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Thapa SK, de Jong JF, Hof AR, Subedi N, Liefting Y, Prins HHT. Integration of the landscape of fear concept in grassland management: An experimental study on subtropical monsoon grasslands in Bardia National Park, Nepal. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70098. [PMID: 39100204 PMCID: PMC11294578 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2024] [Revised: 06/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The 'landscape of fear' concept offers valuable insights into wildlife behaviour, yet its practical integration into habitat management for conservation remains underexplored. In this study, conducted in the subtropical monsoon grasslands of Bardia National Park, Nepal, we aimed to bridge this gap through a multi-year, landscape-scale experimental investigation in Bardia National Park, Nepal. The park has the highest density of tigers (with an estimated density of ~7 individuals per 100 km2) in Nepal, allowing us to understand the effect of habitat management on predation risk and resource availability especially for three cervid species: chital (Axis axis), swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) and hog deer (Axis porcinus). We used plots with varying mowing frequency (0-4 times per year), size (ranging from small: 49 m2 to large: 3600 m2) and artificial fertilisation type (none, phosphorus, nitrogen) to assess the trade-offs between probable predation risk and resources for these cervid species, which constitute primary prey for tigers in Nepal. Our results showed distinct responses of these deer to perceived predation risk within grassland habitats. Notably, these deer exhibited heightened use of larger plots, indicative of a perceived sense of safety, as evidenced by the higher occurrence of pellet groups in the larger plots (mean = 0.1 pellet groups m-2 in 3600 m2 plots vs. 0.07 in 400 m2 and 0.05 in 49 m2 plots). Furthermore, the level of use by the deer was significantly higher in larger plots that received mowing and fertilisation treatments compared to smaller plots subjected to similar treatments. Of particular interest is the observation that chital and swamp deer exhibited greater utilisation of the centre (core) areas within the larger plots (mean = 0.21 pellet groups m-2 at the centre vs. 0.13 at the edge) despite the edge (periphery) also provided attractive resources to these deer. In contrast, hog deer did not display any discernible reaction to the experimental treatments, suggesting potential species-specific variations in response to perceived predation risk arising from management interventions. Our findings emphasise the importance of a sense of security as a primary determinant of habitat selection for medium-sized deer within managed grassland environments. These insights carry practical implications for park managers, providing a nuanced understanding of integrating the 'landscape of fear' into habitat management strategies. This study emphasises that the 'landscape of fear' concept can and should be integrated into habitat management to maintain delicate predator-prey dynamics within ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shyam Kumar Thapa
- National Trust for Nature ConservationLalitpurNepal
- Zoological Society of London, Nepal OfficeKathmanduNepal
| | - Joost F. de Jong
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Anouschka R. Hof
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Yorick Liefting
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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Calhoun KL, Connor T, Gaynor KM, Van Scoyoc A, McInturff A, Kreling SES, Brashares JS. Movement behavior in a dominant ungulate underlies successful adjustment to a rapidly changing landscape following megafire. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:53. [PMID: 39085926 PMCID: PMC11293098 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00488-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Movement plays a key role in allowing animal species to adapt to sudden environmental shifts. Anthropogenic climate and land use change have accelerated the frequency of some of these extreme disturbances, including megafire. These megafires dramatically alter ecosystems and challenge the capacity of several species to adjust to a rapidly changing landscape. Ungulates and their movement behaviors play a central role in the ecosystem functions of fire-prone ecosystems around the world. Previous work has shown behavioral plasticity is an important mechanism underlying whether large ungulates are able to adjust to recent changes in their environments effectively. Ungulates may respond to the immediate effects of megafire by adjusting their movement and behavior, but how these responses persist or change over time following disturbance is poorly understood. METHODS We examined how an ecologically dominant ungulate with strong site fidelity, Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), adjusted its movement and behavior in response to an altered landscape following a megafire. To do so, we collected GPS data from 21 individual female deer over the course of a year to compare changes in home range size over time and used resource selection functions (RSFs) and hidden Markov movement models (HMMs) to assess changes in behavior and habitat selection. RESULTS We found compelling evidence of adaptive capacity across individual deer in response to megafire. Deer avoided exposed and severely burned areas that lack forage and could be riskier for predation immediately following megafire, but they later altered these behaviors to select areas that burned at higher severities, potentially to take advantage of enhanced forage. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that despite their high site fidelity, deer can navigate altered landscapes to track rapid shifts in encounter risk with predators and resource availability. This successful adjustment of movement and behavior following extreme disturbance could help facilitate resilience at broader ecological scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendall L Calhoun
- Department of Environmental, Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, 137 Mulford #3114, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
- , 210 Wellman Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| | - Thomas Connor
- Department of Environmental, Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, 137 Mulford #3114, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Departments of Zoology & Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Amy Van Scoyoc
- Department of Environmental, Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, 137 Mulford #3114, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Alex McInturff
- Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, U.S. Geological Survey, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Samantha E S Kreling
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, University of Washington, Anderson Hall, Box 352100, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Justin S Brashares
- Department of Environmental, Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, 137 Mulford #3114, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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Drummond-Clarke RC, Kivell TL, Sarringhaus L, Stewart FA, Piel AK. Sex differences in positional behavior of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) living in the dry and open habitat of Issa Valley, Tanzania. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e25007. [PMID: 39056239 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.25007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Many early fossil hominins are associated with savanna-mosaic paleohabitats, and high sexual dimorphism that may reflect differences in positional behavior between sexes. However, reconstructions of hominin behavior and the selective pressures they faced in an open habitat are limited by a lack of studies of extant apes living in contemporary, analogous habitats. Here, we describe adult chimpanzee positional behavior in the savanna-mosaic habitat of the Issa Valley, Tanzania, to test whether Issa chimpanzees show larger sex-differences in positional behavior than their forest-dwelling counterparts. MATERIALS AND METHODS We quantified and compared adult locomotor and postural behavior across sexes (6 females, 7 males) in the riparian forest (closed) and miombo woodland (open) vegetation types at Issa Valley (13,743 focal observations). We then compared our results to published data of chimpanzee communities living in more forested habitats. RESULTS Issa females and males both spent less time arboreally in open vegetation and showed similar locomotor and postural behavior on the same substrates, notably using a high level of suspensory locomotion when arboreal. Females were, however, more arboreal than males during locomotor behavior, as well as compared with females from other communities. Issa males behaved similarly to males from other communities. CONCLUSION Results suggest that open habitats do not elicit less arboreal behaviors in either sex, and may even select for suspensory locomotion to effectively navigate an open canopy. An open habitat may, however, increase sex differences in positional behavior by driving female arboreality. We suggest this is because of higher energetic demands and predator pressures associated with open vegetation, which are likely exaggerated for reproducing females. These results have implications for the interpretation of how sexual dimorphism may influence reconstructions of hominin positional behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Fiona A Stewart
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alex K Piel
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
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Li X, Bleisch WV, Hu W, Li Q, Wang H, Chen Z, Bai R, Jiang XL. Human disturbance increases spatiotemporal associations among mountain forest terrestrial mammal species. eLife 2024; 12:RP92457. [PMID: 38949865 PMCID: PMC11216745 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Spatial and temporal associations between sympatric species underpin biotic interactions, structure ecological assemblages, and sustain ecosystem functioning and stability. However, the resilience of interspecific spatiotemporal associations to human activity remains poorly understood, particularly in mountain forests where anthropogenic impacts are often pervasive. Here, we applied context-dependent Joint Species Distribution Models to a systematic camera-trap survey dataset from a global biodiversity hotspot in eastern Himalayas to understand how prominent human activities in mountain forests influence species associations within terrestrial mammal communities. We obtained 10,388 independent detections of 17 focal species (12 carnivores and five ungulates) from 322 stations over 43,163 camera days of effort. We identified a higher incidence of positive associations in habitats with higher levels of human modification (87%) and human presence (83%) compared to those located in habitats with lower human modification (64%) and human presence (65%) levels. We also detected a significant reduction of pairwise encounter time at increasing levels of human disturbance, corresponding to more frequent encounters between pairs of species. Our findings indicate that human activities can push mammals together into more frequent encounters and associations, which likely influences the coexistence and persistence of wildlife, with potential far-ranging ecological consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyou Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong Mountain, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - William V Bleisch
- China Exploration and Research Society, 2707-08 SouthMark, Wong Chuk HangHong KongChina
| | - Wenqiang Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong Mountain, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Quan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong Mountain, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Hongjiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong Mountain, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Zhongzheng Chen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal UniversityWuhuChina
| | - Ru Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong Mountain, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Xue-Long Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong Mountain, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
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5
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Patten MA, Burger JC. Hyperbolic discounting underpins response curves of mammalian avoidance behaviour. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20240054. [PMID: 39046286 PMCID: PMC11268154 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
As humans clear natural habitat, they are brought into increased conflict with wild animals. Some conflict is direct (e.g. elevated exposure of people to predators), some indirect (e.g. abandoning suitable habitat because of human activity). The magnitude of avoidance is expected to track frequency of human activity, but the type of response is an open question. We postulated that animals do not respond passively to increased disturbance nor does response follow a power law; instead, their ability to estimate magnitude leads to 'discounting' behaviour, as in classic time-to-reward economic models in which individuals discount larger value (or risk) in more distant time. We used a 10-year camera dataset from southern California to characterize response curves of seven mammal species. Bayesian regressions of two non-discounting models (exponential and inverse polynomial) and two discounting models (hyperbolic and harmonic) revealed that the latter better fit response curves. The Arps equation, from petroleum extraction modelling, was used to estimate a discount exponent, a taxon-specific 'sensitivity' to humans, yielding a general model across species. Although discounting can mean mammal activity recovers rapidly after disturbance, increased recreational pressure on reserves limits recovery potential, highlighting a need to strike a balance between animal conservation and human use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Patten
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Ecology Research Group, Nord University, Steinkjer, Trøndelag, Norway
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Takada H, Nakamura K. Effects of Human Harvesting, Residences, and Forage Abundance on Deer Spatial Distribution. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1924. [PMID: 38998036 PMCID: PMC11240362 DOI: 10.3390/ani14131924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
It has been known that harvesting by humans strongly influences individual within-home range habitat selection of many deer species; however, little is known about the effect of harvesting on coarse-scale habitat selection (i.e., spatial distribution). We examined the summer spatial distribution of sika deer Cervus nippon in relation to human harvesting and other factors, such as human residences, forage abundance, and cover, using pellet group counts at Mount Fuji, central Japan, in 2018. In the study area, harvesting is conducted at medium elevation areas throughout the year, but not at high or low elevation areas where access is difficult or harvesting is prohibited. Spatial distribution of deer was significantly biased to non-harvesting areas and far from residential areas, suggesting that they avoid riskier spaces by establishing a landscape of fear. High-quality food resources (deciduous broad-leaved trees and forbs) were more abundant in harvesting areas than in non-harvesting areas, suggesting that foraging pressure by deer reduce them. However, there were no differences in abundances of more fibrous dwarf bamboo between harvesting and non-harvesting areas, and spatial distribution of deer was significantly biased to higher dwarf bamboo abundance areas, suggesting that the dwarf bamboo is an alternative food resource in non-harvesting areas where supplies of high-quality food were limited. Our results suggest that human harvesting pressure and residences shifted the spatial distribution of deer from the montane forests to subalpine/alpine zones, which may increase damage to vulnerable ecosystems due to severe foraging pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayato Takada
- Mount Fuji Research Institute, Yamanashi Prefecture Government, 5597-1 Kenmarubi, Kamiyoshida, Fujiyoshida 403-0005, Yamanashi, Japan
- Wildlife Management Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwaicho, Fuchu 183-8509, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keita Nakamura
- Mount Fuji Research Institute, Yamanashi Prefecture Government, 5597-1 Kenmarubi, Kamiyoshida, Fujiyoshida 403-0005, Yamanashi, Japan
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Nautiyal H, Mathur V, Gajare KH, Teichroeb J, Sarkar D, Diogo R. Predatory Dogs as Drivers of Social Behavior Changes in the Central Himalayan Langur ( Semnopithecus schistaceus) in Agro-Forest Landscapes. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:410. [PMID: 38927290 PMCID: PMC11200765 DOI: 10.3390/biology13060410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Globally, habitat fragmentation has increased the proximity between wildlife, humans, and emerging predators such as free-ranging dogs. In these fragmented landscapes, encounters between primates and dogs are escalating, with primates often falling victim to dog attacks while navigating patchy landscapes and fragmented forests. We aim to investigate how these primates deal with the simultaneous threats posed by humans and predators, specifically focusing on the adaptive strategies of Central Himalayan langur (CHL) in the landscape of fear. To address this, we conducted a behavioral study on the CHL in an agro-forest landscape, studying them for a total of 3912 h over two consecutive years. Our results indicate that, compared to their most common resting behavior, CHLs allocate more time to feeding and locomotion, and less time to socializing in the presence of humans and predatory dogs. Additionally, they exhibit increased feeding and locomotion and reduced social behavior in agro-forest or open habitats. These behavioral patterns reflect adaptive responses to the landscape of fear, where the presence of predators significantly influences their behavior and resource utilization. This study suggests measures to promote coexistence between humans and wildlife through the integration of effective management strategies that incorporate both ecological and social dimensions of human-wildlife interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himani Nautiyal
- College of Medicine, Howard University, 520 W St, NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA;
| | - Virendra Mathur
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Scarborough 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada; (V.M.); (J.T.)
| | - Kimaya Hemant Gajare
- Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s, Bhavan’s College, University of Mumbai, Andheri (w), Mumbai 400 058, India;
| | - Julie Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Scarborough 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada; (V.M.); (J.T.)
