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Crosby CH, Schlacher TA, Kerwin K, Maslo B. Impacts of coyote colonization on coastal mammalian predators. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17868. [PMID: 39090258 PMCID: PMC11294349 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68698-9] [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: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Extreme ecosystem modification by humans has caused drastic reductions in populations and ranges of top mammalian predators, while simultaneously allowing synanthropic mesopredator species to expand. These conditions often result in inflated local densities of highly adaptable mesopredators that disrupt trophic dynamics and place unsustainable predation pressure on native prey populations. Colonization of a dominant predator may lead to top-down control of mesopredators and restore trophic balance. Coyotes are a novel colonizer of some coastal barrier islands of eastern North America, offering an opportunity to test how the addition of an apex predator impacts an established guild of mesopredators. To assess their trophic impact, we conducted 75,576 camera trapping hours over an 18-month study period, capturing > 1.5 million images across 108 coastal camera sites. Using two-species occupancy and habitat use models, we found sizeable effects of coyote habitat use on that of red foxes and free-ranging domestic cats, suggesting that coyotes function as apex predators in barrier island ecosystems. In fact, the only factor that determined the spatial pattern of highly ubiquitous red foxes was the sympatric habitat use of the largest carnivore in the food web-coyotes. That 'novel' apex predators can become established in coastal food webs illustrates the highly dynamic nature of conservation challenges for habitats and species at the edge of the sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian H Crosby
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
| | - Thomas A Schlacher
- School of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD, 4558, Australia
| | - Kathleen Kerwin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Brooke Maslo
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
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Mayhew DS, Hearn AJ, Devineau O, Linnell JD, Macdonald DW. Loss of Sunda clouded leopards and forest integrity drive potential impacts of mesopredator release on vulnerable avifauna. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32801. [PMID: 38975237 PMCID: PMC11225837 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32801] [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: 06/02/2024] [Revised: 06/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Amongst the unintended consequences of anthropogenic landscape conversion is declining apex predator abundance linked to loss of forest integrity, which can potentially re-order trophic networks. One such re-ordering, known as mesopredator release, occurs when medium-sized predators, also called mesopredators, rapidly increase in abundance following the decline in apex predator abundance, consequently reducing the abundance of mesopredator prey, notably including terrestrial avifauna. We examine the cascading impacts of declining Sunda clouded leopard abundance, itself consequent upon a reduction in forest integrity, on the mesopredator community of Sabah, Malaysia, to determine whether the phenomenon of mesopredator release is manifest and specifically whether it impacts the terrestrial avifauna community of pheasants and pittas. To explore this trophic interaction, we used a piecewise structural equation model to compare changes in the relative abundance of organisms. Our results suggest that loss of forest integrity may have broad impacts on the community and trigger mesopredator release, the two acting additively in their impact on already vulnerable species of terrestrial avifauna: a result not previously documented in tropical systems and rarely detected even on a global scale. The limiting effect that the Sunda clouded leopard has on the Sunda leopard cat could illuminate the mechanism whereby mesopredator release impacts this system. Both Bulwer's pheasant and pittas appear to be significantly impacted by the increase in Sunda leopard cats, while the great argus pheasant shows similar compelling, although not statistically significant, declines as Sunda leopard cats increase. The inverse relationship between Sunda clouded leopards and Sunda leopard cats suggests that if a mesopredator release exists it could have downstream consequences for some terrestrial avifauna. These results suggest the under-studied interface between mammalian carnivores and avifauna, or more broadly species interactions in general, could offer important conservation tool for holistic ecosystem conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darwin S. Mayhew
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences - Campus Evenstad, Anne Evenstads Vei 80, 2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Andrew J. Hearn
- WildCRU, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Rd, Tubney, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Olivier Devineau
