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Striped hyaena den site selection in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467422000396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The den is a multi-purpose critical space of carnivores and provides a growth conducive refuge which ensures both substances and protection from interspecific predation and harsh climate. Selection of optimal den sites determined by various site-specific factors potentially reduces aversive interspecific interactions and provides cost-effective access to food sources. In this study, we have assessed the factors determining the den site selection by a small population of striped hyaena, Hyaena hyaena in a shared landscape dominated by large carnivores. We assessed den site selection as a function of vegetation patch characteristics, site-specific anthropogenic threats/activities and topographical variables using Bayesian algorithm through field collected binomial data on den use by the species. Our model suggested that hyaenas select rocky refugia surrounded by trees and tall grasses, situated on mountain slopes proximate to a water body. Our study consolidated the importance of undulating terrain in the species ecology and postulated the slope as an ‘energy-expensive’ terrain that refrains frequent movement of other carnivores, in turn providing more affordable denning space for the striped hyaena. This study provides critical information on denning ecology of last remaining major breeding population striped hyaena of southern India.
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Understanding the Role of Semiochemicals on the Reproductive Behaviour of Cheetahs ( Acinonyx jubatus)-A Review. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113140. [PMID: 34827872 PMCID: PMC8614540 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary This review aims to provide an in-depth overview of the reproductive physiology and behaviour of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Specifically, it focuses on the role that pheromones (a class of semiochemicals) play by directly affecting the reproductive (e.g., precopulatory and copulatory) behaviour. Furthermore, it aims to critically analyze current research and provide new insights on study areas needing further investigation. It is clear, for instance, that further research is necessary to investigate the role of semiochemicals in the reproductive behaviour of cheetahs in order to rectify the current behavioural difficulties experienced when breeding younger females. This, in turn, would aid in improving captive breeding and the prevention of asymmetric reproductive aging. Abstract The cheetah species (Acinonyx jubatus) is currently listed as vulnerable according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Captive breeding has long since been used as a method of conservation of the species, with the aim to produce a healthy, strong population of cheetahs with an increased genetic variety when compared to their wild counterparts. This would then increase the likelihood of survivability once released into protected areas. Unfortunately, breeding females have been reported to be difficult due to the age of these animals. Older females are less fertile, have more difficult parturition, and are susceptible to asymmetric reproductive aging whereas younger females tend to show a significantly lower frequency of mating behaviour than that of older females, which negatively affects breeding introductions, and therefore mating. Nonetheless, the experience from breeding methods used in some breeding centres in South Africa and the Netherlands, which also rely on the role that semiochemicals play in breeding, proves that cheetahs can be bred successfully in captivity. This review aims to give the reader an in-depth overview of cheetahs’ reproductive physiology and behaviour, focusing on the role that pheromones play in this species. Furthermore, it aims to provide new insight into the use of semiochemicals to improve conservation strategies through captive breeding.
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Warmenhove C, Canning G, Davidson‐Phillips S, Merwe V, Burger A, Davidson‐Phillips P, Naude VN. Successful in situ supplementary feeding leads to the independence of orphaned cheetah cubs. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Vincent Merwe
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
- Endangered Wildlife Trust Johannesburg South Africa
| | | | | | - Vincent N. Naude
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
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4
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Parker DM, Vyver DB, Bissett C. The influence of an apex predator introduction on an already established subordinate predator. J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. M. Parker
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group Department of Zoology and Entomology Rhodes University Grahamstown South Africa
- School of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Mpumalanga Nelspruit South Africa
| | - D. B. Vyver
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group Department of Zoology and Entomology Rhodes University Grahamstown South Africa
- South African National Parks Pretoria South Africa
| | - C. Bissett
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group Department of Zoology and Entomology Rhodes University Grahamstown South Africa
- South African National Parks Pretoria South Africa
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Habitat complexity and lifetime predation risk influence mesopredator survival in a multi-predator system. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17841. [PMID: 33082386 PMCID: PMC7575546 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73318-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Variability in habitat selection can lead to differences in fitness; however limited research exists on how habitat selection of mid-ranking predators can influence population-level processes in multi-predator systems. For mid-ranking, or mesopredators, differences in habitat use might have strong demographic effects because mesopredators need to simultaneously avoid apex predators and acquire prey. We studied spatially-explicit survival of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in the Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy, South Africa, to test hypotheses related to spatial influences of predation risk, prey availability, and vegetation complexity, on mesopredator survival. For each monitored cheetah, we estimated lion encounter risk, prey density, and vegetation complexity within their home range, on short-term (seasonal) and long-term (lifetime) scales and estimated survival based on these covariates. Survival was lowest for adult cheetahs and cubs in areas with high vegetation complexity on both seasonal and lifetime scales. Additionally, cub survival was negatively related to the long-term risk of encountering a lion. We suggest that complex habitats are only beneficial to mesopredators when they are able to effectively find and hunt prey, and show that spatial drivers of survival for mesopredators can vary temporally. Collectively, our research illustrates that individual variation in mesopredator habitat use can scale-up and have population-level effects.