| | - Dipto Sarkar
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada;
| | - Rui Diogo
- College of Medicine, Howard University, 520 W St, NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA;
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van der Kolk HJ, Smit CJ, Allen AM, Ens BJ, van de Pol M. Frequency-dependent tolerance to aircraft disturbance drastically alters predicted impact on shorebirds. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14452. [PMID: 38857324 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbance of wildlife is increasing globally. Generalizing impacts of disturbance to novel situations is challenging, as the tolerance of animals to human activities varies with disturbance frequency (e.g. due to habituation). Few studies have quantified frequency-dependent tolerance, let alone determined how it affects predictions of disturbance impacts when these are extrapolated over large areas. In a comparative study across a gradient of air traffic intensities, we show that birds nearly always fled (80%) if aircraft were rare, while birds rarely responded (7%) if traffic was frequent. When extrapolating site-specific responses to an entire region, accounting for frequency-dependent tolerance dramatically alters the predicted costs of disturbance: the disturbance map homogenizes with fewer hotspots. Quantifying frequency-dependent tolerance has proven challenging, but we propose that (i) ignoring it causes extrapolations of disturbance impacts from single sites to be unreliable, and (ii) it can reconcile published idiosyncratic species- or source-specific disturbance responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henk-Jan van der Kolk
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies (CAPS), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Cor J Smit
- Wageningen Marine Research, Den Helder, Netherlands
| | - Andrew M Allen
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies (CAPS), Wageningen, Netherlands
- Department of Animal Husbandry, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, Velp, Netherlands
| | - Bruno J Ens
- Centre for Avian Population Studies (CAPS), Wageningen, Netherlands
- Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, Den Burg, Netherlands
- The Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ), Texel, Netherlands
| | - Martijn van de Pol
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies (CAPS), Wageningen, Netherlands
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
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Brown L, Zedrosser A, Kindberg J, Pelletier F. Behavioural responses of brown bears to roads and hunting disturbance. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11532. [PMID: 38882533 PMCID: PMC11176727 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11532] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Harvest regulations commonly attenuate the consequences of hunting on specific segments of a population. However, regulations may not protect individuals from non-lethal effects of hunting and their consequences remain poorly understood. In this study, we compared the movement rates of Scandinavian brown bears (Ursus arctos, n = 47) across spatiotemporal variations in risk in relation to the onset of bear hunting. We tested two alternative hypotheses based on whether behavioural responses to hunting involve hiding or escaping. If bears try to reduce risk exposure by avoiding being detected by hunters, we expect individuals from all demographic groups to reduce their movement rate during the hunting season. On the other hand, if bears avoid hunters by escaping, we expect them to increase their movement rate in order to leave high-risk areas faster. We found an increased movement rate in females accompanied by dependent offspring during the morning hours of the bear hunting season, a general decrease in movement rate in adult lone females, and no changes in males and subadult females. The increased movement rate that we observed in females with dependant offspring during the hunting season was likely an antipredator response because it only occurred in areas located closer to roads, whereas the decreased movement rate in lone females could be either part of seasonal activity patterns or be associated with an increased selection for better concealment. Our study suggests that female brown bears accompanied by offspring likely move faster in high-risk areas to minimize risk exposure as well as the costly trade-offs (i.e. time spent foraging vs. time spent hiding) typically associated with anti-predator tactics that involve changes in resource selection. Our study also highlights the importance of modelling fine-scale spatiotemporal variations in risk to adequately capture the complexity in behavioural responses caused by human activities in wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovick Brown
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Canada
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health University of South-Eastern Norway Bø in Telemark Norway
- Institute for Wildlife Biology and Game Management University for Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Jonas Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Trondheim Norway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Canada
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Lazzaroni M, Brogi R, Napolitano V, Apollonio M, Range F, Marshall-Pescini S. Urbanization does not affect red foxes' interest in anthropogenic food, but increases their initial cautiousness. Curr Zool 2024; 70:394-405. [PMID: 39035755 PMCID: PMC11255992 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoae023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Human presence and activities have profoundly altered animals' habitats, exposing them to greater risks but also providing new opportunities and resources. The animals' capacity to effectively navigate and strike a balance between risks and benefits is crucial for their survival in the Anthropocene era. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), adept urban dwellers, exhibit behavioral plasticity in human-altered environments. We investigated variations in detection frequency on trail cameras and the behavioral responses (explorative, bold, and fearful) of wild red foxes living along an urbanization gradient when exposed to a metal bin initially presented clean and then filled with anthropogenic food. All fox populations displayed an increased interest and similar explorative behavioral responses toward the anthropogenic food source, irrespective of the urbanization gradient. Despite no impact on explorative behaviors, foxes in more urbanized areas initially showed heightened fear toward the empty bin, indicating increased apprehension toward novel objects. However, this fear diminished over time, and in the presence of food, urban foxes displayed slightly reduced fear compared with their less urban counterparts. Our results highlight foxes' potential for adaptability to human landscapes, additionally underscoring the nuanced interplay of fear and explorative behavioral response of populations living along the urbanization gradient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Lazzaroni
- Domestication Laboratory, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna A-1160, Austria
| | - Rudy Brogi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Valentina Napolitano
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Marco Apollonio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Friederike Range
- Domestication Laboratory, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna A-1160, Austria
| | - Sarah Marshall-Pescini
- Domestication Laboratory, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna A-1160, Austria
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11
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Short ML, Service CN, Suraci JP, Artelle KA, Field KA, Darimont CT. Ecology of fear alters behavior of grizzly bears exposed to bear-viewing ecotourism. Ecology 2024; 105:e4317. [PMID: 38687245 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Humans are perceived as predators by many species and may generate landscapes of fear, influencing spatiotemporal activity of wildlife. Additionally, wildlife might seek out human activity when faced with predation risks (human shield hypothesis). We used the anthropause, a decrease in human activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, to test ecology of fear and human shield hypotheses and quantify the effects of bear-viewing ecotourism on grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) activity. We deployed camera traps in the Khutze watershed in Kitasoo Xai'xais Territory in the absence of humans in 2020 and with experimental treatments of variable human activity when ecotourism resumed in 2021. Daily bear detection rates decreased with more people present and increased with days since people were present. Human activity was also associated with more bear detections at forested sheltered sites and less at exposed sites, likely due to the influence of habitat on bear perception of safety. The number of people negatively influenced adult male detection rates, but we found no influence on female with young detections, providing no evidence that females responded behaviorally to a human shield effect from reduced male activity. We also observed apparent trade-offs of risk avoidance and foraging. When salmon levels were moderate to high, detected bears were more likely to be females with young than adult males on days with more people present. Should managers want to minimize human impacts on bear activity and maintain baseline age-sex class composition at ecotourism sites, multiday closures and daily occupancy limits may be effective. More broadly, this work revealed that antipredator responses can vary with intensity of risk cues, habitat structure, and forage trade-offs and manifest as altered age-sex class composition of individuals using human-influenced areas, highlighting that wildlife avoid people across multiple spatiotemporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica L Short
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Justin P Suraci
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc., Truckee, California, USA
| | - Kyle A Artelle
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
- College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, USA
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kate A Field
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chris T Darimont
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
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12
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Hahn NR, Wall J, Deninger‐Snyder K, Tiedeman K, Sairowua W, Goss M, Ndambuki S, Eblate E, Mbise N, Wittemyer G. Crop use structures resource selection strategies for African elephants in a human-dominated landscape. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11574. [PMID: 38919648 PMCID: PMC11196896 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
To conserve wide-ranging species in degraded landscapes, it is essential to understand how the behavior of animals changes in relation to the degree and composition of modification. Evidence suggests that large inter-individual variation exists in the propensity for use of degraded areas and may be driven by both behavioral and landscape factors. The use of cultivated lands by wildlife is of particular interest, given the importance of reducing human-wildlife conflicts and understanding how such areas can function as biodiversity buffers. African elephant space use can be highly influenced by human activity and the degree to which individuals crop-raid. We analyzed GPS data from 56 free-ranging elephants in the Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem using resource selection functions (RSFs) to assess how crop use may drive patterns of resource selection and space use within a population. We quantified drivers of similarity in resource selection across individuals using proximity analysis of individual RSF coefficients derived from random forest models. We found wide variation in RSF coefficient values between individuals indicating strongly differentiated resource selection strategies. Proximity assessment indicated the degree of crop use in the dry season, individual repeatability, and time spent in unprotected areas drove similarity in resource selection patterns. Crop selection was also spatially structured in relation to agricultural fragmentation. In areas with low fragmentation, elephants spent less time in crops and selected most strongly for crops further from protected area boundaries, but in areas of high fragmentation, elephants spent twice as much time in crops and selected most strongly for crops closer to the protected area boundary. Our results highlight how individual differences and landscape structure can shape use of agricultural landscapes. We discuss our findings in respect to the conservation challenges of human-elephant conflict and incorporating behavioral variation into human-wildlife coexistence efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan R. Hahn
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation BiologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
- Graduate Degree Program in EcologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - Jake Wall
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation BiologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
- Mara Elephant ProjectNarokKenya
| | - Kristen Deninger‐Snyder
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation BiologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
- Grumeti FundMugumu‐SerengetiTanzania
| | - Kate Tiedeman
- Max Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorKonstanzGermany
| | | | | | | | - Ernest Eblate
- Wildlife Research and Training InstituteNaivashaKenya
- Tanzania Wildlife Research InstituteArushaTanzania
| | | | - George Wittemyer
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation BiologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
- Save the ElephantsNairobiKenya
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13
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Goodale E, Magrath RD. Species diversity and interspecific information flow. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:999-1014. [PMID: 38279871 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Interspecific information flow is known to affect individual fitness, population dynamics and community assembly, but there has been less study of how species diversity affects information flow and thereby ecosystem functioning and services. We address this question by first examining differences among species in the sensitivity, accuracy, transmissibility, detectability and value of the cues and signals they produce, and in how they receive, store and use information derived from heterospecifics. We then review how interspecific information flow occurs in communities, involving a diversity of species and sensory modes, and how this flow can affect ecosystem-level functions, such as decomposition, seed dispersal or algae removal on coral reefs. We highlight evidence that some keystone species are particularly critical as a source of information used by eavesdroppers, and so have a disproportionate effect on information flow. Such keystone species include community informants producing signals, particularly about predation risk, that influence other species' landscapes of fear, and aggregation initiators creating cues or signals about resources. We suggest that the presence of keystone species means that there will likely be a positive relationship in many communities between species diversity and information through a 'sampling effect', in which larger pools of species are more likely to include the keystone species by chance. We then consider whether the number and relative abundance of species, irrespective of the presence of keystone species, matter to interspecific information flow; on this issue, the theory is less developed, and the evidence scant and indirect. Higher diversity could increase the quantity or quality of information that is used by eavesdroppers because redundancy increases the reliability of information or because the species provide complementary information. Alternatively, there could be a lack of a relationship between species diversity and information if there is widespread information parasitism where users are not sources, or if information sourced from heterospecifics is of lower value than that gained personally or sourced from conspecifics. Recent research suggests that species diversity does have information-modulated community and ecosystem consequences, especially in birds, such as the diversity of species at feeders increasing resource exploitation, or the number of imitated species increasing responses to vocal mimics. A first step for future research includes comprehensive observations of information flow among different taxa and habitats. Then studies should investigate whether species diversity influences the cumulative quality or quantity of information at the community level, and consequently ecosystem-level processes. An applied objective is to conserve species in part for their value as sources of information for other species, including for humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eben Goodale
- Department of Health and Environmental Science, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Robert D Magrath
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
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14
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Bakner NW, Ulrey EE, Wightman PH, Gulotta NA, Collier BA, Chamberlain MJ. Spatial roost networks and resource selection of female wild turkeys. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231938. [PMID: 39076792 PMCID: PMC11285678 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Wildlife demography is influenced by behavioural decisions, with sleep being a crucial avian behaviour. Avian species use roost sites to minimize thermoregulation costs, predation risk and enhance foraging efficiency. Sleep locations are often reused, forming networks within the home range. Our study, focusing on female eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) during the reproductive season, used social network analysis to quantify both roost site selection and network structure. We identified roost networks which were composed of a small percentage of hub roost sites connecting satellite roosts. Hub roosts were characterized by greater values of betweenness (β = 0.62, s.e. = 0.02), closeness (β = 0.59, s.e. = 0.03) and eigenvalue centrality (β = 1.15, s.e. = 0.05), indicating their importance as connectors and proximity to the network's functional centre. The probability of a roost being a hub increased significantly with greater eigenvalue centrality. Female wild turkeys consistently chose roost sites at lower elevations and with greater topographical ruggedness. Hub roost probability was higher near secondary roads and further from water. Our research highlights well-organized roost site networks around hub roosts, emphasizing the importance of further investigations into how these networks influence conspecific interactions, reproduction and resource utilization in wild turkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W. Bakner
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA30602, USA
| | - Erin E. Ulrey
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA30602, USA
| | - Patrick H. Wightman
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA30602, USA
| | - Nick A. Gulotta
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA30602, USA
| | - Bret A. Collier
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA70803, USA
| | - Michael J. Chamberlain
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA30602, USA
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15
