1
|
Wrege PH, Bambi FBD, Malonga PJF, Samba OJ, Brncic T. Early detection of human impacts using acoustic monitoring: An example with forest elephants. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0306932. [PMID: 39058671 PMCID: PMC11280225 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The impacts of human activities and climate change on animal populations often take considerable time before they are reflected in typical measures of population health such as population size, demography, and landscape use. Earlier detection of such impacts could enhance the effectiveness of conservation strategies, particularly for species with slow population growth. Passive acoustic monitoring is increasingly used to estimate occupancy and population size, but this tool can also monitor subtle shifts in behavior that might be early indicators of changing impacts. Here we use data from an acoustic grid, monitoring 1250 km2 of forest in northern Republic of Congo, to study how forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) assess risk associated with human impacts across a landscape that includes a national park as well as active and inactive logging concessions. By quantifying emerging patterns of behavior at the population level, arising from individual-based decisions, we gain an understanding of how elephants perceive their landscape along an axis of human disturbance. Forest elephants in relatively undisturbed forests are active nearly equally day and night. However, they become more nocturnal when exposed to a perceived risk such as poaching. We assessed elephant perception of risk by monitoring changes in the likelihood of nocturnal vocal activity relative to differing levels of human activity. We show that logging is perceived to be a risk on moderate time and small spatial scales, but with little effect on elephant density. However, risk avoidance persisted in areas with relatively easy access to poachers and in more open habitats where poaching has historically been concentrated. Increased nocturnal activity is a common response in many animals to human intrusion on the landscape. Provided a species is acoustically active, passive acoustic monitoring can measure changes in human impact at early stages of such change, informing management priorities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter H. Wrege
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Frelcia Bien-Dorvillon Bambi
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Nouabalé-Ndoki Foundation, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Phael Jackel Ferdy Malonga
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Nouabalé-Ndoki Foundation, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Onesi Jared Samba
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Nouabalé-Ndoki Foundation, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Terry Brncic
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Nouabalé-Ndoki Foundation, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Zambian Carnivore Programme, Nkwali Camp, Mfuwe, Zambia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Subramanian A, Germain RM. Landscape use by large grazers in a grassland is restructured by wildfire. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297290. [PMID: 38349917 PMCID: PMC10863880 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals navigate landscapes based on perceived risks vs. rewards, as inferred from features of the landscape. In the wild, knowing how strongly animal movement is directed by landscape features is difficult to ascertain but widespread disturbances such as wildfires can serve as natural experiments. We tested the hypothesis that wildfires homogenize the risk/reward landscape, causing movement to become less directed, given that fires reduce landscape complexity as habitat structures (e.g., tree cover, dense brush) are burned. We used satellite imagery of a research reserve in Northern California to count and categorize paths made primarily by mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in grasslands. Specifically, we compared pre-wildfire (August 2014) and post-wildfire (September 2018) image history layers among locations that were or were not impacted by wildfire (i.e., a Before/After Control/Impact design). Wildfire significantly altered spatial patterns of deer movement: more new paths were gained and more old paths were lost in areas of the reserve that were impacted by wildfire; movement patterns became less directed in response to fire, suggesting that the risk/reward landscape became more homogenous, as hypothesized. We found evidence to suggest that wildfire affects deer populations at spatial scales beyond their scale of direct impact and raises the interesting possibility that deer perceive risks and rewards at different spatial scales. In conclusion, our study provides an example of how animals integrate spatial information from the environment to make movement decisions, setting the stage for future work on the broader ecological implications for populations, communities, and ecosystems, an emerging interest in ecology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aishwarya Subramanian
- Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Rachel M. Germain
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Parker DM, Stears K, Olckers T, Schmitt MH. Vegetation management shapes arthropod and bird communities in an African savanna. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9880. [PMID: 36911311 PMCID: PMC9994611 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat heterogeneity is a key driver of the diversity and distribution of species. African savannas are experiencing changes in their vegetation structure causing shifts towards increased woody plant cover, which results in vegetation structure homogenization. Given the impact that increasing woody plant cover has on patterns of animal use, resource managers across Africa are implementing habitat management practices that are intended to reduce woody plant cover. To understand the ecological implications of various habitat management practices on arthropod and bird communities, we leveraged large-scale tree clearing and subsequent mowing in an African savanna to understand how changes in both the herbaceous layer and woody plant cover (i.e., structural heterogeneity) may shape arthropod and bird communities at the local scale. We focused on four replicated treatments: (1) annual summer mow, (2) annual winter mow, (3) >5 years since last mow (rest), and (4) an adjacent unmanipulated savanna to act as a control. We found that the mowing treatments significantly influenced vegetation structure both with respect to tree density and herbaceous layer. Both arthropod and bird community composition varied across treatments. Grass biomass was the best predictor of arthropod richness and abundance, with arthropods selecting for areas with high biomass. Insectivorous bird richness and abundance was driven by tree density (i.e., perching locations) and not arthropod abundance. Our results suggest that vegetation management practices contribute to habitat heterogeneity at the landscape scale and increase bird species richness through species turnover. However, we caution that if a single vegetation management practice dominates the landscape, it is plausible that it could lead to the simplification of the avian community.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dan M Parker
- School of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Mpumalanga Nelspruit South Africa
| | - Keenan Stears
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California USA
| | - Terence Olckers
- School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu-Natal Scottsville South Africa
| | - Melissa H Schmitt
- School of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Mpumalanga Nelspruit South Africa.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hammond P, Lewis‐Bevan L, Biro D, Carvalho S. Risk perception and terrestriality in primates: A quasi‐experiment through habituation of chacma baboons (
Papio ursinus
) in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022. [PMCID: PMC9540627 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Habituation is a common pre‐requisite for studying noncaptive primates. Details and quantitative reporting on this process are often overlooked but are useful for measuring human impact on animal behavior, especially when comparing studies across time or sites. During habituation, perceived risk of a stimulus—human observers—is assumed to decline with repeated exposure to that stimulus. We use habituation as a quasi‐experiment to study the landscape of fear, exploring relationships between actual risk, perceived risk, mediating environmental variables, and behavioral correlates. Materials and Methods We recorded vocalizations and observer‐directed vigilance as indicators of perceived risk during habituation of two troops of chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. Here, we model changes in these variables as a function of habituation time, troop, time of day, and habitat features. We also model the relationship between each of the anti‐predator behaviors and ground‐use, exploring whether they predict greater terrestriality in the baboons. Results In both troops, vocalization rates and observer‐directed vigilance declined with cumulative exposure to observers, but were heightened later in the day and in denser habitat types. We found that terrestrial activity was negatively related to levels of both vocalizations and observer‐directed vigilance. Discussion This study provides a quantitative assessment of the impact of human observation on primate behavior and highlights environmental variables that influence anti‐predator behaviors, perhaps indicating heightened perception of risk. The relationship between perceived risk and terrestriality is significant for understanding the evolution of this rare trait in primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philippa Hammond
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | | | - Dora Biro
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences University of Rochester Rochester New York USA
| | - Susana Carvalho
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Paleo‐Primate Project Gorongosa National Park Gorongosa Sofala Mozambique
- Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB) Universidade do Algarve Faro Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sand H, Jamieson M, Andrén H, Wikenros C, Cromsigt J, Månsson J. Behavioral effects of wolf presence on moose habitat selection: testing the landscape of fear hypothesis in an anthropogenic landscape. Oecologia 2021; 197:101-116. [PMID: 34420087 PMCID: PMC8445880 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04984-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Landscape of fear refers to the spatial variation in prey perception of predation risk, that under certain conditions, may lead to changes in their behavior. Behavioral responses of prey in relation to large carnivore predation risk have mainly been conducted in areas with low anthropogenic impact. We used long-term data on the distribution of moose in different habitat types in a system characterized by intensive management of all three trophic levels (silviculture, harvest of wolves and moose) to study effects on moose habitat selection resulting from the return of an apex predator, the wolf. We assumed that coursing predators such as wolves will cause an increased risk for moose in some habitat types and tested the hypotheses that moose will avoid open or young forest habitats following wolf establishment. After wolf recolonization, moose reduced their use of one type of open habitat (bog) but there was neither change in the use of the other open habitat type (clear-cut), nor in their use of young forest. Wolf establishment did not influence the use of habitat close to dense habitat when being in open habitats. Thus, the effect of wolves varied among habitat types and there was no unidirectional support for a behavioral effect of wolves' establishment on moose habitat use. Human-driven habitat heterogeneity, concentration of moose forage to certain habitat types, and the effects of a multiple predator guild on moose may all contribute to the results found. We conclude that the landscape of fear is likely to have weak ecological effects on moose in this system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Håkan Sand
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden.
