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Smith MM, Erb JD, Pauli JN. Reciprocated competition between two forest carnivores drives dietary specialization. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:1695-1706. [PMID: 37282830 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13962] [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: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Competition shapes animal communities, but the strength of the interaction varies spatially depending on the availability and aggregation of resources and competitors. Among carnivores, competition is particularly pronounced with the strongest interactions between similar species with intermediate differences in body size. While ecologists have emphasized interference competition among carnivores based on dominance hierarchies from body size (smaller = subordinate; larger = dominant), the reciprocity of exploitative competition from subordinate species has been overlooked even though efficient exploitation can limit resource availability and influence foraging. Across North America, fishers Pekania pennanti and martens (Martes spp.) are two phylogenetically related forest carnivores that exhibit a high degree of overlap in habitat use and diet and differ in body size by a factor of 2-5×, eliciting particularly strong interspecific competition. In the Great Lakes region, fishers and martens occur both allopatrically and sympatrically; where they co-occur, the numerically dominant species varies spatially. This natural variation in competitors and environmental conditions enables comparisons to understand how interference and exploitative competition alter dietary niche overlap and foraging strategies. We analysed stable isotopes (δ13 C and δ15 N) from 317 martens and 132 fishers, as well as dietary items (n = 629) from 20 different genera, to compare niche size and overlap. We then quantified individual diet specialization and modelled the response to environmental conditions that were hypothesized to influence individual foraging. Martens and fishers exhibited high overlap in both available and core isotopic δ-space, but no overlap of core dietary proportions. When the competitor was absent or rare, both martens and fishers consumed more smaller-bodied prey. Notably, the dominant fisher switched from being a specialist of larger to smaller prey in the absence of the subordinate marten. Environmental context also influenced dietary specialization: increasing land cover diversity and prey abundance reduced specialization in martens whereas vegetation productivity increased specialization for both martens and fishers. Despite an important dominance hierarchy, fishers adjusted their niche in the face of a subordinate, but superior, exploitative competitor. These findings highlight the underappreciated role of the subordinate competitor in shaping the dietary niche of a dominant competitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Smith
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - John D Erb
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Forest Wildlife Populations and Research Group, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jonathan N Pauli
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Remmers JJ, Nielsen CK, Lesmeister DB. Anthropogenic and environmental influences on mammalian alpha and beta diversity in a hardwood forest landscape. Glob Ecol Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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Nagasaki K, Nakamura H, Shinohara A, Abe K, Minami M, Tsukada H. A comparison of summer insectivory among four sympatric mesocarnivores on Izushima, a small island in northern Japan. MAMMALIA 2022. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2021-0160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Limited resources intensify interspecific competition and constrain the survival and distribution of species. A restricted, spatially isolated, small island can also pronounce this effect, as predicted in the island biogeography. This study compared the summer diets of sympatric carnivores, red foxes, raccoon dogs, Japanese martens, and Japanese weasels on the small island Izushima and evaluated niche partitioning, especially focusing on their insectivory. The results showed that insects were the main summer food source for all four species, with a significant overlap in their diets. However, in-depth investigation on insectivory down to the level of species and genera revealed that the species differences were more pronounced. Raccoon dogs frequently fed on ground-dwelling beetles, and Japanese martens fed on several arboreal beetles, while red foxes were less dependent on insects and more biased toward larger prey such as mammals and birds, and Japanese weasels foraged more on smaller prey, thereby reflecting niche partitioning between these species owing to differences in foraging ecology under the constrains of their body sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaoru Nagasaki
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , Azabu University , 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku , Sagamihara , Kanagawa 252-5201 , Japan
| | - Haruka Nakamura
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , Azabu University , 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku , Sagamihara , Kanagawa 252-5201 , Japan
| | - Ayano Shinohara
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , Azabu University , 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku , Sagamihara , Kanagawa 252-5201 , Japan
| | - Kaede Abe
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , Azabu University , 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku , Sagamihara , Kanagawa 252-5201 , Japan
| | - Masato Minami
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , Azabu University , 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku , Sagamihara , Kanagawa 252-5201 , Japan
| | - Hideharu Tsukada
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , Azabu University , 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku , Sagamihara , Kanagawa 252-5201 , Japan