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences - Campus Evenstad, Anne Evenstads Vei 80, 2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - John D.C. Linnell
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences - Campus Evenstad, Anne Evenstads Vei 80, 2480, Koppang, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Vormstuguveien 40, 2624, Lillehammer, Norway
| | - David W. Macdonald
- WildCRU, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Rd, Tubney, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
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Cano‐Martínez R, Thorsen NH, Hofmeester TR, Odden J, Linnell J, Devineau O, Angoh SYJ, Odden M. Bottom-up rather than top-down mechanisms determine mesocarnivore interactions in Norway. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11064. [PMID: 38463636 PMCID: PMC10920318 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11064] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Interactions among coexisting mesocarnivores can be influenced by different factors such as the presence of large carnivores, land-use, environmental productivity, or human disturbance. Disentangling the relative importance of bottom-up and top-down processes can be challenging, but it is important for biodiversity conservation and wildlife management. The aim of this study was to assess how the interactions among mesocarnivores (red fox Vulpes vulpes, badger Meles meles, and pine marten Martes martes) were affected by large carnivores (Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx and wolf Canis lupus), land cover variables (proportion of agricultural land and primary productivity), and human disturbance, as well as how these top-down and bottom-up mechanisms were influenced by season. We analyzed 3 years (2018-2020) of camera trapping observations from Norway and used structural equation models to assess hypothesized networks of causal relationships. Our results showed that land cover variables were more strongly associated with mesocarnivore detection rates than large carnivores in Norway. This might be caused by a combination of low density of large carnivores in an unproductive ecosystem with strong seasonality. Additionally, detection rates of all mesocarnivores showed positive associations among each other, which were stronger in winter. The prevalence of positive interactions among predators might indicate a tendency to use the same areas and resources combined with weak interference competition. Alternatively, it might indicate some kind of facilitative relationship among species. Human disturbance had contrasting effects for different species, benefiting the larger mesocarnivores (red fox and badger) probably through food subsidization, but negatively affecting apex predators (wolf and lynx) and smaller mesocarnivores (pine marten). In a human-dominated world, this highlights the importance of including anthropogenic influences in the study of species interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Cano‐Martínez
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | | | - Tim R. Hofmeester
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental StudiesSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUmeåSweden
| | - John Odden
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchOsloNorway
| | - John Linnell
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchLillehammerNorway
| | - Olivier Devineau
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | - Siow Yan Jennifer Angoh
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | - Morten Odden
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
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Behr DM, Hodel FH, Cozzi G, McNutt JW, Ozgul A. Higher Mortality Is Not a Universal Cost of Dispersal: A Case Study in African Wild Dogs. Am Nat 2023; 202:616-629. [PMID: 37963118 DOI: 10.1086/726220] [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] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
AbstractMortality is considered one of the main costs of dispersal. A reliable evaluation of mortality, however, is often hindered by a lack of information about the fate of individuals that disappear under unexplained circumstances (i.e., missing individuals). Here, we addressed this uncertainty by applying a Bayesian mortality analysis that inferred the fate of missing individuals according to information from individuals with known fate. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that mortality during dispersal is higher than mortality among nondispersers using 32 years of mark-resighting data from a free-ranging population of the endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) in northern Botswana. Contrary to expectations, we found that mortality during dispersal was lower than mortality among nondispersers, indicating that higher mortality is not a universal cost of dispersal. Our findings suggest that group living can incur costs for certain age classes, such as limited access to resources as group density increases, that exceed the mortality costs associated with dispersal. By challenging the accepted expectation of higher mortality during dispersal, we urge for further investigations of this key life history trait and propose a robust statistical approach to reduce bias in mortality estimates.