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Burton AC, Beirne C, Gaynor KM, Sun C, Granados A, Allen ML, Alston JM, Alvarenga GC, Calderón FSÁ, Amir Z, Anhalt-Depies C, Appel C, Arroyo-Arce S, Balme G, Bar-Massada A, Barcelos D, Barr E, Barthelmess EL, Baruzzi C, Basak SM, Beenaerts N, Belmaker J, Belova O, Bezarević B, Bird T, Bogan DA, Bogdanović N, Boyce A, Boyce M, Brandt L, Brodie JF, Brooke J, Bubnicki JW, Cagnacci F, Carr BS, Carvalho J, Casaer J, Černe R, Chen R, Chow E, Churski M, Cincotta C, Ćirović D, Coates TD, Compton J, Coon C, Cove MV, Crupi AP, Farra SD, Darracq AK, Davis M, Dawe K, De Waele V, Descalzo E, Diserens TA, Drimaj J, Duľa M, Ellis-Felege S, Ellison C, Ertürk A, Fantle-Lepczyk J, Favreau J, Fennell M, Ferreras P, Ferretti F, Fiderer C, Finnegan L, Fisher JT, Fisher-Reid MC, Flaherty EA, Fležar U, Flousek J, Foca JM, Ford A, Franzetti B, Frey S, Fritts S, Frýbová Š, Furnas B, Gerber B, Geyle HM, Giménez DG, Giordano AJ, Gomercic T, Gompper ME, Gräbin DM, Gray M, Green A, Hagen R, Hagen RB, Hammerich S, Hanekom C, Hansen C, Hasstedt S, Hebblewhite M, Heurich M, Hofmeester TR, Hubbard T, Jachowski D, Jansen PA, Jaspers KJ, Jensen A, Jordan M, Kaizer MC, Kelly MJ, Kohl MT, Kramer-Schadt S, Krofel M, Krug A, Kuhn KM, Kuijper DPJ, Kuprewicz EK, Kusak J, Kutal M, Lafferty DJR, LaRose S, Lashley M, Lathrop R, Lee TE, Lepczyk C, Lesmeister DB, Licoppe A, Linnell M, Loch J, Long R, Lonsinger RC, Louvrier J, Luskin MS, MacKay P, Maher S, Manet B, Mann GKH, Marshall AJ, Mason D, McDonald Z, McKay T, McShea WJ, Mechler M, Miaud C, Millspaugh JJ, Monteza-Moreno CM, Moreira-Arce D, Mullen K, Nagy C, Naidoo R, Namir I, Nelson C, O'Neill B, O'Mara MT, Oberosler V, Osorio C, Ossi F, Palencia P, Pearson K, Pedrotti L, Pekins CE, Pendergast M, Pinho FF, Plhal R, Pocasangre-Orellana X, Price M, Procko M, Proctor MD, Ramalho EE, Ranc N, Reljic S, Remine K, Rentz M, Revord R, Reyna-Hurtado R, Risch D, Ritchie EG, Romero A, Rota C, Rovero F, Rowe H, Rutz C, Salvatori M, Sandow D, Schalk CM, Scherger J, Schipper J, Scognamillo DG, Şekercioğlu ÇH, Semenzato P, Sevin J, Shamon H, Shier C, Silva-Rodríguez EA, Sindicic M, Smyth LK, Soyumert A, Sprague T, St Clair CC, Stenglein J, Stephens PA, Stępniak KM, Stevens M, Stevenson C, Ternyik B, Thomson I, Torres RT, Tremblay J, Urrutia T, Vacher JP, Visscher D, Webb SL, Weber J, Weiss KCB, Whipple LS, Whittier CA, Whittington J, Wierzbowska I, Wikelski M, Williamson J, Wilmers CC, Windle T, Wittmer HU, Zharikov Y, Zorn A, Kays R. Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:924-935. [PMID: 38499871 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02363-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely. Under higher human activity, mammals were less active in undeveloped areas but unexpectedly more active in developed areas while exhibiting greater nocturnality. Carnivores were most sensitive, showing the strongest decreases in activity and greatest increases in nocturnality. Wildlife managers must consider how habituation and uneven sensitivity across species may cause fundamental differences in human-wildlife interactions along gradients of human influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cole Burton
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Christopher Beirne
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Sun
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alys Granados
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maximilian L Allen
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Jesse M Alston
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | | | - Zachary Amir
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Cara Appel
- College of Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | | | | | - Avi Bar-Massada
- Department of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa at Oranim, Kiryat Tivon, Israel
| | | | - Evan Barr
- Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
| | | | - Carolina Baruzzi
- School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sayantani M Basak
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Natalie Beenaerts
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Jonathan Belmaker
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Olgirda Belova
- Institute of Forestry, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Kėdainių, Lithuania
| | | | | | | | - Neda Bogdanović
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Andy Boyce
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Mark Boyce
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Jedediah F Brodie
- Division of Biological Sciences & Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
| | | | - Jakub W Bubnicki
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Benjamin Scott Carr
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - João Carvalho
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Jim Casaer
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Rok Černe
- Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ron Chen
- Hamaarag, Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Emily Chow
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | | | - Duško Ćirović
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - T D Coates
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | - Michael V Cove
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | - Simone Dal Farra
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
| | - Andrea K Darracq
- Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
| | | | - Kimberly Dawe
- Quest University Canada, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Esther Descalzo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Tom A Diserens
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Drimaj
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Duľa
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, Carnivore Conservation Programme, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Alper Ertürk
- Hunting and Wildlife Program, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey
| | - Jean Fantle-Lepczyk
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | | | - Mitch Fennell
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Pablo Ferreras
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Francesco Ferretti
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Christian Fiderer
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- University of Freiburg, Breisgau, Germany
| | | | - Jason T Fisher
- University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Urša Fležar
- Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jiří Flousek
- Krkonoše Mountains National Park, Vrchlabí, Czech Republic
| | - Jennifer M Foca
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Adam Ford
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Barbara Franzetti
- Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Rome, Italy
| | - Sandra Frey
- University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Šárka Frýbová
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Brett Furnas
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | | | - Hayley M Geyle
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Diego G Giménez
- Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study (S.P.E.C.I.E.S.), Ventura, CA, USA
| | - Anthony J Giordano
- Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study (S.P.E.C.I.E.S.), Ventura, CA, USA
| | - Tomislav Gomercic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | | | | | | | - Robert Hagen
- Agricultural Center for Cattle, Grassland, Dairy, Game and Fisheries of Baden-Württemberg, Aulendorf, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Division of Biological Sciences & Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Marco Heurich
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- University of Freiburg, Breisgau, Germany
- Inland Norway University, Hamar, Norway
| | - Tim R Hofmeester
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Tru Hubbard
- Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
| | | | - Patrick A Jansen
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Michel T Kohl
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miha Krofel
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | | | - Dries P J Kuijper
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | | | - Josip Kusak
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Miroslav Kutal
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, Carnivore Conservation Programme, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Marcus Lashley
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | | | - Christopher Lepczyk
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Damon B Lesmeister
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | | | - Marco Linnell
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Jan Loch
- Scientific Laboratory of Gorce National Park, Niedźwiedź, Poland
| | | | | | - Julie Louvrier
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Sean Maher
- Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, USA
| | | | | | | | - David Mason
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | | | - William J McShea
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Claude Miaud
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Dario Moreira-Arce
- Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH) and Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Santiago, Chile
| | | | | | | | - Itai Namir
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Carrie Nelson
- Effigy Mounds National Monument, Harper's Ferry, WV, USA
| | - Brian O'Neill
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, USA
| | | | | | | | - Federico Ossi
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Pablo Palencia
- University of Castilla-La Mancha Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Kimberly Pearson
- Parks Canada-Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Park, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | - Radim Plhal
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Michael Procko
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Nathan Ranc
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Slaven Reljic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | | | | | | | - Derek Risch
- University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Euan G Ritchie
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrea Romero
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, USA
| | | | - Francesco Rovero
- Museo delle Scienze (MUSE), Trento, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Helen Rowe
- McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Christian Rutz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Marco Salvatori
- Museo delle Scienze (MUSE), Trento, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Derek Sandow
- Northern and Yorke Landscape Board, Clare, South Australia, Australia
| | - Christopher M Schalk
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - Jenna Scherger
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jan Schipper
- Arizona State University, West, Glendale, AZ, USA
| | | | | | - Paola Semenzato
- Research, Ecology and Environment Dimension (D.R.E.A.M.), Pistoia, Italy
| | | | - Hila Shamon
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Catherine Shier
- Planning and Environmental Services, City of Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Eduardo A Silva-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Conservación, Biodiversidad y Territorio & Programa Austral Patagonia, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Magda Sindicic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lucy K Smyth
- Panthera, New York, NY, USA
- iCWild, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Anil Soyumert
- Hunting and Wildlife Program, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey
| | | | | | | | - Philip A Stephens
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Kinga Magdalena Stępniak
- Department of Ecology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Cassondra Stevenson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bálint Ternyik
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Ian Thomson
- Coastal Jaguar Conservation, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Rita T Torres
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | | | | | - Jean-Pierre Vacher
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Stephen L Webb
- Natural Resources Institute and Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Julian Weber
- Oeko-Log Freilandforschung, Friedrichswalde, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Izabela Wierzbowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Christopher C Wilmers
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Todd Windle
- Parks Canada, Alberni-Clayoquot, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Adam Zorn
- University of Mount Union, Alliance, OH, USA
| | - Roland Kays
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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16
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Farley ZJ, Thompson CJ, Boyle ST, Tatman NM, Cain JW. Behavioral trade-offs and multitasking by elk in relation to predation risk from Mexican gray wolves. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11383. [PMID: 38803606 PMCID: PMC11128461 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Predator non-consumptive effects (NCE) can alter prey foraging time and habitat use, potentially reducing fitness. Prey can mitigate NCEs by increasing vigilance, chewing-vigilance synchronization, and spatiotemporal avoidance of predators. We quantified the relationship between Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) predation risk and elk (Cervus canadensis) behavior. We conducted behavioral observations on adult female elk and developed predation risk indices using GPS collar data from Mexican wolves, locations of elk killed by wolves, and landscape covariates. We compared a priori models to determine the best predictors of adult female behavior and multitasking. Metrics that quantified both spatial and temporal predation risk were the most predictive. Vigilance was positively associated with increased predation risk. The effect of predation risk on foraging and resting differed across diurnal periods. During midday when wolf activity was lower, the probability of foraging increased while resting decreased in high-risk areas. During crepuscular periods when elk and wolves were most active, increased predation risk was associated with increased vigilance and slight decreases in foraging. Our results suggest elk are temporally avoiding predation risk from Mexican wolves by trading resting for foraging, a trade-off often not evaluated in behavioral studies. Probability of multitasking depended on canopy openness and an interaction between maternal period and predation risk; multitasking decreased prior to parturition and increased post parturition in high-risk areas. Openness was inversely related to multitasking. These results suggest adult female elk are altering the type of vigilance used depending on resource availability/quality, current energetic needs, and predation risk. Our results highlight potentially important, but often-excluded behaviors and trade-offs prey species may use to reduce the indirect effects of predation and contribute additional context to our understanding of predator-prey dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary J. Farley
- Department of Fish Wildlife and Conservation EcologyNew Mexico State UniversityLas CrucesNew MexicoUSA
| | - Cara J. Thompson
- Department of Fish Wildlife and Conservation EcologyNew Mexico State UniversityLas CrucesNew MexicoUSA
| | - Scott T. Boyle
- Department of Fish Wildlife and Conservation EcologyNew Mexico State UniversityLas CrucesNew MexicoUSA
| | | | - James W. Cain
- U.S. Geological Survey New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish Wildlife and Conservation EcologyNew Mexico State UniversityLas CrucesNew MexicoUSA
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17
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Sheppard CE, Boström-Einarsson L, Williams GJ, Exton DA, Keith SA. Variation in farming damselfish behaviour creates a competitive landscape of risk on coral reefs. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20240035. [PMID: 38807544 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Interspecific interactions are fundamental drivers of animal space use. Yet while non-consumptive effects of predation risk on prey space use are well-known, the risk of aggressive interactions on space use of competitors is largely unknown. We apply the landscape of risk framework to competition-driven space use for the first time, with the hypothesis that less aggressive competitors may alter their behaviour to avoid areas of high competitor density. Specifically, we test how aggressive risk from territorial algal-farming damselfishes can shape the spatial distribution of herbivore fish competitors. We found that only the most aggressive damselfish had fewer competitors in their surrounding area, demonstrating that individual-level behavioural variation can shape spatial distributions. In contradiction to the landscape of risk framework, abundances of farming damselfish and other fishes were positively associated. Our results suggest that reef fishes do not simply avoid areas of high damselfish abundance, but that spatial variation in aggressive behaviour, rather than of individuals, created a competitive landscape of risk. We emphasize the importance of individual-level behaviour in identifying patterns of space use and propose expanding the landscape of risk framework to non-predatory interactions to explore cascading behavioural responses to aggressive risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Sheppard
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | | | - Gareth J Williams
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge LL59 5AB, UK
| | - Dan A Exton
- Operation Wallacea, Wallace House, Old Bolingbroke, Spilsby PE23 4EX, UK
| | - Sally A Keith
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
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18
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Manz ST, Sieving KE, Brown RN, Klug PE, Kluever BM. Experimental assessment of laser scarecrows for reducing avian damage to sweet corn. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2024; 80:1547-1556. [PMID: 37966431 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Birds damage crops, costing millions of dollars annually, and growers utilize a variety of lethal and nonlethal deterrents in an attempt to reduce crop damage by birds. We experimentally tested laser scarecrows for their effectiveness at reducing sweet corn (Zea mays) damage. We presented 18 captive flocks of free-flying European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) with fresh sweet corn ears distributed on two plots where laser and control treatments were alternated each day and allowed each flock to forage over 5 days. In 16 trials, fresh sweet corn ears were mounted on wooden sticks distributed from 0 to 32 m from laser units (Stick Trials), and in two trials birds foraged on ripe corn grown from seed in the flight pen (Natural Trials). We aimed to determine if laser-treated plots had significantly less damage overall and closer to the laser unit, and whether birds became more or less likely to forage in laser-treated plots over time. RESULTS Lasers reduced damage overall, marginally in Stick Trials and dramatically in Natural Trials. Damage increased during each week in both trial types. Damage increased significantly with distance from lasers, and significant treatment effects occurred up to ~20 m from lasers. CONCLUSION Our results concur with recent field trials demonstrating strong reductions in sweet corn damage when lasers are deployed. This study provides a first look at how birds respond to repeated laser exposure and whether damage increases with distance from lasers. Key differences between pen and field trials are discussed. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean T Manz
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kathryn E Sieving
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Rebecca N Brown
- Department of Plant Sciences and Entomology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Page E Klug
- US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, North Dakota Field Station, Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - Bryan M Kluever
- US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Florida Field Station, Gainesville, FL, USA
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19
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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.
