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Bennitt E, Bartlam‐Brooks HLA, Hubel TY, Jordan NR, McNutt JW, Wilson AM. Proactive cursorial and ambush predation risk avoidance in four African herbivore species. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11529. [PMID: 38840587 PMCID: PMC11150757 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11529] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Most herbivores must balance demands to meet nutritional requirements, maintain stable thermoregulation and avoid predation. Species-specific predator and prey characteristics determine the ability of prey to avoid predation and the ability of predators to maximize hunting success. Using GPS collar data from African wild dogs, lions, impala, tsessebes, wildebeest and zebra in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, we studied proactive predation risk avoidance by herbivores. We considered predator activity level in relation to prey movement, predator and prey habitat selection, and preferential use of areas by prey. We compared herbivore behaviour to lion and wild dog activity patterns and determined the effect of seasonal resource availability and prey body mass on anti-predator behaviour. Herbivore movement patterns were more strongly correlated with lion than wild dog activity. Habitat selection by predators was not activity level dependent and, while prey and predators differed to some extent in their habitat selection, there were also overlaps, probably caused by predators seeking habitats with high prey abundance. Areas favoured by lions were used by herbivores more when lions were less active, whereas wild dog activity level was not correlated with prey use. Prey body mass was not a strong predictor of the strength of proactive predation avoidance behaviour. Herbivores showed stronger anti-predator behaviours during the rainy season when resources were abundant. Reducing movement when top predators are most active and avoiding areas with a high likelihood of predator use during the same periods appear to be common strategies to minimize predation risk. Such valuable insights into predator-prey dynamics are only possible when using similar data from multiple sympatric species of predator and prey, an approach that should become more prevalent given the ongoing integration of technological methods into ecological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Bennitt
- Okavango Research Institute, University of BotswanaMaunBotswana
| | | | - Tatjana Y. Hubel
- Structure and Motion LaboratoryRoyal Veterinary CollegeHatfieldUK
| | - Neil R. Jordan
- Wild EntrustMaunBotswana
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Conservation SocietySyndeyNew South WalesAustralia
| | | | - Alan M. Wilson
- Structure and Motion LaboratoryRoyal Veterinary CollegeHatfieldUK
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2
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Harris NC, Bhandari A, Doamba B. Ungulate co-occurrence in a landscape of antagonisms. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169552. [PMID: 38142990 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169552] [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: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Protected areas largely now exist as coupled natural-human ecosystems where human activities are increasingly forcing wildlife to adjust behaviors. For many ungulate species that rely on protected areas for their persistence, they must balance these anthropogenic pressures amid natural regulators. Here, we investigated the pressures exerted from humans and livestock, apex predators, and within guild competitors on ungulate co-occurrence patterns in a fragile protected area complex in West Africa. Specifically, we used multi-species occupancy modeling to quantify co-occurrence among four ungulates (Tragelaphus scriptus, Redunca redunca, Kobus kob, Phacochoerus africanus) and applied structural equation models to discern the relative contributions of pressures on co-occurrence patterns. We observed a strong spatial gradient across with higher co-occurrence in the wetter western portion of our ~13,000 km2 study area. Co-occurrence patterns among ungulate dyads ranged from 0.15 to 0.49 with the smallest body sized pair showing highest levels of sympatry, warthog and reedbuck. We found that anthropogenic pressures, namely cattle had the greatest effect in reducing sympatry among wild ungulates more strongly than the presence of African lions that also exhibited negative effects. Humans, hyenas, and competitors showed positive effects on ungulate co-occurrence. In a region of the world ongoing rapid socio-ecological change with increasing threats from climate and environmental instability, protected areas in West Africa represent a major safeguard for wildlife and human livelihoods alike. Our findings highlight the need for effective interventions that focus on large carnivore conservation, habitat restoration, and containment of livestock grazing to promote the coexistence of biodiversity and socio-economic goals within the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nyeema C Harris
- Applied Wildlife Ecology (AWE) Lab, Yale School of the Environment, United States of America.
