Aanchal Patel
Research Agenda
On this page, I will highlight some of the most important research findings in my journey.
This page is to highlight some of the research I found online to help develop my papers. Feel free to click on the links which will lead you directly to the research articles! Each set of three research articles is under a common theme: one set for my Scicomm article, one set for the problems I found that foxes face, and the last set for possible solutions to the global issues.
Scicomm Article and Literature Review
Eaton, Taryn, et al. “Are There Metacognitivists in the Fox Hole? A Preliminary Test of Information Seeking in an Arctic Fox (Vulpes Lagopus).”Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland), U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 Apr. 2020,www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7287701/. Accessed 02 May 2024.
The first article is called “Are There Metacognitivists in the Fox Hole? A Preliminary Test of Information Seeking in an Arctic Fox (Vulpes Lagopus)” with the lead researcher being Taryn Eaton who works in the Psychology department at the University of Rochester; this article was published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine in April 2020. This experiment tested whether foxes have metacognition, and researchers did this by placing food/bait into boxes and observing how the fox examined/reacted to the box; the fox need to select the compartment with the food. The results of this experiment proved to be inconclusive, and further studies would need to be conducted. However, the fox did perform with a 73% accuracy, which makes researchers lean towards the idea of foxes having metacognition; this article is important because it is one of the few testing foxes on metacognition. This article is the newest out of the three I have chosen. This article connects to the others as it is about animals having metacognition. Here is a link to view the research: Link
Annotated Bibliography 1
Annotated Bibliography 2
Careau, Vincent, et al. “Cache and Carry: Hoarding Behavior of Arctic Fox - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.” SpringerLink, Springer-Verlag, 7 July 2007, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-007-0441-z. Accessed 07 May 2024.
This article is called “Cache and Carry: Hoarding Behavior of Arctic Fox - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology” with the lead researcher being Vincent Careau who works in the Biology Department at the University of Sherbrooke; this article was published in Springer Link in July 2007. This research was observational - researcher observed the behavior of Arctic Foxes over years. Researchers found that foxes preferred goose eggs and were able to store food for a long time; the foxes made decisions on whether to store or eat their food based on perishability. This is important when understanding the intelligence of the Arctic Fox and when considering their decision-making skills. This article connects with the other two because it brings up questions on the extent of foxes cognitive abilities. This article backs up the claim that foxes could be decision-makers. Here is a link to view the research: Link
Smith, JD. “The Uncertain Response in the Bottlenosed Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus).” Journal of Experimental Psychology. General, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 1995, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8530911/. Accessed 07 May 2024.
This article is called “The Uncertain Response in the Bottlenosed Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus)" with the lead researcher being JS Smith who works as a comparative psychologist at the University at Buffalo; this article was published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine in December 1995. In these experiments, a dolphin was given a task to choose the correct paddle and receive food. The experiments recorded the dolphin displaying hesitation in decision making tasks, indicating that its mind was deciding on which paddle to choose. These findings are important because it is reasonable evidence in support of animals having metacognition. This article connects with the others as it is about animals being decision-makers. This is the oldest article of the three. Here is a link to view the research: Link
Annotated Bibliography 3
Defining the Problem
Cockerill , Christopher, et al. “Genomic Consequences of Fragmentation in the Endangered Fennoscandian Arctic Fox (Vulpes Lagopus).” PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 Nov. 2022, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36421799/. Accessed 16 May 2024.
This article is called “Genomic Consequences of Fragmentation in the Endangered Fennoscandian Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus)" with the lead researchers being Christopher A Cockerill, et al. Cockerill is a PhD student at
Stockholm University, and studies arctic foxes; he studies DNA sequences specifically to help conservation management. This article was published in November of 2022. In this study, researchers collected DNA sample of many foxes spanning northern Fennoscandia; they found that inbreeding and DNA homozygosity was prevalent in many foxes. This means that foxes in those areas are not evolving, and at a much higher risk of catching diseases due to the high levels of inbreeding. Researcher hypothesized that the low levels of genetic variation may be due to the melting of ice bridges in the area, or because of the lack of food. This article is important as it informs researchers and conservationists of the DNA fragmentation in the fox populations of northern Fennoscandia. This article connects with the others as it mentions the declining fox populations, and hints to humans being the root cause. Here is a link to view the research: Link
Annotated Bibliography 1
Annotated Bibliography 2
Verstege, Jaqueline, et al. “Arctic and Red Fox Population Responses to Climate and Cryosphere Changes at the Arctic’s Edge.” PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2023, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37458813/. Accessed 16 May 2024.