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Persson J, Ordiz A, Ladle A, Andrén H, Aronsson M. Recolonization following past persecution questions the importance of persistent snow cover as a range limiting factor for wolverines. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:5802-5815. [PMID: 37566106 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16908] [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: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Globally, climate is changing rapidly, which causes shifts in many species' distributions, stressing the need to understand their response to changing environmental conditions to inform conservation and management. Northern latitudes are expected to experience strongest changes in climate, with milder winters and decreasing snow cover. The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is a circumpolar, threatened carnivore distributed in northern tundra, boreal, and subboreal habitats. Previous studies have suggested that wolverine distribution and reproduction are constrained by a strong association with persistent spring snow cover. We assess this hypothesis by relating spatial distribution of 1589 reproductive events, a fitness-related proxy for female reproduction and survival, to snow cover over two decades. Wolverine distribution has increased and number of reproductive events increased 20 times in areas lacking spring snow cover during our study period, despite low monitoring effort where snow is sparse. Thus, the relationship between reproductive events and persistent spring snow cover weakened during this period. These findings show that wolverine reproductive success and hence distribution are less dependent on spring snow cover than expected. This has important implications for projections of future habitat availability, and thus distribution, of this threatened species. Our study also illustrates how past persecution, or other factors, that have restricted species distribution to remote areas can mask actual effects of environmental parameters, whose importance reveals when populations expand beyond previously restricted ranges. Overwhelming evidence shows that climate change is affecting many species and ecological processes, but forecasting potential consequences on a given species requires longitudinal data to revisit hypotheses and reassess the direction and magnitude of climate effects with new data. This is especially important for conservation-oriented management of species inhabiting dynamic systems where environmental factors and human activities interact, a common scenario for many species in different ecosystems around the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Persson
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Andrés Ordiz
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Área de Zoología, Universidad de León, León, Spain
| | - Andrew Ladle
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Henrik Andrén
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Malin Aronsson
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Procko M, Naidoo R, LeMay V, Burton AC. Human presence and infrastructure impact wildlife nocturnality differently across an assemblage of mammalian species. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286131. [PMID: 37228104 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Wildlife species may shift towards more nocturnal behavior in areas of higher human influence, but it is unclear how consistent this shift might be. We investigated how humans impact large mammal diel activities in a heavily recreated protected area and an adjacent university-managed forest in southwest British Columbia, Canada. We used camera trap detections of humans and wildlife, along with data on land-use infrastructure (e.g., recreation trails and restricted-access roads), in Bayesian regression models to investigate impacts of human disturbance on wildlife nocturnality. We found moderate evidence that black bears (Ursus americanus) were more nocturnal in response to human detections (mean posterior estimate = 0.35, 90% credible interval = 0.04 to 0.65), but no other clear relationships between wildlife nocturnality and human detections. However, we found evidence that coyotes (Canis latrans) (estimates = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.46 to 1.17) were more nocturnal and snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) (estimate = -0.87, 95% CI = -1.29 to -0.46) were less nocturnal in areas of higher trail density. We also found that coyotes (estimate = -0.87, 95% CI = -1.29 to -0.46) and cougars (Puma concolor) (estimate = -1.14, 90% CI = -2.16 to -0.12) were less nocturnal in areas of greater road density. Furthermore, coyotes, black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and snowshoe hares were moderately more nocturnal in areas near urban-wildland boundaries (estimates and 90% CIs: coyote = -0.29, -0.55 to -0.04, black-tailed deer = -0.25, -0.45 to -0.04, snowshoe hare = -0.24, -0.46 to -0.01). Our findings imply anthropogenic landscape features may influence medium to large-sized mammal diel activities more than direct human presence. While increased nocturnality may be a promising mechanism for human-wildlife coexistence, shifts in temporal activity can also have negative repercussions for wildlife, warranting further research into the causes and consequences of wildlife responses to increasingly human-dominated landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Procko
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Robin Naidoo
- World Wildlife Fund - US, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Valerie LeMay
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - A Cole Burton