| | - Mark Jamieson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Henrik Andrén
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Camilla Wikenros
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Joris Cromsigt
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Johan Månsson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cady SM, Davis CA, Fuhlendorf SD, Scholtz R, Uden DR, Twidwell D. Generalist bird exhibits site-dependent resource selection. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:12714-12727. [PMID: 34594533 PMCID: PMC8462173 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantifying resource selection (an organism's disproportionate use of available resources) is essential to infer habitat requirements of a species, develop management recommendations, predict species responses to changing conditions, and improve our understanding of the processes that underlie ecological patterns. Because study sites, even within the same region, can differ in both the amount and the arrangement of cover types, our objective was to determine whether proximal sites can yield markedly different resource selection results for a generalist bird, northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). We used 5 years of telemetry locations and newly developed land cover data at two, geographically distinct but relatively close sites in the south-central semi-arid prairies of North America. We fit a series of generalized linear mixed models and used an information-theoretic model comparison approach to identify and compare resource selection patterns at each site. We determined that the importance of different cover types to northern bobwhite is site-dependent on relatively similar and nearby sites. Specifically, whether bobwhite selected for shrub cover and whether they strongly avoided trees, depended on the study site in focus. Additionally, the spatial scale of selection was nearly an order of magnitude different between the cover types. Our study demonstrates that-even for one of the most intensively studied species in the world-we may oversimplify resource selection by using a single study site approach. Managing the trade-offs between practical, generalized conclusions and precise but complex conclusions is one of the central challenges in applied ecology. However, we caution against setting recommendations for broad extents based on information gathered at small extents, even for a generalist species at adjacent sites. Before extrapolating information to areas beyond the data collected, managers should account for local differences in the availability, arrangement, and scaling of resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M. Cady
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and ManagementOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
| | - Craig A. Davis
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and ManagementOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
| | - Samuel D. Fuhlendorf
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and ManagementOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
| | - Rheinhardt Scholtz
- Department of Agronomy and HorticultureUniversity of NebraskaLincolnNEUSA
| | - Daniel R. Uden
- Department of Agronomy and HorticultureUniversity of NebraskaLincolnNEUSA
- School of Natural ResourcesUniversity of NebraskaLincolnNEUSA
| | - Dirac Twidwell
- Department of Agronomy and HorticultureUniversity of NebraskaLincolnNEUSA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Howell PE, Terhune TM, Martin JA. Edge density affects demography of an exploited grassland bird. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paige E. Howell
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia Athens Georgia30602USA
| | | | - James A. Martin
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia Athens Georgia30602USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Perry TA, Laforge MP, Vander Wal E, Knight TW, McLoughlin PD. Individual responses to novel predation risk and the emergence of a landscape of fear. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A. Perry
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SaskatchewanS7N 5E2Canada
| | - Michel P. Laforge
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s Newfoundland and LabradorA1B 3X9Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s Newfoundland and LabradorA1B 3X9Canada
| | - Thomas W. Knight
- Parks Canada AgencyGMNP Rocky Harbour Newfoundland and LabradorA0K 4N0Canada
| | - Philip D. McLoughlin
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SaskatchewanS7N 5E2Canada
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Kroeger AJ, DePerno CS, Harper CA, Rosche SB, Moorman CE. Northern Bobwhite Non‐Breeding Habitat Selection in a Longleaf Pine Woodland. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J. Kroeger
- Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Program, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 27695 USA
| | - Christopher S. DePerno
- Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Program, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 27695 USA
| | - Craig A. Harper
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries University of Tennessee 2431 Joe Johnson Drive Knoxville TN 37996 USA
| | - Sarah B. Rosche
- Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Program, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 27695 USA
| | - Christopher E. Moorman
- Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Program, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 27695 USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Fardell LL, Pavey CR, Dickman CR. Fear and stressing in predator-prey ecology: considering the twin stressors of predators and people on mammals. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9104. [PMID: 32391213 PMCID: PMC7196326 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators induce stress in prey and can have beneficial effects in ecosystems, but can also have negative effects on biodiversity if they are overabundant or have been introduced. The growth of human populations is, at the same time, causing degradation of natural habitats and increasing interaction rates of humans with wildlife, such that conservation management routinely considers the effects of human disturbance as tantamount to or surpassing those of predators. The need to simultaneously manage both of these threats is particularly acute in urban areas that are, increasingly, being recognized as global hotspots of wildlife activity. Pressures from altered predator-prey interactions and human activity may each initiate fear responses in prey species above those that are triggered by natural stressors in ecosystems. If fear responses are experienced by prey at elevated levels, on top of responses to multiple environmental stressors, chronic stress impacts may occur. Despite common knowledge of the negative effects of stress, however, it is rare that stress management is considered in conservation, except in intensive ex situ situations such as in captive breeding facilities or zoos. We propose that mitigation of stress impacts on wildlife is crucial for preserving biodiversity, especially as the value of habitats within urban areas increases. As such, we highlight the need for future studies to consider fear and stress in predator-prey ecology to preserve both biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, especially in areas where human disturbance occurs. We suggest, in particular, that non-invasive in situ investigations of endocrinology and ethology be partnered in conservation planning with surveys of habitat resources to incorporate and reduce the effects of fear and stress on wildlife.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Loren L. Fardell
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Killer whale presence drives bowhead whale selection for sea ice in Arctic seascapes of fear. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:6590-6598. [PMID: 32152110 PMCID: PMC7104343 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1911761117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of predator intimidation on habitat use and behavior of prey species are rarely quantified for large marine vertebrates over ecologically relevant scales. Using state space movement models followed by a series of step selection functions, we analyzed movement data of concurrently tracked prey, bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus; n = 7), and predator, killer whales (Orcinus orca; n = 3), in a large (63,000 km2), partially ice-covered gulf in the Canadian Arctic. Our analysis revealed pronounced predator-mediated shifts in prey habitat use and behavior over much larger spatiotemporal scales than previously documented in any marine or terrestrial ecosystem. The striking shift from use of open water (predator-free) to dense sea ice and shorelines (predators present) was exhibited gulf-wide by all tracked bowheads during the entire 3-wk period killer whales were present, constituting a nonconsumptive effect (NCE) with unknown energetic or fitness costs. Sea ice is considered quintessential habitat for bowhead whales, and ice-covered areas have frequently been interpreted as preferred bowhead foraging habitat in analyses that have not assessed predator effects. Given the NCEs of apex predators demonstrated here, however, unbiased assessment of habitat use and distribution of bowhead whales and many marine species may not be possible without explicitly incorporating spatiotemporal distribution of predation risk. The apparent use of sea ice as a predator refuge also has implications for how bowhead whales, and likely other ice-associated Arctic marine mammals, will cope with changes in Arctic sea ice dynamics as historically ice-covered areas become increasingly ice-free during summer.
Collapse
|
12
|
Fattebert J, Morelle K, Jurkiewicz J, Ukalska J, Borkowski J. Safety first: seasonal and diel habitat selection patterns by red deer in a contrasted landscape. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Fattebert
- School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Durban South Africa
| | - K. Morelle
- Mammal Research Institute Polish Academy of Science Bialowieza Poland
| | - J. Jurkiewicz
- Wildlife Monitoring Project Jolanta Jurkiewicz Mogilany Poland
| | - J. Ukalska
- Department of Econometrics and Statistics Warsaw Agricultural University Warsaw Poland
| | - J. Borkowski
- Department of Forestry and Forest Ecology University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn Olsztyn Poland
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Gaynor KM, Brown JS, Middleton AD, Power ME, Brashares JS. Landscapes of Fear: Spatial Patterns of Risk Perception and Response. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:355-368. [PMID: 30745252 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 236] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Animals experience varying levels of predation risk as they navigate heterogeneous landscapes, and behavioral responses to perceived risk can structure ecosystems. The concept of the landscape of fear has recently become central to describing this spatial variation in risk, perception, and response. We present a framework linking the landscape of fear, defined as spatial variation in prey perception of risk, to the underlying physical landscape and predation risk, and to resulting patterns of prey distribution and antipredator behavior. By disambiguating the mechanisms through which prey perceive risk and incorporate fear into decision making, we can better quantify the nonlinear relationship between risk and response and evaluate the relative importance of the landscape of fear across taxa and ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall #3114, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. https://twitter.com/@kaitlyngaynor%20