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Pichler TR, Mallinger EC, Farmer MJ, Morrison MJ, Khadka B, Matzinger PJ, Kirschbaum A, Goodwin KR, Route WT, Van Stappen J, Van Deelen TR, Olson ER. Comparative biogeography of volant and nonvolant mammals in a temperate island archipelago. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Taylor R. Pichler
- Department of Natural Resources Northland College Ashland Wisconsin USA
| | | | - Morgan J. Farmer
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin USA
| | - Megan J. Morrison
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin USA
| | - Bijit Khadka
- Department of Natural Resources Northland College Ashland Wisconsin USA
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin USA
| | | | - Alan Kirschbaum
- National Park Service Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network Ashland Wisconsin USA
| | - Katy R. Goodwin
- National Park Service Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network Ashland Wisconsin USA
- Department of Biological Sciences North Dakota State University Fargo North Dakota USA
| | - William T. Route
- National Park Service Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network Ashland Wisconsin USA
| | - Julie Van Stappen
- Planning and Resource Management Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Bayfield Wisconsin USA
| | - Timothy R. Van Deelen
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin USA
| | - Erik R. Olson
- Department of Natural Resources Northland College Ashland Wisconsin USA
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Smith MM, Gilbert JH, Olson ER, Scribner KT, Van Deelen TR, Van Stappen JF, Williams BW, Woodford JE, Pauli JN. A recovery network leads to the natural recolonization of an archipelago and a potential trailing edge refuge. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 31:e02416. [PMID: 34278627 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Rapid environmental change is reshaping ecosystems and driving species loss globally. Carnivore populations have declined and retracted rapidly and have been the target of numerous translocation projects. Success, however, is complicated when these efforts occur in novel ecosystems. Identifying refuges, locations that are resistant to environmental change, within a translocation framework should improve population recovery and persistence. American martens (Martes americana) are the most frequently translocated carnivore in North America. As elsewhere, martens were extirpated across much of the Great Lakes region by the 1930s and, despite multiple translocations beginning in the 1950s, martens remain of regional conservation concern. Surprisingly, martens were rediscovered in 2014 on the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior after a putative absence of >40 yr. To identify the source of martens to the islands and understand connectivity of the reintroduction network, we collected genetic data on martens from the archipelago and from all regional reintroduction sites. In total, we genotyped 483 individual martens, 43 of which inhabited the Apostle Islands (densities 0.42-1.46 km-2 ). Coalescent analyses supported the contemporary recolonization of the Apostle Islands with progenitors likely originating from Michigan, which were sourced from Ontario. We also identified movements by a first-order relative between the Apostle Islands and the recovery network. We detected some regional gene flow, but in an unexpected direction: individuals moving from the islands to the mainland. Our findings suggest that the Apostle Islands were naturally recolonized by progeny of translocated individuals and now act as a source back to the reintroduction sites on the mainland. We suggest that the Apostle Islands, given its protection from disturbance, complex forest structure, and reduced carnivore competition, will act as a potential refuge for marten along their trailing range boundary and a central node for regional recovery. Our work reveals that translocations, even those occurring along southern range boundaries, can create recovery networks that function like natural metapopulations. Identifying refuges, locations that are resistant to environmental change, within these recovery networks can further improve species recovery, even within novel environments. Future translocation planning should a priori identify potential refuges and sources to improve short-term recovery and long-term persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Smith
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Jonathan H Gilbert
- Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Odanah, Wisconsin, 54861, USA
| | - Erik R Olson
- Department of Natural Resources, Northland College, Ashland, Wisconsin, 54806, USA
| | - Kim T Scribner
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Timothy R Van Deelen
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Julie F Van Stappen
- Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, National Park Service, Bayfield, Wisconsin, 54814, USA
| | - Bronwyn W Williams
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Research Laboratory, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27699, USA
| | - James E Woodford
- Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Rhinelander, Wisconsin, 54501, USA
| | - Jonathan N Pauli
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
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Mclaren AAD, Patterson BR. Seasonal Space Use and Movement of a Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) in a Protected Archipelago in Lake Superior, Ontario. AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-185.2.249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley A. D. Mclaren
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Trent University, DNA Building, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, K9L 1Z8
| | - Brent R. Patterson