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Reeve C, Robichaud JA, Fernandes T, Bates AE, Bramburger AJ, Brownscombe JW, Davy CM, Henry HAL, McMeans BC, Moise ERD, Sharma S, Smith PA, Studd EK, O’Sullivan A, Sutton AO, Templer PH, Cooke SJ. Applied winter biology: threats, conservation and management of biological resources during winter in cold climate regions. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad027. [PMID: 37179705 PMCID: PMC10170328 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Winter at high latitudes is characterized by low temperatures, dampened light levels and short photoperiods which shape ecological and evolutionary outcomes from cells to populations to ecosystems. Advances in our understanding of winter biological processes (spanning physiology, behaviour and ecology) highlight that biodiversity threats (e.g. climate change driven shifts in reproductive windows) may interact with winter conditions, leading to greater ecological impacts. As such, conservation and management strategies that consider winter processes and their consequences on biological mechanisms may lead to greater resilience of high altitude and latitude ecosystems. Here, we use well-established threat and action taxonomies produced by the International Union of Conservation of Nature-Conservation Measures Partnership (IUCN-CMP) to synthesize current threats to biota that emerge during, or as the result of, winter processes then discuss targeted management approaches for winter-based conservation. We demonstrate the importance of considering winter when identifying threats to biodiversity and deciding on appropriate management strategies across species and ecosystems. We confirm our expectation that threats are prevalent during the winter and are especially important considering the physiologically challenging conditions that winter presents. Moreover, our findings emphasize that climate change and winter-related constraints on organisms will intersect with other stressors to potentially magnify threats and further complicate management. Though conservation and management practices are less commonly considered during the winter season, we identified several potential or already realized applications relevant to winter that could be beneficial. Many of the examples are quite recent, suggesting a potential turning point for applied winter biology. This growing body of literature is promising but we submit that more research is needed to identify and address threats to wintering biota for targeted and proactive conservation. We suggest that management decisions consider the importance of winter and incorporate winter specific strategies for holistic and mechanistic conservation and resource management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connor Reeve
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Jessica A Robichaud
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Timothy Fernandes
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Amanda E Bates
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd., Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2 Canada
| | - Andrew J Bramburger
- Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 867 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, Ontario, L7S 1A1, Canada
| | - Jacob W Brownscombe
- Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 867 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, Ontario, L7S 1A1, Canada
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Christina M Davy
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Hugh A L Henry
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St. N, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Bailey C McMeans
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Eric R D Moise
- Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service, 26 University Drive, Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, A2H 5G4, Canada
| | - Sapna Sharma
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Paul A Smith
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Emily K Studd
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Antóin O’Sullivan
- Biology Department, Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, 550 Windsor St., Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Alex O Sutton
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UR, UK
| | - Pamela H Templer
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
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Alibhai SK, Gu J, Jewell ZC, Morgan J, Liu D, Jiang G. ‘I know the tiger by his paw’: A non-invasive footprint identification technique for monitoring individual Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in snow. ECOL INFORM 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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9
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Kilfoil JP, Quinn TP, Wirsing AJ. Human effects on brown bear diel activity may facilitate subadults foraging on Pacific salmon. Glob Ecol Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
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10
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Spatiotemporal Patterns of Wolves, and Sympatric Predators and Prey Relative to Human Disturbance in Northwestern Greece. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
In an era of increasing human pressure on nature, understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of wildlife relative to human disturbance can inform conservation efforts, especially for large carnivores. We examined the temporal activity and spatial patterns of wolves and eight sympatric mammals at 71 camera trap stations in Greece. Grey wolves temporally overlapped the most with wild boars (Δ = 0.84) and medium-sized mammals (Δ > 0.75), moderately with brown bears (Δ = 0.70), and least with roe deer (Δ = 0.46). All wild mammals were mainly nocturnal and exhibited low temporal overlap with human disturbance (humans, vehicles, livestock, and dogs; Δ = 0.18–0.36), apart from roe deer, which were more diurnal (Δ = 0.80). Six out of nine species increased their nocturnality at sites of high human disturbance, particularly roe deer and wolves. The detection of wolves was negatively associated with paved roads, the detection of roe deer was negatively associated with human disturbance, and the detection of wild boars was negatively associated with dogs. The detection of bears, boars, and foxes increased closer to settlements. Our study has applied implications for wolf conservation and human–wildlife coexistence.