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Gigliotti LC, Slotow R, Hunter LTB, Fattebert J, Sholto-Douglas C, Jachowski DS. Context dependency of top-down, bottom-up and density-dependent influences on cheetah demography. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:449-459. [PMID: 31469173 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Research on drivers of demographic rates has mostly focused on top predators and their prey, and comparatively less research has considered the drivers of mesopredator demography. Of those limited studies, most focused on top-down effects of apex predators on mesopredator population dynamics, whereas studies investigating alternative mechanisms are less common. In this study, we tested hypotheses related to top-down, bottom-up and density-dependent regulation of demographic rates in an imperilled mesopredator, the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). We used a 25-year dataset of lion density, cheetah density and prey density from the Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy in South Africa and assessed the effects of top-down, bottom-up and density-dependent drivers on cheetah survival and reproduction. In contrast to the top-down and bottom-up predictions, both adult and juvenile cheetahs experienced the lowest survival during months with high prey densities and low lion densities. We observed support only for a density-dependent response in juvenile cheetahs, where they had a higher probability of reaching independence during times with low cheetah density and low prey density. We did not identify any strong drivers of litter size. Collectively, our results indicate that high apex predator abundance might not always have negative effects on mesopredator populations, and suggest that context dependency in top-down, bottom-up and density-dependent factors may regulate demographic rates of cheetahs and other mesopredators. Our results highlight the complexities of population-level drivers of cheetah demographic rates and the importance of considering multiple hypotheses of mesopredator population regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C Gigliotti
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Rob Slotow
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Luke T B Hunter
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.,Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julien Fattebert
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.,Panthera, New York, NY, USA.,Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | | | - David S Jachowski
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
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Power RJ, Merwe VVD, Page-Nicholson S, Botha MV, Dell S, Nel P. A Note on the Reestablishment of the Cheetah Population in the Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2019. [DOI: 10.3957/056.049.0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. John Power
- Directorate of Biodiversity Management, North West Provincial Government, Mmabatho, 2750 South Africa
| | - Vincent Van der Merwe
- Endangered Wildlife Trust, Private Bag X11, Modderfontein, Johannesburg, 1645 South Africa
| | | | - Mia V. Botha
- Directorate of Biodiversity Management, North West Provincial Government, Mmabatho, 2750 South Africa
| | - Stephen Dell
- Pilanesberg National Park, North West Parks Board, P.O. Box 1201, Mogwase, 0314 South Africa
| | - Pieter Nel
- Pilanesberg National Park, North West Parks Board, P.O. Box 1201, Mogwase, 0314 South Africa
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Klaassen B, Broekhuis F. Living on the edge: Multiscale habitat selection by cheetahs in a human-wildlife landscape. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:7611-7623. [PMID: 30151175 PMCID: PMC6106172 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals select habitats that will ultimately optimize their fitness through access to favorable resources, such as food, mates, and breeding sites. However, access to these resources may be limited by bottom-up effects, such as availability, and top-down effects, such as risk avoidance and competition, including that with humans. Competition between wildlife and people over resources, specifically over space, has played a significant role in the worldwide decrease in large carnivores. The goal of this study was to determine the habitat selection of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in a human-wildlife landscape at multiple spatial scales. Cheetahs are a wide-ranging, large carnivore, whose significant decline is largely attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation. It is believed that 77% of the global cheetah population ranges outside protected areas, yet little is known about cheetahs' resource use in areas where they co-occur with people. The selection, or avoidance, of three anthropogenic variables (human footprint density, distance to main roads and wildlife areas) and five environmental variables (open habitat, semiclosed habitat, edge density, patch density and slope), at multiple spatial scales, was determined by analyzing collar data from six cheetahs. Cheetahs selected variables at different scales; anthropogenic variables were selected at broader scales (720-1440 m) than environmental variables (90-180 m), suggesting that anthropogenic pressures affect habitat selection at a home-range level, whilst environmental variables influence site-level habitat selection. Cheetah presence was best explained by human presence, wildlife areas, semiclosed habitat, edge density and slope. Cheetahs showed avoidance for humans and steep slopes and selected for wildlife areas and areas with high proportions of semiclosed habitat and edge density. Understanding a species' resource requirements, and how these might be affected by humans, is crucial for conservation. Using a multiscale approach, we provide new insights into the habitat selection of a large carnivore living in a human-wildlife landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britt Klaassen
