1
|
Zanette LY, Frizzelle NR, Clinchy M, Peel MJS, Keller CB, Huebner SE, Packer C. Fear of the human "super predator" pervades the South African savanna. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4689-4696.e4. [PMID: 37802052 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Lions have long been perceived as Africa's, if not the world's, most fearsome terrestrial predator,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 the "king of beasts". Wildlife's fear of humans may, however, be far more powerful and all-prevailing1,10 as recent global surveys show that humans kill prey at much higher rates than other predators,10,11,12 due partly to technologies such as hunting with dogs or guns.11,13,14,15 We comprehensively experimentally tested whether wildlife's fear of humans exceeds even that of lions, by quantifying fear responses1 in the majority of carnivore and ungulate species (n = 19) inhabiting South Africa`s Greater Kruger National Park (GKNP),9,15,16,17 using automated camera-speaker systems9,18 at waterholes during the dry season that broadcast playbacks of humans, lions, hunting sounds (dogs, gunshots) or non-predator controls (birds).9,19,20,21,22 Fear of humans significantly exceeded that of lions throughout the savanna mammal community. As a whole (n = 4,238 independent trials), wildlife were twice as likely to run (p < 0.001) and abandoned waterholes in 40% faster time (p < 0.001) in response to humans than to lions (or hunting sounds). Fully 95% of species ran more from humans than lions (significantly in giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, kudu, warthog, and impala) or abandoned waterholes faster (significantly in rhinoceroses and elephants). Our results greatly strengthen the growing experimental evidence that wildlife worldwide fear the human "super predator" far more than other predators,1,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28 and the very substantial fear of humans demonstrated can be expected to cause considerable ecological impacts,1,6,22,23,24,29,30,31,32,33,34,35 presenting challenges for tourism-dependent conservation,1,36,37 particularly in Africa,38,39 while providing new opportunities to protect some species.1,22,40.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liana Y Zanette
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada.
| | | | - Michael Clinchy
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Michael J S Peel
- ARC - Animal Production Institute, Rangeland Ecology Group, Mbombela 1200, South Africa; School for Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2017, South Africa; Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystem Research Unit, University of South Africa, Florida 1710, South Africa
| | - Carson B Keller
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Sarah E Huebner
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Craig Packer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Johnson-Bice SM, Gable TD, Homkes AT, Windels SK, Bump JK, Bruggink JG. Logging, linear features, and human infrastructure shape the spatial dynamics of wolf predation on an ungulate neonate. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2911. [PMID: 37602927 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Humans are increasingly recognized as important players in predator-prey dynamics by modifying landscapes. This trend has been well-documented for large mammal communities in North American boreal forests: logging creates early seral forests that benefit ungulates such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), while the combination of infrastructure development and resource extraction practices generate linear features that allow predators such as wolves (Canis lupus) to travel and forage more efficiently throughout the landscape. Disturbances from recreational activities and residential development are other major sources of human activity in boreal ecosystems that may further alter wolf-ungulate dynamics. Here, we evaluate the influence that several major types of anthropogenic landscape modifications (timber harvest, linear features, and residential infrastructure) have on where and how wolves hunt ungulate neonates in a southern boreal forest ecosystem in Minnesota, USA. We demonstrate that each major anthropogenic disturbance significantly influences wolf predation of white-tailed deer fawns (n = 427 kill sites). In contrast with the "human shield hypothesis" that posits prey use human-modified areas as refuge, wolves killed fawns closer to residential buildings than expected based on spatial availability. Fawns were also killed within recently-logged areas more than expected. Concealment cover was higher at kill sites than random sites, suggesting wolves use senses other than vision, probably olfaction, to detect hidden fawns. Wolves showed strong selection for hunting along linear features, and kill sites were also closer to linear features than expected. We hypothesize that linear features facilitated wolf predation on fawns by allowing wolves to travel efficiently among high-quality prey patches (recently logged areas, near buildings), and also increase encounter rates with olfactory cues that allow them to detect hidden fawns. These findings provide novel insight into the strategies predators use to hunt ungulate neonates and the many ways human activity alters wolf-ungulate neonate predator-prey dynamics, which have remained elusive due to the challenges of locating sites where predators kill small prey. Our research has important management and conservation implications for wolf-ungulate systems subjected to anthropogenic pressures, particularly as the range of overlap between wolves and deer expands and appears to be altering food web dynamics in boreal ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Johnson-Bice