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Tallian A, Ordiz A, Metz MC, Zimmermann B, Wikenros C, Smith DW, Stahler DR, Wabakken P, Swenson JE, Sand H, Kindberg J. Of wolves and bears: Seasonal drivers of interference and exploitation competition between apex predators. ECOL MONOGR 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aimee Tallian
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research NO‐7485 Trondheim Norway
| | - Andrés Ordiz
- Grimsӧ Wildlife Research Station Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SE‐739 93 Riddarhyttan Sweden
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences Postbox 5003, NO‐1432 Ås Norway
- Dpto. de Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental Área de Zoología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales Universidad de León Campus de Vegazana s/n 24071 León Spain
| | - Matthew C. Metz
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences University of Montana Missoula Montana 59812 USA
- Yellowstone Center for Resources Yellowstone National Park Box 168, Mammoth Hot Springs WY 82190 USA
| | - Barbara Zimmermann
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Evenstad NO‐2480 Koppang Norway
| | - Camilla Wikenros
- Grimsӧ Wildlife Research Station Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SE‐739 93 Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Douglas W. Smith
- Yellowstone Center for Resources Yellowstone National Park Box 168, Mammoth Hot Springs WY 82190 USA
| | - Daniel R. Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources Yellowstone National Park Box 168, Mammoth Hot Springs WY 82190 USA
| | - Petter Wabakken
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Evenstad NO‐2480 Koppang Norway
| | - Jon E. Swenson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences Postbox 5003, NO‐1432 Ås Norway
| | - Håkan Sand
- Grimsӧ Wildlife Research Station Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SE‐739 93 Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Jonas Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research NO‐7485 Trondheim Norway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SE‐901 83 Umeå Sweden
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13
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Spruill-Harrell B, Pérez-Umphrey A, Valdivieso-Torres L, Cao X, Owen RD, Jonsson CB. Impact of Predator Exclusion and Habitat on Seroprevalence of New World Orthohantavirus Harbored by Two Sympatric Rodents within the Interior Atlantic Forest. Viruses 2021; 13:1963. [PMID: 34696393 PMCID: PMC8538774 DOI: 10.3390/v13101963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how perturbations to trophic interactions influence virus-host dynamics is essential in the face of ongoing biodiversity loss and the continued emergence of RNA viruses and their associated zoonoses. Herein, we investigated the role of predator exclusion on rodent communities and the seroprevalence of hantaviruses within the Reserva Natural del Bosque Mbaracayú (RNBM), which is a protected area of the Interior Atlantic Forest (IAF). In the IAF, two sympatric rodent reservoirs, Akodon montensis and Oligoryzomys nigripes, harbor Jaborá and Juquitiba hantavirus (JABV, JUQV), respectively. In this study, we employed two complementary methods for predator exclusion: comprehensive fencing and trapping/removal. The goal of exclusion was to preclude the influence of predation on small mammals on the sampling grids and thereby potentially reduce rodent mortality. Following baseline sampling on three grid pairs with different habitats, we closed the grids and began predator removal. By sampling three habitat types, we controlled for habitat-specific effects, which is important for hantavirus-reservoir dynamics in neotropical ecosystems. Our six-month predator exclusion experiment revealed that the exclusion of terrestrial mammalian predators had little influence on the rodent community or the population dynamics of A. montensis and O. nigripes. Instead, fluctuations in species diversity and species abundances were influenced by sampling session and forest degradation. These results suggest that seasonality and landscape composition play dominant roles in the prevalence of hantaviruses in rodent reservoirs in the IAF ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Spruill-Harrell
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA;
| | - Anna Pérez-Umphrey
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University and AgCenter, 227 RNR Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
| | | | - Xueyuan Cao
- Department of Nursing-Acute/Tert Care, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA;
| | - Robert D. Owen
- Centro para el Desarrollo de la Investigación Científica, Asunción C.P. 1371, Paraguay;
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Colleen B. Jonsson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA;
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The return of large carnivores: Using hunter observation data to understand the role of predators on ungulate populations. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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