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML)Leiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Femke Broekhuis
- Kenya Wildlife TrustNairobiKenya
- Wildlife Conservation Research UnitDepartment of ZoologyRecanati‐Kaplan CentreUniversity of OxfordTubneyUK
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Hilborn A, Pettorelli N, Caro T, Kelly MJ, Laurenson MK, Durant SM. Cheetahs modify their prey handling behavior depending on risks from top predators. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2481-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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10
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Weise FJ, Vijay V, Jacobson AP, Schoonover RF, Groom RJ, Horgan J, Keeping D, Klein R, Marnewick K, Maude G, Melzheimer J, Mills G, van der Merwe V, van der Meer E, van Vuuren RJ, Wachter B, Pimm SL. The distribution and numbers of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in southern Africa. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4096. [PMID: 29250465 PMCID: PMC5729830 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Assessing the numbers and distribution of threatened species is a central challenge in conservation, often made difficult because the species of concern are rare and elusive. For some predators, this may be compounded by their being sparsely distributed over large areas. Such is the case with the cheetah Acinonyx jubatus. The IUCN Red List process solicits comments, is democratic, transparent, widely-used, and has recently assessed the species. Here, we present additional methods to that process and provide quantitative approaches that may afford greater detail and a benchmark against which to compare future assessments. The cheetah poses challenges, but also affords unique opportunities. It is photogenic, allowing the compilation of thousands of crowd-sourced data. It is also persecuted for killing livestock, enabling estimation of local population densities from the numbers persecuted. Documented instances of persecution in areas with known human and livestock density mean that these data can provide an estimate of where the species may or may not occur in areas without observational data. Compilations of extensive telemetry data coupled with nearly 20,000 additional observations from 39 sources show that free-ranging cheetahs were present across approximately 789,700 km2 of Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe (56%, 22%, 12% and 10% respectively) from 2010 to 2016, with an estimated adult population of 3,577 animals. We identified a further 742,800 km2 of potential cheetah habitat within the study region with low human and livestock densities, where another ∼3,250 cheetahs may occur. Unlike many previous estimates, we make the data available and provide explicit information on exactly where cheetahs occur, or are unlikely to occur. We stress the value of gathering data from public sources though these data were mostly from well-visited protected areas. There is a contiguous, transboundary population of cheetah in southern Africa, known to be the largest in the world. We suggest that this population is more threatened than believed due to the concentration of about 55% of free-ranging individuals in two ecoregions. This area overlaps with commercial farmland with high persecution risk; adult cheetahs were removed at the rate of 0.3 individuals per 100 km2 per year. Our population estimate for confirmed cheetah presence areas is 11% lower than the IUCN's current assessment for the same region, lending additional support to the recent call for the up-listing of this species from vulnerable to endangered status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian J. Weise
- CLAWS Conservancy, Worcester, MA, United States of America
- Center for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Varsha Vijay
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Andrew P. Jacobson
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Rebecca F. Schoonover
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Rosemary J. Groom
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Range Wide Conservation Program for Cheetah and African Wild Dogs, The Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
- African Wildlife Conservation Fund, Chishakwe Ranch, Savé Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe
| | - Jane Horgan
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Cheetah Conservation Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Derek Keeping
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Rebecca Klein
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Cheetah Conservation Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Kelly Marnewick
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Endangered Wildlife Trust, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Glyn Maude
- Kalahari Research and Conservation, Maun, Botswana
- Department of Conservation and Research, Denver Zoological Foundation, Denver, CO, United States of America
| | - Jörg Melzheimer
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gus Mills
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Lewis Foundation, South Africa
| | - Vincent van der Merwe