| | - Aishwarya Bhandari
- Applied Wildlife Ecology (AWE) Lab, Yale School of the Environment, United States of America
| | - Benoit Doamba
- National Office of Protected Areas (OFINAP), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
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3
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Water dependence structures predation risk for large herbivores in insular protected areas. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00278-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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4
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Burton AC, Beirne C, Sun C, Granados A, Procko M, Chen C, Fennell M, Constantinou A, Colton C, Tjaden-McClement K, Fisher JT, Burgar J. Behavioral "bycatch" from camera trap surveys yields insights on prey responses to human-mediated predation risk. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9108. [PMID: 35866017 PMCID: PMC9288887 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Human disturbance directly affects animal populations and communities, but indirect effects of disturbance on species behaviors are less well understood. For instance, disturbance may alter predator activity and cause knock‐on effects to predator‐sensitive foraging in prey. Camera traps provide an emerging opportunity to investigate such disturbance‐mediated impacts to animal behaviors across multiple scales. We used camera trap data to test predictions about predator‐sensitive behavior in three ungulate species (caribou Rangifer tarandus; white‐tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus; moose, Alces alces) across two western boreal forest landscapes varying in disturbance. We quantified behavior as the number of camera trap photos per detection event and tested its relationship to inferred human‐mediated predation risk between a landscape with greater industrial disturbance and predator activity and a “control” landscape with lower human and predator activity. We also assessed the finer‐scale influence on behavior of variation in predation risk (relative to habitat variation) across camera sites within the more disturbed landscape. We predicted that animals in areas with greater predation risk (e.g., more wolf activity, less cover) would travel faster past cameras and generate fewer photos per detection event, while animals in areas with less predation risk would linger (rest, forage, investigate), generating more photos per event. Our predictions were supported at the landscape‐level, as caribou and moose had more photos per event in the control landscape where disturbance‐mediated predation risk was lower. At a finer‐scale within the disturbed landscape, no prey species showed a significant behavioral response to wolf activity, but the number of photos per event decreased for white‐tailed deer with increasing line of sight (m) along seismic lines (i.e., decreasing visual cover), consistent with a predator‐sensitive response. The presence of juveniles was associated with shorter behavioral events for caribou and moose, suggesting greater predator sensitivity for females with calves. Only moose demonstrated a positive behavioral association (i.e., longer events) with vegetation productivity (16‐day NDVI), suggesting that for other species bottom‐up influences of forage availability were generally weaker than top‐down influences from predation risk. Behavioral insights can be gleaned from camera trap surveys and provide complementary information about animal responses to predation risk, and thus about the indirect impacts of human disturbances on predator–prey interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cole Burton
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Christopher Beirne
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Catherine Sun
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Alys Granados
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Michael Procko
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Cheng Chen
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Mitchell Fennell
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Alexia Constantinou
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Chris Colton
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Katie Tjaden-McClement
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Jason T Fisher
- School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada
| | - Joanna Burgar
- Wildlife Coexistence Lab, Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada.,School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada
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5
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Wan N, Cavalieri A, Siemann E, Dainese M, Li W, Jiang J. Spatial aggregation of herbivores and predators enhances tri‐trophic cascades in paddy fields: rice monoculture vs. rice‐fish co‐culture. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nian‐Feng Wan
- Eco‐environmental Protection Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology School of Pharmacy of East China University of Science and Technology Shanghai China
- Institute of Pesticides & Pharmaceuticals East China University of Science and Technology Shanghai China
| | - Andrea Cavalieri
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences University of Copenhagen Frederiksberg Denmark
| | - Evan Siemann
- Department of Biosciences Rice University Houston TX USA
| | | | - Wen‐Wei Li
- Eco‐environmental Protection Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology School of Pharmacy of East China University of Science and Technology Shanghai China
| | - Jie‐Xian Jiang
- Eco‐environmental Protection Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology School of Pharmacy of East China University of Science and Technology Shanghai China
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6
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Lancaster A, Corti P, Fernández T, Moraga CA, Radic‐Schilling S, Hardenberg A. Changes in foraging behaviour suggest competition between wild and domestic ungulates: Guanaco and domestic sheep in southern Patagonia. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Lancaster
- Conservation Biology Research Group Department of Biological Sciences University of Chester Chester UK
| | - P. Corti
- Laboratorio de Manejo y Conservación de Vida Silvestre Instituto de Ciencia Animal y Programa de Investigación Aplicada en Fauna Silvestre Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia Chile
| | - T. Fernández
- Laboratorio de Manejo y Conservación de Vida Silvestre Instituto de Ciencia Animal y Programa de Investigación Aplicada en Fauna Silvestre Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia Chile
- Programa de Magister en Ecología Aplicada Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia Chile
| | - C. A. Moraga
- Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario de Fuego‐Patagonia y Antártica (Fundación CEQUA) Punta Arenas Chile
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - S. Radic‐Schilling
- Departamento de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Acuícolas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Magallanes Punta Arenas Chile
| | - A. Hardenberg
- Conservation Biology Research Group Department of Biological Sciences University of Chester Chester UK
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7
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacalyn M. Beck
- Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey Laboratory, Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State Univ. East Lansing MI USA
| | - Remington J. Moll
- Dept of Natural Resources and the Environment, Univ. of New Hampshire Durham NH USA
| | - Bernard M. Kissui
- Center for Wildlife Management Studies, The School for Field Studies Karatu Tanzania
| | - Robert A. Montgomery
- Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey Laboratory, Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State Univ. East Lansing MI USA
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8
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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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9
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Iranzo EC, Traba J, Mata C, Acebes P, Malo JE. Habitat structure and association with ungulates drive habitat selection and grouping behaviour of lesser rhea (
Rhea pennata
subsp.