| | - Joel S Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 West Taylor Street (MC 066), Chicago, IL 60607, USA; Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Dr., Tampa, FL 33612, USA; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Arthur D Middleton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall #3114, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Mary E Power
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building #3140, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Justin S Brashares
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall #3114, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Atuo FA, O'Connell TJ. Structural heterogeneity affects raptor assemblages and niche characteristics in mixed-grass ecosystems. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Fidelis A. Atuo
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management; Oklahoma State University; Stillwater Oklahoma 74078 USA
| | - Timothy J. O'Connell
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management; Oklahoma State University; Stillwater Oklahoma 74078 USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Atuo FA, O'Connell TJ. Spatial heterogeneity and scale-dependent habitat selection for two sympatric raptors in mixed-grass prairie. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:6559-6569. [PMID: 28861257 PMCID: PMC5574806 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sympatric predators are predicted to partition resources, especially under conditions of food limitation. Spatial heterogeneity that influences prey availability might play an important role in the scales at which potential competitors select habitat. We assessed potential mechanisms for coexistence by examining the role of heterogeneity in resource partitioning between sympatric raptors overwintering in the southern Great Plains. We conducted surveys for wintering Red‐tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and Northern Harrier (Circus cyanea) at two state wildlife management areas in Oklahoma, USA. We used information from repeated distance sampling to project use locations in a GIS. We applied resource selection functions to model habitat selection at three scales and analyzed for niche partitioning using the outlying mean index. Habitat selection of the two predators was mediated by spatial heterogeneity. The two predators demonstrated significant fine‐scale discrimination in habitat selection in homogeneous landscapes, but were more sympatric in heterogeneous landscapes. Red‐tailed hawk used a variety of cover types in heterogeneous landscapes but specialized on riparian forest in homogeneous landscapes. Northern Harrier specialized on upland grasslands in homogeneous landscapes but selected more cover types in heterogeneous landscapes. Our study supports the growing body of evidence that landscapes can affect animal behaviors. In the system we studied, larger patches of primary land cover types were associated with greater allopatry in habitat selection between two potentially competing predators. Heterogeneity within the scale of raptor home ranges was associated with greater sympatry in use and less specialization in land cover types selected.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fidelis Akunke Atuo
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
| | - Timothy John O'Connell
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Atuo FA, O'Connell TJ. The landscape of fear as an emergent property of heterogeneity: Contrasting patterns of predation risk in grassland ecosystems. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:4782-4793. [PMID: 28690807 PMCID: PMC5496548 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The likelihood of encountering a predator influences prey behavior and spatial distribution such that non‐consumptive effects can outweigh the influence of direct predation. Prey species are thought to filter information on perceived predator encounter rates in physical landscapes into a landscape of fear defined by spatially explicit heterogeneity in predation risk. The presence of multiple predators using different hunting strategies further complicates navigation through a landscape of fear and potentially exposes prey to greater risk of predation. The juxtaposition of land cover types likely influences overlap in occurrence of different predators, suggesting that attributes of a landscape of fear result from complexity in the physical landscape. Woody encroachment in grasslands furnishes an example of increasing complexity with the potential to influence predator distributions. We examined the role of vegetation structure on the distribution of two avian predators, Red‐tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), and the vulnerability of a frequent prey species of those predators, Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). We mapped occurrences of the raptors and kill locations of Northern Bobwhite to examine spatial vulnerability patterns in relation to landscape complexity. We use an offset model to examine spatially explicit habitat use patterns of these predators in the Southern Great Plains of the United States, and monitored vulnerability patterns of their prey species based on kill locations collected during radio telemetry monitoring. Both predator density and predation‐specific mortality of Northern Bobwhite increased with vegetation complexity generated by fine‐scale interspersion of grassland and woodland. Predation pressure was lower in more homogeneous landscapes where overlap of the two predators was less frequent. Predator overlap created areas of high risk for Northern Bobwhite amounting to 32% of the land area where landscape complexity was high and 7% where complexity was lower. Our study emphasizes the need to evaluate the role of landscape structure on predation dynamics and reveals another threat from woody encroachment in grasslands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fidelis Akunke Atuo
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
| | - Timothy John O'Connell
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
| |
Collapse
|