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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
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20
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Grabowski KL, Phillips EM, Gaynor KM. Limited spatiotemporal niche partitioning among mesocarnivores in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10965. [PMID: 38371865 PMCID: PMC10869889 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Competition drives community composition and structure in many ecosystems. Spatial and temporal niche partitioning, in which competing species divide the environment in space or time, are mechanisms that may allow for coexistence among ecologically similar species. Such division of resources may be especially important for carnivores in African savannas, which support diverse carnivore assemblages. We used camera traps to explore patterns of spatial and temporal niche partitioning among four mesocarnivore species in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park: large-spotted genet (Genetta maculata), African civet (Civettictis civetta), honey badger (Mellivora capensis) and marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus). We applied a multispecies occupancy model to evaluate spatial partitioning among mesocarnivores and to quantify the environmental factors that affect species-specific habitat use, including relative lion (Panthera leo) activity. We also analyzed the temporal activity overlap of the four focal species. We identified species-specific habitat covariates that influenced detection probabilities but found no evidence of spatial or temporal partitioning among mesocarnivores in the study system. Indeed, we found some evidence for spatial co-occurrence between two of our focal species: African civet and marsh mongoose. There may be limited competition among mesocarnivores in this system, perhaps due to niche and diet differentiation among these species and an abundance of resources. While we found limited evidence that lion activity impacts mesocarnivores, ongoing monitoring of intraguild interactions is vital as apex predator populations recover in the system. This study adds to a growing understanding of African mesocarnivore ecology and highlights the importance of understanding these dynamics for effective multispecies conservation and restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn L. Grabowski
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Department of BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQuébecCanada
| | - Erin M. Phillips
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
| | - Kaitlyn M. Gaynor
- Department of Zoology and BotanyUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
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21
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Wooster EIF, Gaynor KM, Carthey AJR, Wallach AD, Stanton LA, Ramp D, Lundgren EJ. Animal cognition and culture mediate predator-prey interactions. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:52-64. [PMID: 37839906 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey ecology and the study of animal cognition and culture have emerged as independent disciplines. Research combining these disciplines suggests that both animal cognition and culture can shape the outcomes of predator-prey interactions and their influence on ecosystems. We review the growing body of work that weaves animal cognition or culture into predator-prey ecology, and argue that both cognition and culture are significant but poorly understood mechanisms mediating how predators structure ecosystems. We present a framework exploring how previous experiences with the predation process creates feedback loops that alter the predation sequence. Cognitive and cultural predator-prey ecology offers ecologists new lenses through which to understand species interactions, their ecological consequences, and novel methods to conserve wildlife in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eamonn I F Wooster
- Gulbali Institute, School of Agricultural, Environmental, and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia.
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Alexandra J R Carthey
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113, Australia
| | - Arian D Wallach
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Lauren A Stanton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Erick J Lundgren
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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22
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Diserens TA, Churski M, Bubnicki JW, Zalewski A, Brzeziński M, Kuijper DPJ. Badgers remain fearless in the face of simulated wolf presence near their setts. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10654. [PMID: 38187920 PMCID: PMC10767146 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Many mesocarnivores are fossorial and use burrow systems to avoid predators. But fossorial animals cannot stay safely underground forever; they must also risk emerging overground to forage and find mates. To make this trade-off effectively and maximise their own fitness, it is imperative they assess how risk varies in space and time and adapt their denning behaviour accordingly. We used the badger in Białowieża Forest, Poland, as a model for investigating how the denning behaviour of a fossorial mesocarnivore varies in response to short-term large carnivore risk. To this end, we experimentally simulated perceived wolf presence outside 10 badger setts using audio playbacks of wolves (their howls). We assayed two behavioural measures of fear: badger emergence time from setts on the day playbacks were broadcast and their presence in setts on the day after. We found that neither badger emergence time nor next-day sett use varied in response to wolf playbacks. The results of the present study contrast with a previous study of ours that found badgers used setts in areas with high landscape level perceived wolf risk less often than those in lower-risk areas. Together, these papers' findings suggest that different spatiotemporal scales of perceived risk can have differential effects on badger behaviour. We conclude that rather than take risk avoidance measures at all risky times and places, badgers likely display a diversity of reactions to large carnivore presence that depend on the context and spatiotemporal scale of the risk being perceived.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A. Diserens
- Mammal Research InstitutePolish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
- Faculty of BiologyUniversity of WarsawWarsawPoland
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research InstitutePolish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
| | | | - Andrzej Zalewski
- Mammal Research InstitutePolish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
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23
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Carrilho M, Monarca RI, Aparício G, Mathias MDL, Tapisso JT, von Merten S. Physiological and behavioural adjustment of a wild rodent to laboratory conditions. Physiol Behav 2024; 273:114385. [PMID: 37866641 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Wild animals are brought to captivity for different reasons, for example to be kept in zoos and rehabilitation centres, but also for basic research. Such animals usually undergo a process of adjustment to captive conditions. While this adjustment occurs on the behavioural and the physiological level, those are usually studied separately. The aim of this study was to assess both the physiological and behavioural responses of wild wood mice, Apodemus sylvaticus, while adjusting to laboratory conditions. Over the course of four weeks, we measured in wild-caught mice brought to the laboratory faecal corticosterone metabolites and body mass as physiological parameters, stereotypic behaviour and nest-quality, as welfare-linked behavioural parameters, and four personality measures as additional behavioural parameters. The results of our study indicate that mice exhibited an adjustment in both behaviour and physiology over time in the laboratory. While the hormonal stress response decreased significantly, body mass and the proportion of stereotypic behaviours showed a tendency to increase over time. The slight increase of stereotypic behaviours, although not statistically significant, suggests the development of repetitive and non-functional behaviours as a response to laboratory conditions. However, we suggest that those behaviours might have been used by animals as a coping strategy to decrease the physiological stress response. Other behavioural parameters measured, such as boldness and nestbuilding behaviour were stable over time. The information obtained in the present study hints at a complex interplay between behavioural and physiological adjustments of wild animals to laboratory conditions, which should be considered when intending to use wild animals in experimental research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maílis Carrilho
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon 1749-016, Portugal.
| | - Rita I Monarca
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon 1749-016, Portugal
| | - Guilherme Aparício
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon 1749-016, Portugal
| | - Maria da Luz Mathias
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon 1749-016, Portugal
| | - Joaquim T Tapisso
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon 1749-016, Portugal
| | - Sophie von Merten
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon 1749-016, Portugal; Department of Environment and Biodiversity, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
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24
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Passoni G, Coulson T, Cagnacci F, Hudson P, Stahler DR, Smith DW, Lachish S. Investigating tritrophic interactions using bioenergetic demographic models. Ecology 2024; 105:e4197. [PMID: 37897692 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
A central debate in ecology has been the long-running discussion on the role of apex predators in affecting the abundance and dynamics of their prey. In terrestrial systems, research has primarily relied on correlational approaches, due to the challenge of implementing robust experiments with replication and appropriate controls. A consequence of this is that we largely suffer from a lack of mechanistic understanding of the population dynamics of interacting species, which can be surprisingly complex. Mechanistic models offer an opportunity to examine the causes and consequences of some of this complexity. We present a bioenergetic mechanistic model of a tritrophic system where the primary vegetation resource follows a seasonal growth function, and the herbivore and carnivore species are modeled using two integral projection models (IPMs) with body mass as the phenotypic trait. Within each IPM, the demographic functions are structured according to bioenergetic principles, describing how animals acquire and transform resources into body mass, energy reserves, and breeding potential. We parameterize this model to reproduce the population dynamics of grass, elk, and wolves in northern Yellowstone National Park (USA) and investigate the impact of wolf reintroduction on the system. Our model generated predictions that closely matched the observed population sizes of elk and wolf in Yellowstone prior to and following wolf reintroduction. The introduction of wolves into our basal grass-elk bioenergetic model resulted in a population of 99 wolves and a reduction in elk numbers by 61% (from 14,948 to 5823) at equilibrium. In turn, vegetation biomass increased by approximately 25% in the growing season and more than threefold in the nongrowing season. The addition of wolves to the model caused the elk population to switch from being food-limited to being predator-limited and had a stabilizing effect on elk numbers across different years. Wolf predation also led to a shift in the phenotypic composition of the elk population via a small increase in elk average body mass. Our model represents a novel approach to the study of predator-prey interactions, and demonstrates that explicitly considering and linking bioenergetics, population demography and body mass phenotypes can provide novel insights into the mechanisms behind complex ecosystem processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioele Passoni
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre (CRI), Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Tim Coulson
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre (CRI), Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Peter Hudson
- The Huck Institutes, Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel R Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
| | - Douglas W Smith
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
| | - Shelly Lachish
- Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Environment Unit, Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia
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25
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Ceccarelli DM, Evans RD, Logan M, Jones GP, Puotinen M, Petus C, Russ GR, Srinivasan M, Williamson DH. Physical, biological and anthropogenic drivers of spatial patterns of coral reef fish assemblages at regional and local scales. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 904:166695. [PMID: 37660823 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Species abundance, diversity and community assemblage structure are determined by multiple physical, habitat and management drivers that operate across multiple spatial scales. Here we used a multi-scale coral reef monitoring dataset to examine regional and local differences in the abundance, species richness and composition of fish assemblages in no-take marine reserve (NTMR) and fished zones at four island groups in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia. We applied boosted regression trees to quantify the influence of 20 potential drivers on the coral reef fish assemblages. Reefs in two locations, Magnetic Island and the Keppel Islands, had distinctive fish assemblages and low species richness, while the Palm and Whitsunday Islands had similar species composition and higher species richness. Overall, our analyses identified several important physical (temperature, wave exposure) and biological (coral, turf, macroalgal and unconsolidated substratum cover) drivers of inshore reef fish communities, some of which are being altered by human activities. Of these, sea surface temperature (SST) was more influential at large scales, while wave exposure was important both within and between island groups. Species richness declined with increasing macroalgal cover and exposure to cyclones, and increased with SST. Species composition was most strongly influenced by mean SST and percent cover of macroalgae. There was substantial regional variation in the local drivers of spatial patterns. Although NTMR zoning influenced total fish density in some regions, it had negligible effects on fish species richness, composition and trophic structure because of the relatively small number of species targeted by the fishery. These findings show that inshore reef fishes are directly influenced by disturbances typical of the nearshore Great Barrier Reef, highlighting the need to complement global action on climate change with more targeted localised efforts to maintain or improve the condition of coral reef habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M Ceccarelli
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia.
| | - Richard D Evans
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia; Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Murray Logan
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Geoffrey P Jones
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Marji Puotinen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Caroline Petus
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic System Research, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Garry R Russ
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Maya Srinivasan
- College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic System Research, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - David H Williamson
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
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26
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Leighton GRM, Froneman W, Serieys LEK, Bishop JM. Trophic downgrading of an adaptable carnivore in an urbanising landscape. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21582. [PMID: 38062237 PMCID: PMC10703923 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48868-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanisation critically alters wildlife habitat and resource distribution, leading to shifts in trophic dynamics. The loss of apex predators in human-transformed landscapes can result in changes in the ecological roles of the remaining mesocarnivores. Decreased top-down control together with increased bottom-up forcing through greater availability of anthropogenic foods can result in a predation paradox. Understanding these changes is important for conserving ecological function and biodiversity in rapidly urbanising systems. Here, we use stable isotope analysis to provide insight into longer term changes in trophic position, niche width and overlap of an elusive, medium-sized urban adapter, the caracal (Caracal caracal) in and around the city of Cape Town, South Africa. Using fur samples (n = 168) from individuals along a gradient of urbanisation we find that overall caracals have a broad isotopic dietary niche that reflects their large variation in resource use. When accounting for underlying environmental differences, the intensity of anthropogenic pressure, measured using the Human Footprint Index (HFI), explained variation in both food subsidy use (δ13C values) and trophic status (δ15N values). The significantly higher δ13C values (P < 0.01) and lower δ15N values (P < 0.001) of caracals in more urbanised areas suggest that predator subsidy consumption occurs via predictable, anthropogenic resource subsidies to synanthropic prey. These prey species are predominantly primary consumers, resulting in shifts in diet composition towards lower trophic levels. Further, caracals using areas with higher HFI had narrower isotope niches than those in less impacted areas, likely due to their hyperfocus on a few lower trophic level prey species. This pattern of niche contraction in urban areas is retained when accounting for caracal demographics, including sex and age. The removal of apex predators in human-transformed landscapes together with reliable resource availability, including abundant prey, may paradoxically limit the ecological influence of the remaining predators, and bring about a degree of predator trophic downgrading. The dampening of top-down control, and thus ecosystem regulation, likely points to widespread disruption of trophic dynamics in rapidly developing areas globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella R M Leighton
- SARChI Chair in Marine Ecology, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa.
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa.
| | - William Froneman
- SARChI Chair in Marine Ecology, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
| | - Laurel E K Serieys
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
- Panthera, 8 W 40th St, New York, NY, 10018, USA
- Cape Leopard Trust, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jacqueline M Bishop
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
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Bełcik M, Lenda ML, Pustkowiak S, Woźniak B, Skórka P. Social information modifies the associations between forest fragmentation and the abundance of a passerine bird. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21386. [PMID: 38049553 PMCID: PMC10696010 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48512-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main factors driving the occurrence and abundance of species in the landscape. However, the local occurrence and abundance of species may also depend on conspecific and heterospecific social information e.g. clues of animals' presence or their voices. We investigated the impact of the interaction between different types of social information and forest fragmentation on the abundance of the song thrush, Turdus philomelos, in Central Europe. Three types of social information (attractive, repulsive, and mixed) and procedural control were broadcasted via loudspeakers in 150 forest patches that varied in size and isolation metrics. Repulsive social information (cues of presence of predator) decreased abundance of song thrush. Also, the repulsive social information changed the association between forest patch isolation, size and the abundance. Attractive social information (songs of the studied thrush) had no effect on song thrush abundance. However, the attractive social information reversed the positive correlation between habitat patch size and the abundance. Mixed social information (both repulsive and attractive) had no impact on the abundance nor interacted with habitat fragmentation. The observed effects mostly did not last to the next breeding season. Overall, our findings indicate that lands of fear and social attraction could modify the effect of habitat fragmentation on the species abundance but these effects probably are not long-lasting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bełcik
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Kraków, Poland.