pennata
). AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12961] [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)
- Esperanza C. Iranzo
- Instituto de Ciencia Animal Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias Universidad Austral de Chile Edificio SaelzerCampus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Juan Traba
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC‐UAM) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Cristina Mata
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC‐UAM) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Pablo Acebes
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC‐UAM) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Juan E. Malo
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC‐UAM) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
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10
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Montgomery RA, Macdonald DW, Hayward MW. The inducible defences of large mammals to human lethality. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert A. Montgomery
- Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey (RECaP) Laboratory Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of OxfordThe Recanati‐Kaplan CentreTubney House Tubney Oxon UK
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of OxfordThe Recanati‐Kaplan CentreTubney House Tubney Oxon UK
| | - Matthew W. Hayward
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela University Port Elizabeth South Africa
- Centre for Wildlife Management University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
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11
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Wirsing AJ, Heithaus MR, Brown JS, Kotler BP, Schmitz OJ. The context dependence of non-consumptive predator effects. Ecol Lett 2020; 24:113-129. [PMID: 32990363 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Non-consumptive predator effects (NCEs) are now widely recognised for their capacity to shape ecosystem structure and function. Yet, forecasting the propagation of these predator-induced trait changes through particular communities remains a challenge. Accordingly, focusing on plasticity in prey anti-predator behaviours, we conceptualise the multi-stage process by which predators trigger direct and indirect NCEs, review and distil potential drivers of contingencies into three key categories (properties of the prey, predator and setting), and then provide a general framework for predicting both the nature and strength of direct NCEs. Our review underscores the myriad factors that can generate NCE contingencies while guiding how research might better anticipate and account for them. Moreover, our synthesis highlights the value of mapping both habitat domains and prey-specific patterns of evasion success ('evasion landscapes') as the basis for predicting how direct NCEs are likely to manifest in any particular community. Looking ahead, we highlight two key knowledge gaps that continue to impede a comprehensive understanding of non-consumptive predator-prey interactions and their ecosystem consequences; namely, insufficient empirical exploration of (1) context-dependent indirect NCEs and (2) the ways in which direct and indirect NCEs are shaped interactively by multiple drivers of context dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron J Wirsing
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Michael R Heithaus
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marine Sciences Program, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st St, North Miami, FL, 33181, USA
| | - Joel S Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA.,Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Dr, Tampa, FL, 33613, USA
| | - Burt P Kotler
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet, Ben-Gurion, 84990, Israel
| | - Oswald J Schmitz
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
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12
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Bubnicki JW, Churski M, Schmidt K, Diserens TA, Kuijper DPJ. Linking spatial patterns of terrestrial herbivore community structure to trophic interactions. eLife 2019; 8:e44937. [PMID: 31577225 PMCID: PMC6805123 DOI: 10.7554/elife.44937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Large herbivores influence ecosystem functioning via their effects on vegetation at different spatial scales. It is often overlooked that the spatial distribution of large herbivores results from their responses to interacting top-down and bottom-up ecological gradients that create landscape-scale variation in the structure of the entire community. We studied the complexity of these cascading interactions using high-resolution camera trapping and remote sensing data in the best-preserved European lowland forest, Białowieża Forest, Poland. We showed that the variation in spatial distribution of an entire community of large herbivores is explained by species-specific responses to both environmental bottom-up and biotic top-down factors in combination with human-induced (cascading) effects. We decomposed the spatial variation in herbivore community structure and identified functionally distinct landscape-scale herbivory regimes ('herbiscapes'), which are predicted to occur in a variety of ecosystems and could be an important mechanism creating spatial variation in herbivory maintaining vegetation heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
| | - Krzysztof Schmidt
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
| | - Tom A Diserens
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
| | - Dries PJ Kuijper
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
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13
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Bouchard C, Bardonnet A, Buoro M, Tentelier C. Effects of spatial aggregation of nests on population recruitment: the case of a small population of Atlantic salmon. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Colin Bouchard
- ECOBIOP INRA University of Pau and Pays Adour 64310 Saint‐Pée‐Sur‐Nivelle France
| | - Agnès Bardonnet
- ECOBIOP INRA University of Pau and Pays Adour 64310 Saint‐Pée‐Sur‐Nivelle France
| | - Mathieu Buoro
- ECOBIOP INRA University of Pau and Pays Adour 64310 Saint‐Pée‐Sur‐Nivelle France
| | - Cédric Tentelier
- ECOBIOP INRA University of Pau and Pays Adour 64310 Saint‐Pée‐Sur‐Nivelle France