This article is called “Arctic and red fox population responses to climate and cryosphere changes at the Arctic's edge" with the lead researcher being Jacqueline S. Verstegeh. Verstege is a biologist affiliated with the University of Manitoba. Her work deals with the cryosphere and how that affects the fox population. This article was published in July of 2023, so it is very recent. In this study, researchers tracked Arctic and red fox populations in Manitoba, Canada over the course of decades. It was found that fox populations benefitted from restrictions being placed on hunters in the area. Both fox populations had little-to-no change in regards to the increasing temperatures over the years (due to climate change); however, the Arctic fox population did take a hit due to the sea ice duration gradually becoming a lot shorter (due to climate change). This suggests that red and arctic foxes have separate diets/ lifestyles. It also suggests the hunters do negatively impact fox populations. This is important when thinking about conservation efforts, as placing restrictions on hunters proved beneficial. This article connects with the others as it does discuss climate change impacts on animals. Here is a link to view the research: Link
Rebollada-Merino, Agustín et al. “Forensic findings in urban red fox mortality in the metropolitan area of Madrid, 2014-2022.” Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc, 10406387241239921. 2 Apr. 2024, doi:10.1177/10406387241239921, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10406387241239921?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
This article is called “Forensic findings in urban red fox mortality in the metropolitan area of Madrid, 2014-2022." with the lead researcher being Agustín Rebollada-Merino. Agustín Rebollada-Merino is a veterinarian as well as a researcher at Cornell University. He studies infectious disease, fish pathology, and veterinary forensics. This article was published in April of 2024. In this study, Rebollada-Merino observed the bodies of urban red foxes who died in Madrid. Rebollada-Merino found that some had suffered abuse from humans; other carcasses were not preserved well enough to study. Blunt-force trauma has been attributed to many of the deaths, however, some had died of natural causes. While no conclusions have been made, this evidence is important when deciding whether the urbanization of foxes is beneficial to their population and safeties. This article connects with the others as it discusses the populations of urban foxes. Here is a link to view the research: Link
Annotated Bibliography 3
Advocating Solutions
“Stop the Hunt.” Animal Legal Defense Fund, 9 May 2024, aldf.org/issue/stop-the-hunt/. Accessed 30 May 2024.
This article is called “Stop the Hunt" written by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
Although this article has no author I found the points interesting enough to include it. This article is also written by an Animal Defense organization, so it likely has a plausible solution. This article was published in May of 2024, and is pretty recent. This article discusses the popular sport of hunting, and how it is inhumane. This article discusses that by restricting the imports, we can slowly reduce the hunting of endangered/exotic animals. This is important as it not only finds a solution for foxes, but for all wildlife. Here is a link to view the research: Link
Annotated Bibliography 1
Annotated Bibliography 2
Turrentine, Jeff. “What Are the Solutions to Climate Change?” Be a Force for the Future, 13 Dec. 2022, www.nrdc.org/stories/what-are-solutions-climate-change#fossil-fuels. Accessed 30 May 2024.
This article is called "What are the Solutions to Climate Change" written by Jeff Turrentine. Turrentine is a writer, journalist and a critic. This article discusses a solution to the habitat loss problem Arctic foxes face. By tackling Climate Change, habitats will be (more) preserved. Some of the solutions to climate change are to reduce the amount of fossil fuels humans use. Instead, we should replace it with solar, wind or other renewable energy sources. By doing so, we'd reduce the global temperatures and save our ice caps. This is important as it not only finds a solution for foxes, but for all wildlife. This article connects to the others as it does provide a solution to the problem. Her is a link to view the research: Link
Critically Endangered Arctic Foxes Successfully Breed in Finland | Stories | WWF, www.worldwildlife.org/stories/critically-endangered-arctic-foxes-successfully-breed-in-finland. Accessed 30 May 2024.
This article is called "Critically Endangered Arctic Foxes Successfully Breed in Finland" written by World Wildlife Fund. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is a known organization in support of protecting our wildlife. This article discusses how competitive predators are taking resources form the Arctic foxes, which was causing the Arctic fox populations to decrease. One of the species competition was the red fox, and once humans relocated the red foxes out of the area, Arctic fox populations seemed to increase. This is important because it provides a solution to help the Arctic fox populations without directly impacting the human populations/lifestyle. This article fits with the other as it provides solutions to the fox populations. Here is a link to view the research: Link
Annotated Bibliography 3