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Magdalena Lidia Lenda
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Kraków, Poland
| | - Sylwia Pustkowiak
- Population Ecology Lab, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Bartłomiej Woźniak
- Department of Forest Zoology and Wildlife Management, Institute of Forest Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Skórka
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Kraków, Poland
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28
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Blackburn G, Ashton BJ, Thornton A, Woodiss-Field S, Ridley AR. Cognition mediates response to anthropogenic noise in wild Western Australian magpies (Gmynorhina tibicen dorsalis). GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:6912-6930. [PMID: 37846601 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is a pollutant of growing concern, with wide-ranging effects on taxa across ecosystems. Until recently, studies investigating the effects of anthropogenic noise on animals focused primarily on population-level consequences, rather than individual-level impacts. Individual variation in response to anthropogenic noise may result from extrinsic or intrinsic factors. One such intrinsic factor, cognitive performance, varies between individuals and is hypothesised to aid behavioural response to novel stressors. Here, we combine cognitive testing, behavioural focals and playback experiments to investigate how anthropogenic noise affects the behaviour and anti-predator response of Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis), and to determine whether this response is linked to cognitive performance. We found a significant population-level effect of anthropogenic noise on the foraging effort, foraging efficiency, vigilance, vocalisation rate and anti-predator response of magpies, with birds decreasing their foraging, vocalisation behaviours and anti-predator response, and increasing vigilance when loud anthropogenic noise was present. We also found that individuals varied in their response to playbacks depending on their cognitive performance, with individuals that performed better in an associative learning task maintaining their anti-predator response when an alarm call was played in anthropogenic noise. Our results add to the growing body of literature documenting the adverse effects of anthropogenic noise on wildlife and provide the first evidence for an association between individual cognitive performance and behavioural responses to anthropogenic noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Blackburn
- Centre of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Ashton
- Centre of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Sarah Woodiss-Field
- Centre of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Amanda R Ridley
- Centre of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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29
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Feistel R. Self-Organisation of Prediction Models. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 25:1596. [PMID: 38136476 PMCID: PMC10743227 DOI: 10.3390/e25121596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Living organisms are active open systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium. The ability to behave actively corresponds to dynamical metastability: minor but supercritical internal or external effects may trigger major substantial actions such as gross mechanical motion, dissipating internally accumulated energy reserves. Gaining a selective advantage from the beneficial use of activity requires a consistent combination of sensual perception, memorised experience, statistical or causal prediction models, and the resulting favourable decisions on actions. This information processing chain originated from mere physical interaction processes prior to life, here denoted as structural information exchange. From there, the self-organised transition to symbolic information processing marks the beginning of life, evolving through the novel purposivity of trial-and-error feedback and the accumulation of symbolic information. The emergence of symbols and prediction models can be described as a ritualisation transition, a symmetry-breaking kinetic phase transition of the second kind previously known from behavioural biology. The related new symmetry is the neutrally stable arbitrariness, conventionality, or code invariance of symbols with respect to their meaning. The meaning of such symbols is given by the structural effect they ultimately unleash, directly or indirectly, by deciding on which actions to take. The early genetic code represents the first symbols. The genetically inherited symbolic information is the first prediction model for activities sufficient for survival under the condition of environmental continuity, sometimes understood as the "final causality" property of the model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer Feistel
- Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW), 18119 Rostock, Germany
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30
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Crawford SG, Coker RH, O’Hara TM, Breed GA, Gelatt T, Fadely B, Burkanov V, Rivera PM, Rea LD. Fasting durations of Steller sea lion pups vary among subpopulations-evidence from two plasma metabolites. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad084. [PMID: 38026798 PMCID: PMC10673819 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Geographic differences in population growth trends are well-documented in Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), a species of North Pacific pinniped listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1990 following a marked decline in population abundance that began during the 1970s. As population growth is intrinsically linked to pup production and survival, examining factors related to pup physiological condition provides useful information to management authorities regarding potential drivers of regional differences. During dam foraging trips, pups predictably transition among three fasting phases, distinguished by the changes in the predominant metabolic byproduct. We used standardized ranges of two plasma metabolites (blood urea nitrogen and β-hydroxybutyrate) to assign pups to fasting categories (n = 1528, 1990-2016, 12 subpopulations): Recently Fed-Phase I (digestion/assimilation-expected hepatic/muscle glycogen usage), Phase II (expected lipid utilization), transitioning between Phases II-III (expected lipid utilization with increased protein reliance), or Phase III (expected protein catabolism). As anticipated, the majority of pups were classified as Recently Fed-Phase I (overall mean proportion = 0.72) and few pups as Phase III (overall mean proportion = 0.04). By further comparing pups in Short (Recently Fed-Phase II) and Long (all other pups) duration fasts, we identified three subpopulations with significantly (P < 0.03) greater proportions of pups dependent upon endogenous sources of energy for extended periods, during a life stage of somatic growth and development: the 1) central (0.27 ± 0.09) and 2) western (0.36 ± 0.13) Aleutian Island (declining population trend) and 3) southern Southeast Alaska (0.32 ± 0.06; increasing population trend) subpopulations had greater Long fast proportions than the eastern Aleutian Islands (0.10 ± 0.05; stabilized population). Due to contrasting population growth trends among these highlighted subpopulations over the past 50+ years, both density-independent and density-dependent factors likely influence the dam foraging trip duration, contributing to longer fasting durations for pups at some rookeries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie G Crawford
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
| | - Robert H Coker
- Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, Montana 59812, USA
| | - Todd M O’Hara
- Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 402 Raymond Stotzer Parkway, Bldg 2, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Greg A Breed
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
| | - Tom Gelatt
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 4, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Brian Fadely
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 4, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Vladimir Burkanov
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 4, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Patricia M Rivera
- Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2141 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
| | - Lorrie D Rea
- Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
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31
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Gable TD, Johnson-Bice SM, Homkes AT, Fieberg J, Bump JK. Wolves alter the trajectory of forests by shaping the central place foraging behaviour of an ecosystem engineer. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231377. [PMID: 37935367 PMCID: PMC10645084 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Predators can directly and indirectly alter the foraging behaviour of prey through direct predation and the risk of predation, and in doing so, initiate indirect effects that influence myriad species and ecological processes. We describe how wolves indirectly alter the trajectory of forests by constraining the distance that beavers, a central place forager and prolific ecosystem engineer, forage from water. Specifically, we demonstrate that wolves wait in ambush and kill beavers on longer feeding trails than would be expected based on the spatio-temporal availability of beavers. This pattern is driven by temporal dynamics of beaver foraging: beavers make more foraging trips and spend more time on land per trip on longer feeding trails that extend farther from water. As a result, beavers are more vulnerable on longer feeding trails than shorter ones. Wolf predation appears to be a selective evolutionary pressure propelled by consumptive and non-consumptive mechanisms that constrain the distance from water beavers forage, which in turn limits the area of forest around wetlands, lakes and rivers beavers alter through foraging. Thus, wolves appear intricately linked to boreal forest dynamics by shaping beaver foraging behaviour, a form of natural disturbance that alters the successional and ecological states of forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D. Gable
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circles, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Sean M. Johnson-Bice
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N2
| | - Austin T. Homkes
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circles, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - John Fieberg
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circles, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Joseph K. Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circles, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
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32
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Fennell MJE, Ford AT, Martin TG, Burton AC. Assessing the impacts of recreation on the spatial and temporal activity of mammals in an isolated alpine protected area. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10733. [PMID: 38034339 PMCID: PMC10682857 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The management objectives of many protected areas must meet the dual mandates of protecting biodiversity while providing recreational opportunities. It is difficult to balance these mandates because it takes considerable effort to monitor both the status of biodiversity and impacts of recreation. Using detections from 45 camera traps deployed between July 2019 and September 2021, we assessed the potential impacts of recreation on spatial and temporal activity for 8 medium- and large-bodied terrestrial mammals in an isolated alpine protected area: Cathedral Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. We hypothesised that some wildlife perceive a level of threat from people, such that they avoid 'risky times' or 'risky places' associated with human activity. Other species may benefit from associating with people, be it through access to anthropogenic resource subsidies or filtering of competitors/predators that are more human-averse (i.e., human shield hypothesis). Specifically, we predicted that large carnivores would show the greatest segregation from people while mesocarnivores and ungulates would associate spatially with people. We found spatial co-occurrence between ungulates and recreation, consistent with the human shield hypothesis, but did not see the predicted negative relationship between larger carnivores and humans, except for coyotes (Canis latrans). Temporally, all species other than cougars (Puma concolor) had diel activity patterns significantly different from that of recreationists, suggesting potential displacement in the temporal niche. Wolves (Canis lupus) and mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) showed shifts in temporal activity away from people on recreation trails relative to off-trail areas, providing further evidence of potential displacement. Our results highlight the importance of monitoring spatial and temporal interactions between recreation activities and wildlife communities, in order to ensure the effectiveness of protected areas in an era of increasing human impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam T. Ford
- Irving K Barber Faculty of ScienceUniversity of British Columbia OkanaganKelownaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Tara G. Martin
- Faculty of ForestryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - A. Cole Burton
- Faculty of ForestryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
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33
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Gresham A, Healey JR, Eichhorn MP, Barton O, Smith AR, Shannon G. Horizontal viewsheds of large herbivores as a function of woodland structure. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10699. [PMID: 37953987 PMCID: PMC10636313 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
There is great potential for the use of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to quantify aspects of habitat structure in the study of animal ecology and behaviour. Viewsheds-the area visible from a given position-influence an animal's perception of risk and ability to respond to potential danger. The management and conservation of large herbivores and their habitats can benefit greatly from understanding how vegetation structure shapes viewsheds and influences animal activity patterns and foraging behaviour. This study aimed to identify how woodland understory structure influenced horizontal viewsheds at deer eye height. Mobile TLS was used in August 2020 to quantify horizontal visibility-in the form of Viewshed Coefficients (VC)-and understory leaf area index (LAI) of 71 circular sample plots (15-m radius) across 10 woodland sites in North Wales (UK) where fallow deer (Dama dama) are present. The plots were also surveyed in summer for woody plant size structure, stem density and bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.). Eight plots were re-scanned twice in winter to compare seasonal VC values and assess scan consistency. Sample plots with higher densities of small stems had significantly reduced VC 1 m from the ground. Other stem size classes, mean percentage bramble cover and understory LAI did not significantly affect VC. There was no difference in VC between summer and winter scans, or between repeated winter scans. The density of small stems influenced viewsheds at deer eye height and may alter behavioural responses to perceived risk. This study demonstrates how TLS technology can be applied to address questions in large herbivore ecology and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Gresham
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| | - John R. Healey
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
| | - Markus P. Eichhorn
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
- Environmental Research InstituteCorkIreland
| | - Owain Barton
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
| | - Andrew R. Smith
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
| | - Graeme Shannon
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
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Mills KL, Belant JL, Beukes M, Dröge E, Everatt KT, Fyumagwa R, Green DS, Hayward MW, Holekamp KE, Radloff FGT, Spong G, Suraci JP, Van der Weyde LK, Wilmers CC, Carter NH, Sanders NJ. Tradeoffs between resources and risks shape the responses of a large carnivore to human disturbance. Commun Biol 2023; 6:986. [PMID: 37848509 PMCID: PMC10582050 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05321-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Wide-ranging carnivores experience tradeoffs between dynamic resource availabilities and heterogeneous risks from humans, with consequences for their ecological function and conservation outcomes. Yet, research investigating these tradeoffs across large carnivore distributions is rare. We assessed how resource availability and anthropogenic risks influence the strength of lion (Panthera leo) responses to disturbance using data from 31 sites across lions' contemporary range. Lions avoided human disturbance at over two-thirds of sites, though their responses varied depending on site-level characteristics. Lions were more likely to exploit human-dominated landscapes where resources were limited, indicating that resource limitation can outweigh anthropogenic risks and might exacerbate human-carnivore conflict. Lions also avoided human impacts by increasing their nocturnal activity more often at sites with higher production of cattle. The combined effects of expanding human impacts and environmental change threaten to simultaneously downgrade the ecological function of carnivores and intensify human-carnivore conflicts, escalating extinction risks for many species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirby L Mills
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Jerrold L Belant
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Maya Beukes
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Nature Museum, Terrestrial Zoology, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Egil Dröge
- WildCRU, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Tubney, UK
- Zambian Carnivore Programme, Mfuwe, Zambia
| | - Kristoffer T Everatt
- Panthera, New York, NY, USA
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Greater Limpopo Carnivore Programme, Limpopo, Mozambique
| | - Robert Fyumagwa
- Wildlife Conservation Initiative, Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - David S Green
- Institute for Natural Resources, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Matt W Hayward
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Qgeberha, South Africa
- Centre for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria, Tshwane, South Africa
| | - Kay E Holekamp
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, MI, USA
| | - F G T Radloff
- Department of Conservation and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Göran Spong
- Molecular Ecology Group, SLU, 901 83, UMEÅ, Sweden
| | | | - Leanne K Van der Weyde
- Cheetah Conservation Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
- San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, CA, USA
| | | | - Neil H Carter
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Nathan J Sanders
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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35
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Newman BA, Dyal JR, Miller KV, Cherry MJ, D'Angelo GJ. Influence of visual perception on movement decisions by an ungulate prey species. Biol Open 2023; 12:bio059932. [PMID: 37843403 PMCID: PMC10602006 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual perception is dynamic and depends on physiological properties of a species' visual system and physical characteristics of the environment. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are most sensitive to short- and mid-wavelength light (e.g. blue and green). Wavelength enrichment varies spatially and temporally across the landscape. We assessed how the visual perception of deer influences their movement decisions. From August to September 2019, we recorded 10-min locations from 15 GPS-collared adult male deer in Central Florida. We used Hidden-Markov models to identify periods of movement by deer and subset these data into three time periods based on temporal changes in light environments. We modeled resource selection during movement using path-selection functions and simulated 10 available paths for every path used. We developed five a priori models and used 10-fold cross validation to assess our top model's performance for each time period. During the day, deer selected to move through woodland shade, avoided forest shade, and neither selected nor avoided small gaps. At twilight, deer avoided wetlands as cloud cover increased but neither selected nor avoided other cover types. Visual cues and signals are likely more conspicuous to deer in short-wavelength-enriched woodland shade during the day, while at twilight in long-wavelength-enriched wetlands during cloud cover, visual cues are likely less conspicuous. The nocturnal light environment did not influence resource selection and likely has little effect on deer movements because it's relatively homogenous. Our findings suggest visual perception relative to light environments is likely an underappreciated driver of behaviors and decision-making by an ungulate prey species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blaise A. Newman