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Trent University, DNA Building, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, K9L 1Z8
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Farmer M, Allen M, Olson E, Van Stappen J, Van Deelen T. Agonistic interactions and island biogeography as drivers of carnivore spatial and temporal activity at multiple scales. CAN J ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2020-0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Carnivore communities can be diverse and complex, and lack of knowledge regarding intraguild interactions and alternative drivers of carnivore distributions can preclude effective conservation of co-occurring species. As such, our objectives were to evaluate the relative importance of intraguild interactions and island biogeography to carnivore community spatiotemporal activity at multiple spatial scales. We monitored the carnivore community of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (Wisconsin, USA) using a grid of camera traps from 2014 to 2018. We used generalized linear mixed-effects models and information-theoretic model selection to evaluate whether subordinate carnivore presence was related to dominant carnivore relative abundance (interactions) or to island biogeography at the island level and camera site level, and we calculated temporal overlap between each pair of species to determine whether subordinate carnivores were using temporal segregation. At the island level, the relative importance of interactions and island biogeography was species dependent. At the site level, relative abundance of dominant carnivores was not a significant predictor of subordinate carnivore presence, and all pairs exhibited high or neutral temporal overlap. At the island level, island biogeography and interactions may both impact species distributions; however, at finer spatial scales, the carnivore community may be using alternative segregation strategies, or the island system may preclude segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.J. Farmer
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - M.L. Allen
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, 1816 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
| | - E.R. Olson
- Natural Resources, Northland College, 1411 Ellis Avenue South, Ashland, WI 54806, USA
| | - J. Van Stappen
- Resource Management, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, 415 Washington Avenue, Bayfield, WI 54814, USA
| | - T.R. Van Deelen
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Smith TN, Furnas BJ, Nelson MD, Barton DC, Clucas B. Insectivorous bat occupancy is mediated by drought and agricultural land use in a highly modified ecoregion. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Brett J. Furnas
- Wildlife Investigations Laboratory California Department of Fish and Wildlife Rancho Cordova CA USA
| | - Misty D. Nelson
- Biogeographic Data Branch California Department of Fish and Wildlife Sacramento CA USA
| | | | - Barbara Clucas
- Department of Wildlife Humboldt State University Arcata CA USA
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Mallinger EC, Khadka B, Farmer MJ, Morrison M, Van Stappen J, Van Deelen TR, Olson ER. Longitudinal trends of the small mammal community of the Apostle Islands archipelago. COMMUNITY ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42974-020-00036-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Allen ML, Harris RE, Olson LO, Olson ER, Van Stappen J, Van Deelen TR. Resource limitations and competitive interactions affect carnivore community composition at different ecological scales in a temperate island system. MAMMALIA 2019. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2017-0162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Selective pressures (i.e. resource limitation and competitive interaction) that drive the composition of ecological communities vary, and often operate on different ecological scales (ecological variables across varying spatial scales) than observed patterns. We studied the drivers of distribution and abundance of the American marten (Martes americana) and the carnivore community at three ecological scales on a Great Lakes island archipelago using camera traps. We found different drivers appeared important at each ecological scale and studying any of the three scales alone would give a biased understanding of the process driving the system. Island biogeography (resource limitation) was most important for carnivore richness, with higher richness on larger islands and lower richness as distance from the mainland increased. Marten presence on individual islands appeared to be driven by island size (resource limitation) and human avoidance (competitive interaction). Marten abundance at camera trap sites was driven by the cascading effect of coyotes (Canis latrans) on fishers (Pekania pennanti) (competitive interaction). Incorporating three ecological scales gave novel insights into the varying effects of resource limitation and competitive interaction processes. Our data suggests that ecological communities are structured through multiple competing ecological forces, and effective management and conservation relies on our ability to understand ecological forces operating at multiple ecological scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian L. Allen
- Illinois Natural History Survey , University of Illinois , 1816 S. Oak Street , Champaign, IL 61820 , USA
| | - Rachel E. Harris
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology , University of Wisconsin , Madison, WI , USA
| | - Lucas O. Olson
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology , University of Wisconsin , Madison, WI , USA
| | - Erik R. Olson
- Natural Resources , Northland College , 1411 Ellis Ave S , Ashland, WI 54806 , USA
| | - Julie Van Stappen
- Planning and Resource Management , Apostle Islands National Lakeshore , 415 Washington Ave , Bayfield, WI 54814 , USA
| | - Timothy R. Van Deelen
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology , University of Wisconsin , Madison, WI , USA
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