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Endangered Wildlife Trust, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Esther van der Meer
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Cheetah Conservation Project Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
| | - Rudie J. van Vuuren
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- N/a’an ku sê Foundation, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Bettina Wachter
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stuart L. Pimm
- Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
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Becker MS, Durant SM, Watson FGR, Parker M, Gottelli D, M'soka J, Droge E, Nyirenda M, Schuette P, Dunkley S, Brummer R. Using dogs to find cats: detection dogs as a survey method for wide‐ranging cheetah. J Zool (1987) 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. S. Becker
- Zambian Carnivore Programme Mfuwe Zambia
- Conservation Biology and Ecology Program Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman MT USA
| | - S. M. Durant
- Institute of Zoology Zoological Society of London London UK
- Wildlife Conservation Society Bronx Zoo Bronx NY USA
| | - F. G. R. Watson
- Zambian Carnivore Programme Mfuwe Zambia
- School of Natural Sciences California State University Monterey Bay Seaside CA USA
| | - M. Parker
- Working Dogs for Conservation Bozeman MT USA
| | - D. Gottelli
- Institute of Zoology Zoological Society of London London UK
| | - J. M'soka
- Zambian Carnivore Programme Mfuwe Zambia
- Conservation Biology and Ecology Program Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman MT USA
- Zambia Department of National Parks and Wildlife Chilanga Zambia
| | - E. Droge
- Zambian Carnivore Programme Mfuwe Zambia
- Conservation Biology and Ecology Program Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman MT USA
| | - M. Nyirenda
- World Wide Fund for Nature Zambia Country Office Lusaka Zambia
| | - P. Schuette
- Zambian Carnivore Programme Mfuwe Zambia
- Alaska Center for Conservation Science University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage AK USA
| | - S. Dunkley
- Zambian Carnivore Programme Mfuwe Zambia
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Swanson A, Arnold T, Kosmala M, Forester J, Packer C. In the absence of a "landscape of fear": How lions, hyenas, and cheetahs coexist. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:8534-8545. [PMID: 28031805 PMCID: PMC5167031 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 09/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggression by top predators can create a "landscape of fear" in which subordinate predators restrict their activity to low-risk areas or times of day. At large spatial or temporal scales, this can result in the costly loss of access to resources. However, fine-scale reactive avoidance may minimize the risk of aggressive encounters for subordinate predators while maintaining access to resources, thereby providing a mechanism for coexistence. We investigated fine-scale spatiotemporal avoidance in a guild of African predators characterized by intense interference competition. Vulnerable to food stealing and direct killing, cheetahs are expected to avoid both larger predators; hyenas are expected to avoid lions. We deployed a grid of 225 camera traps across 1,125 km2 in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, to evaluate concurrent patterns of habitat use by lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and their primary prey. We used hurdle models to evaluate whether smaller species avoided areas preferred by larger species, and we used time-to-event models to evaluate fine-scale temporal avoidance in the hours immediately surrounding top predator activity. We found no evidence of long-term displacement of subordinate species, even at fine spatial scales. Instead, hyenas and cheetahs were positively associated with lions except in areas with exceptionally high lion use. Hyenas and lions appeared to actively track each, while cheetahs appear to maintain long-term access to sites with high lion use by actively avoiding those areas just in the hours immediately following lion activity. Our results suggest that cheetahs are able to use patches of preferred habitat by avoiding lions on a moment-to-moment basis. Such fine-scale temporal avoidance is likely to be less costly than long-term avoidance of preferred areas: This may help explain why cheetahs are able to coexist with lions despite high rates of lion-inflicted mortality, and highlights reactive avoidance as a general mechanism for predator coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Swanson
- Department of EcologyEvolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMNUSA
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Todd Arnold
- Department of EcologyEvolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMNUSA
| | - Margaret Kosmala
- Department of EcologyEvolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMNUSA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMAUSA
| | - James Forester
- Department of EcologyEvolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMNUSA
| | - Craig Packer
- Department of EcologyEvolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMNUSA
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Smirnova DS, Volodin IA, Demina TS, Volodina EV. Acoustic Structure and Contextual Use of Calls by Captive Male and Female Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158546. [PMID: 27362643 PMCID: PMC4928801 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/19/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The vocal repertoire of captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and the specific role of meow vocalizations in communication of this species attract research interest about two dozen years. Here, we expand this research focus for the contextual use of call types, sex differences and individual differences at short and long terms. During 457 trials of acoustic recordings, we collected calls (n = 8120) and data on their contextual use for 13 adult cheetahs (6 males and 7 females) in four Russian zoos. The cheetah vocal repertoire comprised 7 call types produced in 8 behavioural contexts. Context-specific call types (chirr, growl, howl and hiss) were related to courting behaviour (chirr) or to aggressive behaviour (growl, howl and hiss). Other call types (chirp, purr and meow) were not context-specific. The values of acoustic variables differed between call types. The meow was the most often call type. Discriminant function analysis revealed a high potential of meows to encode individual identity and sex at short terms, however, the vocal individuality was unstable over years. We discuss the contextual use and acoustic variables of call types, the ratios of individual and sex differences in calls and the pathways of vocal ontogeny in the cheetah with relevant data on vocalization of other animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darya S. Smirnova
- Department of Animal Science, Russian State Agrarian University—Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya A. Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, Moscow, Russia
- * E-mail:
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Périquet S, Mapendere C, Revilla E, Banda J, Macdonald D, Loveridge A, Fritz H. A potential role for interference competition with lions in den selection and attendance by spotted hyaenas. Mamm Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2015.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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15
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Mills MG. Living Near the Edge: A Review of the Ecological Relationships Between Large Carnivores in the Arid Kalahari. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2015. [DOI: 10.3957/056.045.0127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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16
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Bercovitch FB, Berry PSM. Giraffe birth locations in the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia: site fidelity or microhabitat selection? Afr J Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fred B. Bercovitch
- Primate Research Institute & Wildlife Research Center; Kyoto University; Inuyama Aichi 484-8506 Japan
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation; Surrey CR8 1DU U.K
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Scantlebury DM, Mills MGL, Wilson RP, Wilson JW, Mills MEJ, Durant SM, Bennett NC, Bradford P, Marks NJ, Speakman JR. Flexible energetics of cheetah hunting strategies provide resistance against kleptoparasitism. Science 2014; 346:79-81. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1256424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Population viability is driven by individual survival, which in turn depends on individuals balancing energy budgets. As carnivores may function close to maximum sustained power outputs, decreased food availability or increased activity may render some populations energetically vulnerable. Prey theft may compromise energetic budgets of mesopredators, such as cheetahs and wild dogs, which are susceptible to competition from larger carnivores. We show that daily energy expenditure (DEE) of cheetahs was similar to size-based predictions and positively related to distance traveled. Theft at 25% only requires cheetahs to hunt for an extra 1.1 hour per day, increasing DEE by just 12%. Therefore, not all mesopredators are energetically constrained by direct competition. Other factors that increase DEE, such as those that increase travel, may be more important for population viability.
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Swanson A, Caro T, Davies-Mostert H, Mills MGL, Macdonald DW, Borner M, Masenga E, Packer C. Cheetahs and wild dogs show contrasting patterns of suppression by lions. J Anim Ecol 2014; 83:1418-27. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2013] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Swanson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; University of Minnesota; Saint Paul MN 55104 USA
- Serengeti Wildlife Research Institute; Tanzania National Parks; Arusha Tanzania
| | - Tim Caro
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Center for Population Biology; University of California; Davis CA 95616 USA
| | - Harriet Davies-Mostert
- Endangered Wildlife Trust; Johannesburg South Africa
- Department of Zoology; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Oxford University; Oxford UK
| | - Michael G. L. Mills
- Department of Zoology; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Oxford University; Oxford UK
- The Lewis Foundation; Johannesburg South Africa
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Department of Zoology; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Oxford University; Oxford UK
| | - Markus Borner
- Frankfurt Zoological Society; Serengeti National Park; P.O. Seronera Arusha Tanzania
| | - Emmanuel Masenga
- Serengeti Wildlife Research Institute; Tanzania National Parks; Arusha Tanzania
| | - Craig Packer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; University of Minnesota; Saint Paul MN 55104 USA
- Serengeti Wildlife Research Institute; Tanzania National Parks; Arusha Tanzania
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