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Jordan R. Dyal
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Karl V. Miller
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Michael J. Cherry
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 700 University Blvd., Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - Gino J. D'Angelo
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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36
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Moore JH, Gibson L, Amir Z, Chanthorn W, Ahmad AH, Jansen PA, Mendes CP, Onuma M, Peres CA, Luskin MS. The rise of hyperabundant native generalists threatens both humans and nature. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1829-1844. [PMID: 37311559 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In many disturbed terrestrial landscapes, a subset of native generalist vertebrates thrives. The population trends of these disturbance-tolerant species may be driven by multiple factors, including habitat preferences, foraging opportunities (including crop raiding or human refuse), lower mortality when their predators are persecuted (the 'human shield' effect) and reduced competition due to declines of disturbance-sensitive species. A pronounced elevation in the abundance of disturbance-tolerant wildlife can drive numerous cascading impacts on food webs, biodiversity, vegetation structure and people in coupled human-natural systems. There is also concern for increased risk of zoonotic disease transfer to humans and domestic animals from wildlife species with high pathogen loads as their abundance and proximity to humans increases. Here we use field data from 58 landscapes to document a supra-regional phenomenon of the hyperabundance and community dominance of Southeast Asian wild pigs and macaques. These two groups were chosen as prime candidates capable of reaching hyperabundance as they are edge adapted, with gregarious social structure, omnivorous diets, rapid reproduction and high tolerance to human proximity. Compared to intact interior forests, population densities in degraded forests were 148% and 87% higher for wild boar and macaques, respectively. In landscapes with >60% oil palm coverage, wild boar and pig-tailed macaque estimated abundances were 337% and 447% higher than landscapes with <1% oil palm coverage, respectively, suggesting marked demographic benefits accrued by crop raiding on calorie-rich food subsidies. There was extreme community dominance in forest landscapes with >20% oil palm cover where two pig and two macaque species accounted for >80% of independent camera trap detections, leaving <20% for the other 85 mammal species >1 kg considered. Establishing the population trends of pigs and macaques is imperative since they are linked to cascading impacts on the fauna and flora of local forest ecosystems, disease and human health, and economics (i.e., crop losses). The severity of potential negative cascading effects may motivate control efforts to achieve ecosystem integrity, human health and conservation objectives. Our review concludes that the rise of native generalists can be mediated by specific types of degradation, which influences the ecology and conservation of natural areas, creating both positive and detrimental impacts on intact ecosystems and human society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan H Moore
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Luke Gibson
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zachary Amir
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Wirong Chanthorn
- Department of Environmental Technology and Management, Faculty of Environment, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngamwongwan Road, Jatujak District, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand
| | - Abdul Hamid Ahmad
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, 88400, Malaysia
| | - Patrick A Jansen
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 4, Wageningen, 6708 PB, Netherlands
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Roosevelt Ave. Tupper Building - 401, Panama City, 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Calebe P Mendes
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Manabu Onuma
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onagava, Tsukuba-City, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Carlos A Peres
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
- Instituto Juruá, R. Ajuricaba, 359 - Aleixo, Manaus, 69083-020, Brazil
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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Poulin MP, Cherry SG, Merkle JA. Dynamic balancing of risks and rewards in a large herbivore: Further extending predator-prey concepts to road ecology. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:1954-1965. [PMID: 37462330 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Animal behaviour is shaped by the ability to identify risks and profitably balance the levels of risks encountered with the payoffs experienced. Anthropogenic disturbances like roads generate novel risks and opportunities that wildlife must accurately perceive and respond to. Basic concepts in predator-prey ecology are often used to understand responses of animals to roads (e.g. increased vigilance, selection for cover in their vicinity). However, prey often display complex behaviours such as modulating space use given varying risks and rewards, and it is unclear if such dynamic balancing is used by animals in the context of road crossings. We tested whether animals dynamically balance risks and rewards relative to roads using extensive field-based and GPS collar data from elk in Yoho National Park (British Columbia, Canada), where a major highway completely bisects their range during most of the year. We analysed elk behaviour by combining hidden Markov movement models with a step-selection function framework. Rewards were indexed by a dynamic map of available forage biomass, and risks were indexed by road crossings and traffic volumes. We found that elk generally selected intermediate and high forage biomass, and avoided crossing the road. Most of the time, elk modulated their behaviour given varying risks and rewards. When crossing the highway compared with not crossing, elk selected for greater forage biomass and this selection was stronger as the number of highway crossings increased. However, with traffic volume, elk only balanced foraging rewards when they crossed a single time during a travel sequence. Using a road ecology system, we empirically tested an important component of predator-prey ecology-the ability to dynamically modulate behaviour in response to varying levels of risks and rewards. Such a test articulates how decision-making processes that consider the spatiotemporal variation in risks and rewards allow animals to successfully and profitably navigate busy roads. Applying well-developed concepts in predator-prey theory helps understand how animals respond to anthropogenic disturbances and anticipate the adaptive capacity for individuals and populations to adjust to rapidly changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Pier Poulin
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Seth G Cherry
- Parks Canada Agency, Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jerod A Merkle
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
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Batabyal A. Predator-prey systems as models for integrative research in biology: the value of a non-consumptive effects framework. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245851. [PMID: 37772622 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions are a cornerstone of many ecological and evolutionary processes that influence various levels of biological organization, from individuals to ecosystems. Predators play a crucial role in shaping ecosystems through the consumption of prey species and non-consumptive effects. Non-consumptive effects (NCEs) can induce changes in prey behavior, including altered foraging strategies, habitat selection, life history and anti-predator responses. These defensive strategies have physiological consequences for prey, affecting their growth, reproduction and immune function to name a few. Numerous experimental studies have incorporated NCEs in investigating predator-prey dynamics in the past decade. Interestingly, predator-prey systems can also be used as experimental models to answer physiology, cognition and adaptability questions. In this Commentary, I highlight research that uses NCEs in predator-prey systems to provide novel insights into cognition, adaptation, epigenetic inheritance and aging. I discuss the evolution of instinct, anxiety and other cognitive disorders, the shaping of brain connectomes, stress-induced aging and the development of behavioral coping styles. I outline how studies can integrate the investigation of NCEs with advanced behavioral, genomic and neurological tools to provide novel insights into physiological and cognitive health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Batabyal
- Department of Physical and Natural Sciences, FLAME University, Pune 412115, India
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Abernathy HN, Crawford DA, Chandler RB, Garrison EP, Conner LM, Miller KV, Cherry MJ. Rain, recreation and risk: Human activity and ecological disturbance create seasonal risk landscapes for the prey of an ambush predator. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:1840-1855. [PMID: 37415521 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Predation risk and prey responses exhibit fluctuations in space and time. Seasonal ecological disturbances can alter landscape structure and permeability to influence predator activity and efficacy, creating predictable patterns of risk for prey (seasonal risk landscapes). This may create corresponding seasonal shifts in antipredator behaviour, mediated by species ecology and trade-offs between risk and resources. Yet, how human recreation interacts with seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator behaviour remains understudied. In South Florida, we investigated the impact of a seasonal ecological disturbance, specifically flooding, which is inversely related to human activity, on interactions between Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We hypothesized that human activity and ecological disturbances would interact with panther-deer ecology, resulting in the emergence of two distinct seasonal landscapes of predation risk and the corresponding antipredator responses. We conducted camera trap surveys across southwestern Florida to collect detection data on humans, panthers and deer. We analysed the influence of human site use and flooding on deer and panther detection probability, co-occurrence and diel activity during the flooded and dry seasons. Flooding led to decreased panther detections and increased deer detections, resulting in reduced deer-panther co-occurrence during the flooded season. Panthers exhibited increased nocturnality and reduced diel activity overlap with deer in areas with higher human activity. Supporting our hypothesis, panthers' avoidance of human recreation and flooding created distinct risk schedules for deer, driving their antipredator behaviour. Deer utilized flooded areas to spatially offset predation risk during the flooded season while increasing diurnal activity in response to human recreation during the dry season. We highlight the importance of understanding how competing risks and ecological disturbances influence predator and prey behaviour, leading to the generation of seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator responses. We emphasize the role of cyclical ecological disturbances in shaping dynamic predator-prey interactions. Furthermore, we highlight how human recreation may function as a 'temporal human shield,' altering seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator responses to reduce encounter rates between predators and prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- H N Abernathy
- Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, USA
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - D A Crawford
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, USA
- Jones Center at Ichauway, Newton, Georgia, USA
| | - R B Chandler
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - E P Garrison
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - L M Conner
- Jones Center at Ichauway, Newton, Georgia, USA
| | - K V Miller
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - M J Cherry
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, USA
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Turner JW, Prokopenko CM, Kingdon KA, Dupont DLJ, Zabihi-Seissan S, Vander Wal E. Death comes for us all: relating movement-integrated habitat selection and social behavior to human-associated and disease-related mortality among gray wolves. Oecologia 2023; 202:685-697. [PMID: 37515598 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05426-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Avoiding death affects biological processes, including behavior. Habitat selection, movement, and sociality are highly flexible behaviors that influence the mortality risks and subsequent fitness of individuals. In the Anthropocene, animals are experiencing increased risks from direct human causes and increased spread of infectious diseases. Using integrated step selection analysis, we tested how the habitat selection, movement, and social behaviors of gray wolves vary in the two months prior to death due to humans (being shot or trapped) or canine distemper virus (CDV). We further tested how those behaviors vary as a prelude to death. We studied populations of wolves that occurred under two different management schemes: a national park managed for conservation and a provincially managed multi-use area. Behaviors that changed prior to death were strongly related to how an animal eventually died. Wolves killed by humans moved slower than wolves that survived and selected to be nearer roads closer in time to their death. Wolves that died due to CDV moved progressively slower as they neared death and reduced their avoidance of wet habitats. All animals, regardless of dying or living, maintained selection to be near packmates across time, which seemingly contributed to disease dynamics in the packs infected with CDV. There were no noticeable differences in behavior between the two management areas. Overall, habitat selection, movement, and sociality interact to put individuals and groups at greater risks, influencing their cause-specific mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie W Turner
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - Christina M Prokopenko
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Katrien A Kingdon
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Daniel L J Dupont
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
- Département des sciences expérimentales, Université de Saint-Boniface, 200 ave de la Cathédrale, Winnipeg, MB, R2H 0H7, Canada
| | - Sana Zabihi-Seissan
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
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Kaur D, Iqbal A, Soto I, Kubec J, Buřič M. Effects of chemical cues and prior experience on predator avoidance in crayfish. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10426. [PMID: 37575590 PMCID: PMC10421732 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10426] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Multisensory stimuli provide organisms with information to assess the threat present in the surroundings. Olfactory cues show dominance over other sensory modalities in the aquatic environment. The impact of chemical predator cues combined with experiences gained (learning) in species without previous contact is not fully understood. We investigated the foraging and shelter-seeking behaviour of naïve and experienced marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis juveniles in response to the chemical signals of pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus alone and in combination with alarm chemicals produced by preyed-upon conspecifics. Naïve and experienced (previously exposed to pumpkinseed predation) juveniles were stocked in an arena with shelter and feed and exposed (1) to water from a tank containing a predator actively feeding on conspecifics, (2) water from a tank with predator only and (3) water only as control. Crayfish exposed to the combined stimuli avoided the inlet zone and gravitated to shelter zone of the arena to a greater extent than did those exposed to predator-only cues and the control. Regardless of the treatment, experienced crayfish showed significantly reduced interest in feeding. Our findings imply that crayfish response to threat-associated odours with the greatest potency when visual or tactile cues are present, while previous encounters with predators may make them more cautious.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davinder Kaur
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of WatersUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceVodňanyCzech Republic
| | - Azeem Iqbal
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of WatersUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceVodňanyCzech Republic
| | - Ismael Soto
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of WatersUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceVodňanyCzech Republic
| | - Jan Kubec
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of WatersUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceVodňanyCzech Republic
| | - Miloš Buřič
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of WatersUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceVodňanyCzech Republic
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Bödeker K, Jordan-Fragstein C, Vor T, Ammer C, Knoke T. Abrupt height growth setbacks show overbrowsing of tree saplings, which can be reduced by raising deer harvest. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12021. [PMID: 37491457 PMCID: PMC10368749 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38951-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Intensive ungulate browsing significantly impacts forests worldwide. However, it is usually not single browsing events that lead to sapling mortality, but the little-researched interactions of browsed saplings with their biotic and abiotic environment. (I) Our objective was to assess the impact of ungulate browsing on the growth of young saplings relative to other environmental factors by utilizing their height increment as a sensitive measure of vitality to indicate their status. (II) Furthermore, we aimed to identify factors affecting ungulate browsing at our study sites, assessed as browsing probabilities, and identify effective mitigation measures for browsing impact. We analyzed an extensive sapling dataset of 248 wildlife exclosures, which were erected in 2016 in beech dominated forests across Germany and assessed annually until 2020. (I) Browsing probability and light availability were the most influential parameters for selectively browsed, admixed tree species (e.g., sycamore maple). Height increment showed abrupt setbacks, which caused a permanent collapse of growth when browsing exceeded a certain level. However, light availability enhanced height increment. (II) An increase in deer harvest reduced the browsing probability of selectively browsed species considerably. We conclude that the growth-inhibiting effect of ungulate browsing is a multifactorial phenomenon, which can be mitigated by silvicultural management and efficient hunting strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Bödeker
- Institute of Forest Management, Department of Life Science Systems, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany.