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Thomas D Gable
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Austin T Homkes
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, USA
| | - Steve K Windels
- Voyageurs National Park, International Falls, Minnesota, USA
| | - Joseph K Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - John G Bruggink
- Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Russo NJ, Davies AB, Blakey RV, Ordway EM, Smith TB. Feedback loops between 3D vegetation structure and ecological functions of animals. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:1597-1613. [PMID: 37419868 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems function in a series of feedback loops that can change or maintain vegetation structure. Vegetation structure influences the ecological niche space available to animals, shaping many aspects of behaviour and reproduction. In turn, animals perform ecological functions that shape vegetation structure. However, most studies concerning three-dimensional vegetation structure and animal ecology consider only a single direction of this relationship. Here, we review these separate lines of research and integrate them into a unified concept that describes a feedback mechanism. We also show how remote sensing and animal tracking technologies are now available at the global scale to describe feedback loops and their consequences for ecosystem functioning. An improved understanding of how animals interact with vegetation structure in feedback loops is needed to conserve ecosystems that face major disruptions in response to climate and land-use change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Russo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Andrew B Davies
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rachel V Blakey
- La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California, USA
| | - Elsa M Ordway
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Thomas B Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu M, McShea WJ, Wang Y, Xia F, Shen X, Li S. Ungulates' Behavioral Responses to Humans as an Apex Predator in a Hunting-Prohibited Area of China. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13050845. [PMID: 36899702 PMCID: PMC10000205 DOI: 10.3390/ani13050845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Large mammals can perceive humans as predators and therefore adjust their behavior to achieve coexistence with humans. However, lack of research at sites with low hunting intensity limits our understanding of how behavioral responses of animals adapt to different predation risks by humans. At Heshun County in North China, where hunting has been banned for over three decades and only low-intensity poaching exists, we exposed two large ungulates (Siberian roe deer Capreolus pygarus and wild boar Sus scrofa) to the sounds of humans, an extant predator (leopard Panthera pardus) and a control (wind), and examined their flight responses and detection probabilities when hearing different type of sounds. Both species showed higher flight probabilities when hearing human vocalization than wind, and wild boar were even more likely to flee upon hearing human vocalization than leopard roar, suggesting the behavioral response to humans can equal or exceed that of large carnivores in these two ungulates even in an area without hunting practices. Recorded sounds had no effect on detection probability of both ungulates. Additionally, with repeated exposure to sounds, regardless of treatment, roe deer were less likely to flee and wild boars were more likely to be detected, indicating a habituation-type response to sound stimuli. We speculate that the immediate flight behavior rather than shifts in habitat use of the two species reflect the low hunting/poaching pressure at our study site and suggest further examination of physiological status and demographic dynamics of the study species to understand human influence on their long-term persistence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mingzhang Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - William J. McShea
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA
| | - Yidan Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Fan Xia
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiaoli Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- Correspondence: (X.S.); (S.L.)
