximity to humans and we observed increased total daily activity in females that were exposed to high numbers (>75th percentile) of smartphone detections. We did not see this in males. Our analysis suggests that male and female fishers may respond differently to humans on the landscape, which is critical for management and conservation plans to consider as they evaluate what conservation actions will be most effective at increasing fisher population numbers in a landscape popular with recreationists.