| | - Claudia Jordan-Fragstein
- Chair of Forest Protection, Institute of Silviculture and Forest Protection, Tecnical Universeity of Dresden, Pienner Straße 8, 01737, Tharandt, Germany
| | - Torsten Vor
- Faculty of Resource Management, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Büsgenweg 1a, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Ammer
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones and Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Knoke
- Institute of Forest Management, Department of Life Science Systems, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
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Ferreira CM, Dammhahn M, Eccard JA. So many choices, so little time: Food preference and movement vary with the landscape of fear. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10330. [PMID: 37520778 PMCID: PMC10372006 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial and temporal variation in perceived predation risk is an important determinant of movement and foraging activity of animals. Foraging in this landscape of fear, individuals need to decide where and when to move, and what resources to choose. Foraging theory predicts the outcome of these decisions based on energetic trade-offs, but complex interactions between perceived predation risk and preferences of foragers for certain functional traits of their resources are rarely considered. Here, we studied the interactive effects of perceived predation risk on food trait preferences and foraging behavior in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in experimental landscapes. Individuals (n = 19) were subjected for periods of 24 h to two extreme, risk-uniform landscapes (either risky or safe), containing 25 discrete food patches, filled with seeds of four plant species in even amounts. Seeds varied in functional traits: size, nutrients, and shape. We evaluated whether and how risk modifies forager preference for functional traits. We also investigated whether perceived risk and distance from shelter affected giving-up density (GUD), time in patches, and number of patch visits. In safe landscapes, individuals increased time spent in patches, lowered GUD and visited distant patches more often compared to risky landscapes. Individuals preferred bigger seeds independent of risk, but in the safe treatment they preferred fat-rich over carb-rich seeds. Thus, higher densities of resource levels remained in risky landscapes, while in safe landscapes resource density was lower and less diverse due to selective foraging. Our results suggest that the interaction of perceived risk and dietary preference adds an additional layer to the cascading effects of a landscape of fear which affects biodiversity at resource level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Mendes Ferreira
- Animal Ecology, Institute for Biochemistry and BiologyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Melanie Dammhahn
- Behavioural Biology, Institute for Neuro‐ and Behavioural BiologyUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany
| | - Jana A. Eccard
- Animal Ecology, Institute for Biochemistry and BiologyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
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Taylor P, Swan M, Sitters H, Smith A, Di Stefano J. Small mammals reduce activity during high moon illumination under risk of predation by introduced predators. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10532. [PMID: 37386037 PMCID: PMC10310734 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37166-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Predation influences prey survival and drives evolution of anti-predator behaviour. Anti-predator strategies by prey are stimulated by direct encounters with predators, but also by exposure to indicators of risk such as moonlight illumination and vegetation cover. Many prey species will suffer increased risk on moonlit nights, but risk may be reduced by the presence of dense vegetation. Determining the role of vegetation in reducing perceived risk is important, especially given predictions of increased global wildfire, which consumes vegetation and increases predation. We used remote cameras in southeastern Australia to compare support for the predation risk and habitat-mediated predation risk hypotheses. We examined the influence of moonlight and understorey cover on seven 20-2500 g mammalian prey species and two introduced predators, red foxes and feral cats. Activity of all prey species reduced by 40-70% with increasing moonlight, while one species (bush rat) reduced activity in response to increasing moonlight more sharply in low compared to high understorey cover. Neither predator responded to moonlight. Our findings supported the predation risk hypothesis and provided limited support for the habitat-mediated predation risk hypothesis. For prey, perceived costs of increased predation risk on moonlit nights outweighed any benefits of a brighter foraging environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Taylor
- School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, VIC, 3363, Australia
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, 1447 Forest Road, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia
| | - M Swan
- School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, VIC, 3363, Australia.
| | - H Sitters
- School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, VIC, 3363, Australia
| | - A Smith
- School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, VIC, 3363, Australia
| | - J Di Stefano
- School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, VIC, 3363, Australia
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45
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Fakan EP, Allan BJM, Illing B, Hoey AS, McCormick MI. Habitat complexity and predator odours impact on the stress response and antipredation behaviour in coral reef fish. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286570. [PMID: 37379294 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Mass coral bleaching events coupled with local stressors have caused regional-scale loss of corals on reefs globally. Following the loss of corals, the structural complexity of these habitats is often reduced. By providing shelter, obscuring visual information, or physically impeding predators, habitat complexity can influence predation risk and the perception of risk by prey. Yet little is known on how habitat complexity and risk assessment interact to influence predator-prey interactions. To better understand how prey's perception of threats may shift in degraded ecosystems, we reared juvenile Pomacentrus chrysurus in environments of various habitat complexity levels and then exposed them to olfactory risk odours before simulating a predator strike. We found that the fast-start escape responses were enhanced when forewarned with olfactory cues of a predator and in environments of increasing complexity. However, no interaction between complexity and olfactory cues was observed in escape responses. To ascertain if the mechanisms used to modify these escape responses were facilitated through hormonal pathways, we conducted whole-body cortisol analysis. Cortisol concentrations interacted with habitat complexity and risk odours, such that P. chrysurus exhibited elevated cortisol levels when forewarned with predator odours, but only when complexity levels were low. Our study suggests that as complexity is lost, prey may more appropriately assess predation risk, likely as a result of receiving additional visual information. Prey's ability to modify their responses depending on the environmental context suggests that they may be able to partly alleviate the risk of increased predator-prey interactions as structural complexity is reduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric P Fakan
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- College of Sciences and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Bridie J M Allan
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Björn Illing
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- Thünen Institute of Fisheries Ecology, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Andrew S Hoey
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- College of Sciences and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark I McCormick
- Coastal Marine Field Station, School of Science, University of Waikato, Tauranga, New Zealand
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Tucker MA, Schipper AM, Adams TSF, Attias N, Avgar T, Babic NL, Barker KJ, Bastille-Rousseau G, Behr DM, Belant JL, Beyer DE, Blaum N, Blount JD, Bockmühl D, Pires Boulhosa RL, Brown MB, Buuveibaatar B, Cagnacci F, Calabrese JM, Černe R, Chamaillé-Jammes S, Chan AN, Chase MJ, Chaval Y, Chenaux-Ibrahim Y, Cherry SG, Ćirović D, Çoban E, Cole EK, Conlee L, Courtemanch A, Cozzi G, Davidson SC, DeBloois D, Dejid N, DeNicola V, Desbiez ALJ, Douglas-Hamilton I, Drake D, Egan M, Eikelboom JAJ, Fagan WF, Farmer MJ, Fennessy J, Finnegan SP, Fleming CH, Fournier B, Fowler NL, Gantchoff MG, Garnier A, Gehr B, Geremia C, Goheen JR, Hauptfleisch ML, Hebblewhite M, Heim M, Hertel AG, Heurich M, Hewison AJM, Hodson J, Hoffman N, Hopcraft JGC, Huber D, Isaac EJ, Janik K, Ježek M, Johansson Ö, Jordan NR, Kaczensky P, Kamaru DN, Kauffman MJ, Kautz TM, Kays R, Kelly AP, Kindberg J, Krofel M, Kusak J, Lamb CT, LaSharr TN, Leimgruber P, Leitner H, Lierz M, Linnell JDC, Lkhagvaja P, Long RA, López-Bao JV, Loretto MC, Marchand P, Martin H, Martinez LA, McBride RT, McLaren AAD, Meisingset E, Melzheimer J, Merrill EH, Middleton AD, Monteith KL, Moore SA, Van Moorter B, Morellet N, Morrison T, Müller R, Mysterud A, Noonan MJ, O'Connor D, Olson D, Olson KA, Ortega AC, Ossi F, Panzacchi M, Patchett R, Patterson BR, de Paula RC, Payne J, Peters W, Petroelje TR, Pitcher BJ, Pokorny B, Poole K, Potočnik H, Poulin MP, Pringle RM, Prins HHT, Ranc N, Reljić S, Robb B, Röder R, Rolandsen CM, Rutz C, Salemgareyev AR, Samelius G, Sayine-Crawford H, Schooler S, Şekercioğlu ÇH, Selva N, Semenzato P, Sergiel A, Sharma K, Shawler AL, Signer J, Silovský V, Silva JP, Simon R, Smiley RA, Smith DW, Solberg EJ, Ellis-Soto D, Spiegel O, Stabach J, Stacy-Dawes J, Stahler DR, Stephenson J, Stewart C, Strand O, Sunde P, Svoboda NJ, Swart J, Thompson JJ, Toal KL, Uiseb K, VanAcker MC, Velilla M, Verzuh TL, Wachter B, Wagler BL, Whittington J, Wikelski M, Wilmers CC, Wittemyer G, Young JK, Zięba F, Zwijacz-Kozica T, Huijbregts MAJ, Mueller T. Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns. Science 2023; 380:1059-1064. [PMID: 37289888 DOI: 10.1126/science.abo6499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change in average movements or road avoidance behavior, likely due to variable lockdown conditions. However, under strict lockdowns 10-day 95th percentile displacements increased by 73%, suggesting increased landscape permeability. Animals' 1-hour 95th percentile displacements declined by 12% and animals were 36% closer to roads in areas of high human footprint, indicating reduced avoidance during lockdowns. Overall, lockdowns rapidly altered some spatial behaviors, highlighting variable but substantial impacts of human mobility on wildlife worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlee A Tucker
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9010, 6500, GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Aafke M Schipper
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9010, 6500, GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Nina Attias
- Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Tal Avgar
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322 USA
| | - Natarsha L Babic
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Kristin J Barker
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | | | - Dominik M Behr
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH - 8057 Zürich
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Private Bag 13, Maun, Botswana
| | - Jerrold L Belant
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Dean E Beyer
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Niels Blaum
- University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Am Mühlenberg 3, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - J David Blount
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, 257 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Dirk Bockmühl
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Michael B Brown
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Eros, PO Box 86099, Windhoek, Namibia
- Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
| | | | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Justin M Calabrese
- Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), Goerlitz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4094 Campus Dr, College Park, MA, USA
| | - Rok Černe
- Slovenia Forest service, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simon Chamaillé-Jammes
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Aung Nyein Chan
- Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
- Dept. Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80525, USA
| | | | - Yannick Chaval
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne, F-31320 Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Yvette Chenaux-Ibrahim
- Department of Biology and Environment, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage, MN 55605 USA
| | - Seth G Cherry
- Parks Canada Agency, Box 220, Radium Hot Springs, BC, V0A 1M0, Canada
| | - Duško Ćirović
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Emrah Çoban
- KuzeyDoğa Society, Ortakapı Mah. Şehit Yusuf Cad. 69, 36100 Kars, Turkey
| | - Eric K Cole
- U.S. Fish and Wildlfe Service, National Elk Refuge, PO Box 510, Jackson, WY 83001
| | - Laura Conlee
- Missouri Department of Conservation, Columbia, MO, 65201, USA
| | | | - Gabriele Cozzi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH - 8057 Zürich
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Private Bag 13, Maun, Botswana
| | - Sarah C Davidson
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, 43210 Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Nandintsetseg Dejid
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Arnaud L J Desbiez
- Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), Murrayfield, Edinburgh, UK
- Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ), Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Iain Douglas-Hamilton
- Save the Elephants, Marula Manor, Marula Lane, Karen, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
- Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - David Drake
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706 USA
| | - Michael Egan
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne, F-31320 Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Jasper A J Eikelboom
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - William F Fagan
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4094 Campus Dr, College Park, MA, USA
| | - Morgan J Farmer
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 USA
| | - Julian Fennessy
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Eros, PO Box 86099, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Shannon P Finnegan
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Christen H Fleming
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4094 Campus Dr, College Park, MA, USA
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Bonnie Fournier
- Wildlife and Fish Division, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, P.O. Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | - Nicholas L Fowler
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 43961 Kalifornsky Beach Road, Suite B, Soldotna, AK 99669, USA
| | - Mariela G Gantchoff
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469 USA
| | - Alexandre Garnier
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
- Parc National des Pyrénées, 65000 Tarbes, France
| | - Benedikt Gehr
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chris Geremia
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, PO Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 USA
| | - Morgan L Hauptfleisch
- Biodiversity Research Centre, Namibia University of Science and Technnology Pvt bag 13388 Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59801
| | - Morten Heim
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Terrestrial Ecology Department, P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Anne G Hertel
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Marco Heurich
- Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring, Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Straße 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for forest and wildlife management, Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad, Inland Norway University of Applied Science, NO-2480 Koppang, Norway
| | - A J Mark Hewison
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne, F-31320 Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - James Hodson
- Wildlife and Fish Division, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, P.O. Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT Canada X1A 2L9
| | - Nicholas Hoffman
- Ecological Program, Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard Training Center, Annville, PA 17003, USA
| | - J Grant C Hopcraft
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow UK G12 8QQ
| | - Djuro Huber
- Veterinary Biology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Edmund J Isaac
- Department of Biology and Environment, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage, MN 55605 USA
| | - Karolina Janik
- City of New York Parks and Recreation, Wildlife Unit, 1234 5th Avenue, 5th Floor, NY 10029
| | - Miloš Ježek
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Örjan Johansson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
- Snow Leopard Trust, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98103, USA
| | - Neil R Jordan
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Private Bag 13, Maun, Botswana
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Conservation Society, Sydney, NSW, 2088, Australia
| | - Petra Kaczensky
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Norway
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Austria
| | - Douglas N Kamaru
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 USA
- Wildlife Department, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Private Bag-10400, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Matthew J Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Todd M Kautz
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Roland Kays
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, 27601, USA
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Allicia P Kelly
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, P.O. Box 2668, Yellowknife, NT Canada X1A 2P9
| | - Jonas Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-7484 Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE- 901 83 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Miha Krofel
- Department of Forestry, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred- Kowalke- Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Josip Kusak
- Veterinary Biology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Clayton T Lamb
- Biological Sciences Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Tayler N LaSharr
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 804 East Fremont, Laramie, WY 82072
| | - Peter Leimgruber
- Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
| | - Horst Leitner
- Büro für Wildökologie und Forstwirtschaft, Klagenfurth, Austria
| | - Michael Lierz
- Clinic for birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany
| | - John D C Linnell
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Terrestrial Ecology Department, P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Anne Evenstads vei 80, 2480 Koppang, Norway
| | | | - Ryan A Long
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844 USA
| | - José Vicente López-Bao
- Biodiversity Research Institute (CSIC - Oviedo University - Principality of Asturias), Oviedo University, E-33600 Mieres, Spain