| | - Sheng Li
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Correspondence: (X.S.); (S.L.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
LaBarge LR, Evans MJ, Miller JRB, Cannataro G, Hunt C, Elbroch LM. Pumas
Puma concolor
as ecological brokers: a review of their biotic relationships. Mamm Rev 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura R. LaBarge
- Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, Department of Environment and Sustainability, The State University of New York University at Buffalo Amherst NY14260USA
- Center for Conservation Innovation Defenders of Wildlife Washington DC20036USA
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Bücklestraße 5 Konstanz DE78467Germany
| | - Michael J. Evans
- Center for Conservation Innovation Defenders of Wildlife Washington DC20036USA
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy George Mason University 4400 University Dr Fairfax VA22030USA
| | - Jennifer R. B. Miller
- Center for Conservation Innovation Defenders of Wildlife Washington DC20036USA
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy George Mason University 4400 University Dr Fairfax VA22030USA
| | - Gillian Cannataro
- Center for Conservation Innovation Defenders of Wildlife Washington DC20036USA
- Conservation, Management and Welfare Sciences Association of Zoos and Aquariums 8403 Colesville Rd., Suite 710 Silver Spring MD20910‐3314USA
| | - Christian Hunt
- Field Conservation Defenders of Wildlife Washington DC20036USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Nisi AC, Suraci JP, Ranc N, Frank LG, Oriol-Cotterill A, Ekwanga S, Williams TM, Wilmers CC. Temporal scale of habitat selection for large carnivores: Balancing energetics, risk and finding prey. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:182-195. [PMID: 34668571 PMCID: PMC9298125 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
When navigating heterogeneous landscapes, large carnivores must balance trade-offs between multiple goals, including minimizing energetic expenditure, maintaining access to hunting opportunities and avoiding potential risk from humans. The relative importance of these goals in driving carnivore movement likely changes across temporal scales, but our understanding of these dynamics remains limited. Here we quantified how drivers of movement and habitat selection changed with temporal grain for two large carnivore species living in human-dominated landscapes, providing insights into commonalities in carnivore movement strategies across regions. We used high-resolution GPS collar data and integrated step selection analyses to model movement and habitat selection for African lions Panthera leo in Laikipia, Kenya and pumas Puma concolor in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California across eight temporal grains, ranging from 5 min to 12 hr. Analyses considered landscape covariates that are related to energetics, resource acquisition and anthropogenic risk. For both species, topographic slope, which strongly influences energetic expenditure, drove habitat selection and movement patterns over fine temporal grains but was less important at longer temporal grains. In contrast, avoiding anthropogenic risk during the day, when risk was highest, was consistently important across grains, but the degree to which carnivores relaxed this avoidance at night was strongest for longer term movements. Lions and pumas modified their movement behaviour differently in response to anthropogenic features: lions sped up while near humans at fine temporal grains, while pumas slowed down in more developed areas at coarse temporal grains. Finally, pumas experienced a trade-off between energetically efficient movement and avoiding anthropogenic risk. Temporal grain is an important methodological consideration in habitat selection analyses, as drivers of both movement and habitat selection changed across temporal grain. Additionally, grain-dependent patterns can reflect meaningful behavioural processes, including how fitness-relevant goals influence behaviour over different periods of time. In applying multi-scale analysis to fine-resolution data, we showed that two large carnivore species in very different human-dominated landscapes balanced competing energetic and safety demands in largely similar ways. These commonalities suggest general strategies of landscape use across large carnivore species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna C Nisi
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Justin P Suraci
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Conservation Science Partners, Truckee, CA, USA
| | - Nathan Ranc
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Laurence G Frank
- Living with Lions, Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Alayne Oriol-Cotterill
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, Oxford University, Abingdon, UK.,Lion Landscapes, Teignmouth, UK
| | - Steven Ekwanga
- Living with Lions, Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Terrie M Williams
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Christopher C Wilmers
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Monk JD, Schmitz OJ. Landscapes shaped from the top down: predicting cascading predator effects on spatial biogeochemistry. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia D. Monk
- School of the Environment, Yale Univ. New Haven CT USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Wilmers CC, Nisi AC, Ranc N. COVID-19 suppression of human mobility releases mountain lions from a landscape of fear. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3952-3955.e3. [PMID: 34197728 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Humans have outsized effects on ecosystems, in part by initiating trophic cascades that impact all levels of the food chain.1,2 Theory suggests that disease outbreaks can reverse these impacts by modifying human behavior,3,4 but this has not yet been tested. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a natural experiment to test whether a virus could subordinate humans to an intermediate link in the trophic chain, releasing a top carnivore from a landscape of fear. Shelter-in-place orders in the Bay Area of California led to a 50% decline in human mobility, which resulted in a relaxation of mountain lion aversion to urban areas. Rapid changes in human mobility thus appear to act quickly on food web functions, suggesting an important pathway by which emerging infectious diseases will impact not only human health but ecosystems as well.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C Wilmers
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
| | - Anna C Nisi
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Nathan Ranc
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| |
Collapse
|