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14
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15
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Moll RJ, Redilla KM, Mudumba T, Muneza AB, Gray SM, Abade L, Hayward MW, Millspaugh JJ, Montgomery RA. The many faces of fear: a synthesis of the methodological variation in characterizing predation risk. J Anim Ecol 2017; 86:749-765. [PMID: 28390066 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Predators affect prey by killing them directly (lethal effects) and by inducing costly antipredator behaviours in living prey (risk effects). Risk effects can strongly influence prey populations and cascade through trophic systems. A prerequisite for assessing risk effects is characterizing the spatiotemporal variation in predation risk. Risk effects research has experienced rapid growth in the last several decades. However, preliminary assessments of the resultant literature suggest that researchers characterize predation risk using a variety of techniques. The implications of this methodological variation for inference and comparability among studies have not been well recognized or formally synthesized. We couple a literature survey with a hierarchical framework, developed from established theory, to quantify the methodological variation in characterizing risk using carnivore-ungulate systems as a case study. Via this process, we documented 244 metrics of risk from 141 studies falling into at least 13 distinct subcategories within three broader categories. Both empirical and theoretical work suggest risk and its effects on prey constitute a complex, multi-dimensional process with expressions varying by spatiotemporal scale. Our survey suggests this multi-scale complexity is reflected in the literature as a whole but often underappreciated in any given study, which complicates comparability among studies and leads to an overemphasis on documenting the presence of risk effects rather than their mechanisms or scale of influence. We suggest risk metrics be placed in a more concrete conceptual framework to clarify inference surrounding risk effects and their cascading effects throughout ecosystems. We recommend studies (i) take a multi-scale approach to characterizing risk; (ii) explicitly consider 'true' predation risk (probability of predation per unit time); and (iii) use risk metrics that facilitate comparison among studies and the evaluation of multiple competing hypotheses. Addressing the pressing questions in risk effects research, including how, to what extent and on what scale they occur, requires leveraging the advantages of the many methods available to characterize risk while minimizing the confusion caused by variability in their application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remington J Moll
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Kyle M Redilla
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Tutilo Mudumba
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Arthur B Muneza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Giraffe Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 51061 GPO, Nairobi, 00100, Kenya
| | - Steven M Gray
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Leandro Abade
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Matt W Hayward
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK.,Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa.,Centre for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria, X001, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Joshua J Millspaugh
- Wildlife Biology Program, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - Robert A Montgomery
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
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16
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Davies AB, Tambling CJ, Kerley GIH, Asner GP. Limited spatial response to direct predation risk by African herbivores following predator reintroduction. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:5728-48. [PMID: 27547350 PMCID: PMC4983587 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators affect ecosystems not only through direct mortality of prey, but also through risk effects on prey behavior, which can exert strong influences on ecosystem function and prey fitness. However, how functionally different prey species respond to predation risk and how prey strategies vary across ecosystems and in response to predator reintroduction are poorly understood. We investigated the spatial distributions of six African herbivores varying in foraging strategy and body size in response to environmental factors and direct predation risk by recently reintroduced lions in the thicket biome of the Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, using camera trap surveys, GPS telemetry, kill site locations and Light Detection and Ranging. Spatial distributions of all species, apart from buffalo, were driven primarily by environmental factors, with limited responses to direct predation risk. Responses to predation risk were instead indirect, with species distributions driven by environmental factors, and diel patterns being particularly pronounced. Grazers were more responsive to the measured variables than browsers, with more observations in open areas. Terrain ruggedness was a stronger predictor of browser distributions than was vegetation density. Buffalo was the only species to respond to predator encounter risk, avoiding areas with higher lion utilization. Buffalo therefore behaved in similar ways to when lions were absent from the study area. Our results suggest that direct predation risk effects are relatively weak when predator densities are low and the time since reintroduction is short and emphasize the need for robust, long‐term monitoring of predator reintroductions to place such events in the broader context of predation risk effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B Davies
- Department of Global Ecology Carnegie Institution for Science 260 Panama Street Stanford California 94305
| | - Craig J Tambling
- Department of Zoology Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Port Elizabeth 6031 South Africa
| | - Graham I H Kerley
- Department of Zoology Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Port Elizabeth 6031 South Africa
| | - Gregory P Asner
- Department of Global Ecology Carnegie Institution for Science 260 Panama Street Stanford California 94305
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