| | - Matthias-Claudio Loretto
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, 85354 Freising, Germany
- Berchtesgaden National Park, 83471 Berchtesgaden, Germany
| | - Pascal Marchand
- Office Français de la Biodiversité, Direction de la Recherche et de l'Expertise, Unité Ongulés Sauvages, Juvignac, France
| | - Hans Martin
- Wildlife Biology Program, Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59801
| | - Lindsay A Martinez
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Roy T McBride
- Faro Moro Eco Research, Estancia Faro Moro, Departmento de Boquerón, Paraguay
| | - Ashley A D McLaren
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8, Canada
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, Highway 5, PO Box 900, Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, X0E 0P0, Canada
| | - Erling Meisingset
- Department of Forestry and Forestry resources, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Tingvoll gard, NO-6630 Tingvoll, Norway
| | - Joerg Melzheimer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Evelyn H Merrill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Arthur D Middleton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Kevin L Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 804 East Fremont, Laramie, WY 82072
| | - Seth A Moore
- Department of Biology and Environment, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage, MN 55605 USA
| | - Bram Van Moorter
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Terrestrial Ecology Department, P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Nicolas Morellet
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne, F-31320 Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Thomas Morrison
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow UK G12 8QQ
| | - Rebekka Müller
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael J Noonan
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David O'Connor
- Save Giraffe Now, 8333 Douglas Avenue, Suite 300, Dallas, Texas 75225
- The Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- National Geographic Partners, 1145 17th Street NW, Washington DC 20036, USA
| | | | - Kirk A Olson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia Program. Post 20A, Box 21, Ulaanbaatar 14200, Mongolia
| | - Anna C Ortega
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 USA
| | - Federico Ossi
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Manuela Panzacchi
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Terrestrial Ecology Department, P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Robert Patchett
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Brent R Patterson
- Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Rogerio Cunha de Paula
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, SP, 12952011 Brazil
| | - John Payne
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wibke Peters
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Wildlife Management, Bavarian State Institute for Forestry, Hans-Carl-von Carlowitz Platz 1, 85354 Freising
| | - Tyler R Petroelje
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Benjamin J Pitcher
- Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Conservation Society, Sydney, NSW, 2088, Australia
- School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Boštjan Pokorny
- Faculty of Environmental Protection, Trg mladosti 7, 3320 Velenje, Slovenia
- Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Biodiversity, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000 Koper, Slovenia
| | - Kim Poole
- Aurora Wildlife Research, 1918 Shannon Point Rd., Nelson, BC, V1L 6K1 Canada
| | - Hubert Potočnik
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marie-Pier Poulin
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071 USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA
| | - Herbert H T Prins
- Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Nathan Ranc
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge MA 02138, USA
| | - Slaven Reljić
- Veterinary Biology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Oikon Ltd, Institute of Applied Ecology, Trg Senjskih uskoka 1-2, HR-10020 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Benjamin Robb
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Ralf Röder
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christer M Rolandsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Terrestrial Ecology Department, P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Christian Rutz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Albert R Salemgareyev
- Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), Nur-Sultan, 010000, Kazakhstan
| | - Gustaf Samelius
- Snow Leopard Trust, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98103, USA
- Nordens Ark, 456 93 Hunnebostrand, Sweden
| | - Heather Sayine-Crawford
- Wildlife and Fish Division, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, P.O. Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT Canada X1A 2L9
| | - Sarah Schooler
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Çağan H Şekercioğlu
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, 257 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
- KuzeyDoğa Society, Ortakapı Mah. Şehit Yusuf Cad. 69, 36100 Kars, Turkey
- Koç University Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, Rumelifeneri, Istanbul, Sarıyer, Turkey
| | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences, Adama Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
- Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Física, Matemáticas y Computación, Universidad de Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain
| | - Paola Semenzato
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- Dimension Research, Ecology and Environment (D.R.E.Am. Italia), Via Garibaldi, 3, 52015 Pratovecchio Stia (AR), Italy
| | - Agnieszka Sergiel
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences, Adama Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
| | - Koustubh Sharma
- Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, WA 98103, USA
- Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
- Snow Leopard Foundation, Kyrgyzstan Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
- Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore 570002, India
| | - Avery L Shawler
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Johannes Signer
- Wildlife Sciences, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen Germany
| | - Václav Silovský
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
| | - João Paulo Silva
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Richard Simon
- City of New York Parks and Recreation, Wildlife Unit, 1234 5th Avenue, 5th Floor, NY, NY, 10029
| | - Rachel A Smiley
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 804 East Fremont, Laramie, WY 82072
| | - Douglas W Smith
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, PO Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
| | - Erling J Solberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Terrestrial Ecology Department, P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Diego Ellis-Soto
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Max Planck - Yale Center for Biodiversity Movement and Global Change, Yale University
| | - Orr Spiegel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Jared Stabach
- Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
| | - Jenna Stacy-Dawes
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, 92027 USA
| | - Daniel R Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, PO Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
| | - John Stephenson
- Grand Teton National Park, PO Drawer 170, Moose, Wyoming 83012 USA
| | - Cheyenne Stewart
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 700 Valley View Dr. Sheridan, WY 82801
| | - Olav Strand
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Terrestrial Ecology Department, P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Peter Sunde
- Aarhus University, Department of Ecoscience - Wildlife Ecology, C.F. Møllers Allé 4-8, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | | | - Jonathan Swart
- Welgevonden Game Reserve, P.O. Box 433, Vaalwater, South Africa
| | - Jeffrey J Thompson
- Guyra Paraguay - CONACYT, Asunción, Paraguay
- Instituto Saite, Asunción, Paraguay
| | - Katrina L Toal
- City of New York Parks and Recreation, Wildlife Unit, 1234 5th Avenue, 5th Floor, NY, NY, 10029
| | - Kenneth Uiseb
- Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Meredith C VanAcker
- Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
- Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, NY, NY 10027
| | - Marianela Velilla
- Guyra Paraguay - CONACYT, Asunción, Paraguay
- Instituto Saite, Asunción, Paraguay
- School of Natural Resources, University of Arizona, 1064 E Lowell St, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Tana L Verzuh
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 804 East Fremont, Laramie, WY 82072
| | - Bettina Wachter
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Brittany L Wagler
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 804 East Fremont, Laramie, WY 82072
| | - Jesse Whittington
- Park Canada, Banff National Park Resource Conservation. PO Box 900, Banff, Alberta, Canada. T1L 1K2
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Christopher C Wilmers
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz CA, 95064 USA
| | - George Wittemyer
- Save the Elephants, Marula Manor, Marula Lane, Karen, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - Julie K Young
- USDA National Wildlife Research Center, Predator Research Facility, Millville, UT 84326 USA
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322 USA
| | - Filip Zięba
- Tatra National Park, Kuźnice 1, 34-500, Zakopane, Poland
| | | | - Mark A J Huijbregts
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9010, 6500, GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Enos JK, Ducay R, Paitz RT, Ward MP, Hauber ME. Female red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) do not alter nest site selection, maternal programming, or hormone-mediated maternal effects in response to perceived nest predation or brood parasitism risk. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023:114322. [PMID: 37247827 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Predation or brood parasitism risks can change the behaviors and reproductive decisions in many parental animals. For oviparous species, mothers can mitigate their reproductive success in at least three ways: (1) by avoiding nest sites with high predation or parasitism risks, (2) through hormonal maternal effects that developmentally prime offspring for survival in risky environments, or (3) by investing less in reproduction when predation or parasitism risks are high. Here, we tested if perceived predation and parasitism risks can induce any of these behavioral or physiological responses by exposing female red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to playbacks of two major nest threats, a predator (Cooper's hawk, Accipiter cooperii) and an obligate brood parasite (brown-headed cowbird; Molothrus ater), as well as two controls (harmless Eastern meadowlark, Sturnella magna; and silence). We found that female blackbirds did not avoid nesting at sites treated with predator or brood parasite playbacks, nor were females more likely to abandon nesting attempts at these sites. Egg size and yolk hormone profiles, which are common proxies for maternal investment in oviparous species, were statistically similar across treatment sites. Instead, we found intraclutch variation in yolk steroid hormone profiles: concentrations of three progestogens (pregnanedione, 17α-hydroxypregnenolone, and deoxycorticosterone) and two androgens (testosterone and androstenedione) were higher in third-laid than first-laid eggs. Our study largely confirms previous findings of consistent intraclutch yolk hormone variation in this species, in birds in general, and in other oviparous lineages, but uniquely reports on several yolk steroid hormones largely overlooked in the literature on hormone-mediated maternal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice K Enos
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820, USA.
| | - Rebecca Ducay
- Southern Illinois University, School of Forestry, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
| | - Ryan T Paitz
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790, USA
| | - Michael P Ward
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820, USA; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820, USA; Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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48
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Justa P, Lyngdoh S. Understanding carnivore interactions in a cold arid trans-Himalayan landscape: What drives co-existence patterns within predator guild along varying resource gradients? Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10040. [PMID: 37181213 PMCID: PMC10173057 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10040] [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: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Predators compete for resources aggressively, forming trophic hierarchies that shape the structure of an ecosystem. Competitive interactions between species are modified in the human-altered environment and become particularly important where an introduced predator can have negative effects on native predator and prey species. The trans-Himalayan region of northern India has seen significant development in tourism and associated infrastructure over the last two decades, resulting in many changes to the natural setting of the landscape. While tourism, combined with unmanaged garbage can facilitate red fox (Vulpes vulpes), it also allows free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), an introduced mesopredator to thrive, possibly more than the native red fox. We look at the little-known competitive dynamics of these two meso-carnivores, as well as their intra-guild interactions with the region's top carnivores, the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the Himalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco). To study interactions between these four carnivores, we performed multispecies occupancy modeling and analyzed spatiotemporal interactions between these predators using camera trap data. We also collected scat samples to calculate dietary niche overlaps and determine the extent of competition for food resources between these carnivores. The study found that, after controlling for habitat and prey covariates, red fox site use was related positively to snow leopard site use, but negatively to dog and wolf site use. In addition, site use of the dog was associated negatively with top predators, that is, snow leopard and Himalayan wolf, while top predators themselves related negatively in their site use. As anthropogenic impacts increase, we find that these predators coexist in this resource-scarce landscape through dietary or spatiotemporal segregation, implying competition for limited resources. Our research adds to the scant ecological knowledge of the predators in the region and improves our understanding of community dynamics in human-altered ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Justa
- Department of Landscape Level Planning & ManagementWildlife Institute of IndiaDehradunIndia
- Academy of Scientific & Innovative ResearchGhaziabadIndia
| | - Salvador Lyngdoh
- Department of Landscape Level Planning & ManagementWildlife Institute of IndiaDehradunIndia
- Academy of Scientific & Innovative ResearchGhaziabadIndia
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49
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Redondo‐Gómez D, Rossi L, Cardello M, De Pasquale S, Martínez‐Carrasco C, Sánchez‐Zapata JA, Moleón M. Top‐predator carrion is scary: Fight‐and‐flight responses of wild boars to wolf carcasses. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9911. [PMID: 37033396 PMCID: PMC10076969 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Predation risk largely constrains prey behavior. However, whether predators may be scary also after death remains unexplored. Here, we describe the “fight‐and‐flight” responses of a prey, the wild boar (Sus scrofa), to carcasses of (a) its main predator, the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and (b) a carnivore that very rarely kills wild boars, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), in the western Alps (Italy). We recorded the behavior of wild boars at 10 wolf and 9 fox carcass sites. We found eight “fight‐and‐flight” responses toward wolf carcasses, and none toward fox carcasses. Our results suggest that carnivore carcasses may indeed be scary; fear responses toward them are dependent on the species to which the carcass belongs; and animals approaching the carcasses are feared mainly when the latter are relatively fresh. This emphasizes the multiple and complex roles that carrion plays in the landscape of fear and opens exciting ecological, epidemiological, and evolutionary research avenues.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luca Rossi
- Department of Veterinary SciencesUniversity of TorinoTorinoItaly
| | - Mattia Cardello
- Department of Veterinary SciencesUniversity of TorinoTorinoItaly
| | | | | | | | - Marcos Moleón
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of GranadaGranadaSpain
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50
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Mwadzingeni L, Mugandani R, Mafongoya PL. Perception of climate change and coping strategies among smallholder irrigators in Zimbabwe. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1027846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionAcross sub-Sahara Africa, governments and international aid agencies are making huge investments in smallholder irrigation schemes to enhance food security, climate resilience and economic transformation in rain-fed farming systems. Unfortunately, a majority of the smallholder irrigation schemes have performed dismally on these fronts. Climate change is a major exacerbating factor to existing challenges resulting in the poor performance of the schemes. Hence, it is crucial to understand smallholder irrigators' perceptions of climate change and current adaptation strategies to co-design appropriate and acceptable adaptation strategies to address water stress in the schemes. This area had received less significant research attention. This study aims to determine the perception of climate change and coping strategies in smallholder schemes.MethodsA mixed-method research strategy was used to collect data from 317 irrigation scheme farmers in three schemes (Exchange, Insukamini, and Ruchanyu) in Midlands Province. A binary logistic regression (BLR) method was used for data analysis.ResultsThe results suggest that scheme farmers have noticed changes in temperature and rainfall patterns. Results obtained from the model show that climate change perception was mainly influenced by age, gender, location, irrigation experience, and plot size. Farmers perceived that climatic change has resulted in decreased irrigation water availability, thus leading to poor yields. This study also shows that the main adaptation strategies to water stress include improving soil moisture conservation, construction of small-scale reservoirs, water charging and trade, setting clear water use priorities, and adoption of climate-resilient and short-season crop varieties. Perception of high temperatures, long dry periods, late rainfall, increase in the frequency of drought, shortening of cold season, and shortening of rain season influence adaptation strategies adopted by scheme farmers.ConclusionThis study offered useful data for policymakers and irrigation developers to develop appropriate policies and programs to improve the sustainability of schemes given current and projected water stress in Zimbabwe and sub-Sahara Africa in general.
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