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Short ML, Service CN, Suraci JP, Artelle KA, Field KA, Darimont CT. Ecology of fear alters behavior of grizzly bears exposed to bear-viewing ecotourism. Ecology 2024:e4317. [PMID: 38687245 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Humans are perceived as predators by many species and may generate landscapes of fear, influencing spatiotemporal activity of wildlife. Additionally, wildlife might seek out human activity when faced with predation risks (human shield hypothesis). We used the anthropause, a decrease in human activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, to test ecology of fear and human shield hypotheses and quantify the effects of bear-viewing ecotourism on grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) activity. We deployed camera traps in the Khutze watershed in Kitasoo Xai'xais Territory in the absence of humans in 2020 and with experimental treatments of variable human activity when ecotourism resumed in 2021. Daily bear detection rates decreased with more people present and increased with days since people were present. Human activity was also associated with more bear detections at forested sheltered sites and less at exposed sites, likely due to the influence of habitat on bear perception of safety. The number of people negatively influenced adult male detection rates, but we found no influence on female with young detections, providing no evidence that females responded behaviorally to a human shield effect from reduced male activity. We also observed apparent trade-offs of risk avoidance and foraging. When salmon levels were moderate to high, detected bears were more likely to be females with young than adult males on days with more people present. Should managers want to minimize human impacts on bear activity and maintain baseline age-sex class composition at ecotourism sites, multiday closures and daily occupancy limits may be effective. More broadly, this work revealed that antipredator responses can vary with intensity of risk cues, habitat structure, and forage trade-offs and manifest as altered age-sex class composition of individuals using human-influenced areas, highlighting that wildlife avoid people across multiple spatiotemporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica L Short
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Justin P Suraci
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc., Truckee, California, USA
| | - Kyle A Artelle
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
- College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, USA
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kate A Field
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chris T Darimont
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
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2
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Brunet MJ, Huggler KS, Holbrook JD, Burke PW, Zornes M, Lionberger P, Monteith KL. Spatial prey availability and pulsed reproductive tactics: Encounter risk in a canid-ungulate system. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:447-459. [PMID: 38348546 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14056] [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: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Predation risk is a function of spatiotemporal overlap between predator and prey, as well as behavioural responses during encounters. Dynamic factors (e.g. group size, prey availability and animal movement or state) affect risk, but rarely are integrated in risk assessments. Our work targets a system where predation risk is fundamentally linked to temporal patterns in prey abundance and behaviour. For neonatal ungulate prey, risk is defined within a short temporal window during which the pulse in parturition, increasing movement capacity with age and antipredation tactics have the potential to mediate risk. In our coyote-mule deer (Canis latrans-Odocoileus hemionus) system, leveraging GPS data collected from both predator and prey, we tested expectations of shared enemy and reproductive risk hypotheses. We asked two questions regarding risk: (A) How does primary and alternative prey habitat, predator and prey activity, and reproductive tactics (e.g. birth synchrony and maternal defence) influence the vulnerability of a neonate encountering a predator? (B) How do the same factors affect behaviour by predators relative to the time before and after an encounter? Despite increased selection for mule deer and intensified search behaviour by coyotes during the peak in mule deer parturition, mule deer were afforded protection from predation via predator swamping, experiencing reduced per-capita encounter risk when most neonates were born. Mule deer occupying rabbit habitat (Sylvilagus spp.; coyote's primary prey) experienced the greatest risk of encounter but the availability of rabbit habitat did not affect predator behaviour during encounters. Encounter risk increased in areas with greater availability of mule deer habitat: coyotes shifted their behaviour relative to deer habitat, and the pulse in mule deer parturition and movement of neonatal deer during encounters elicited increased speed and tortuosity by coyotes. In addition to the spatial distribution of prey, temporal patterns in prey availability and animal behavioural state were fundamental in defining risk. Our work reveals the nuanced consequences of pulsed availability on predation risk for alternative prey, whereby responses by predators to sudden resource availability, the lasting effects of diversionary prey and inherent antipredation tactics ultimately dictate risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell J Brunet
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Katey S Huggler
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Joseph D Holbrook
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | | | - Mark Zornes
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Green River, Wyoming, USA
| | - Patrick Lionberger
- Bureau of Land Management, Rock Springs Field Office, Rock Springs, Wyoming, USA
| | - Kevin L Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
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3
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Nicvert L, Donnet S, Keith M, Peel M, Somers MJ, Swanepoel LH, Venter J, Fritz H, Dray S. Using the multivariate Hawkes process to study interactions between multiple species from camera trap data. Ecology 2024; 105:e4237. [PMID: 38369779 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Interspecific interactions can influence species' activity and movement patterns. In particular, species may avoid or attract each other through reactive responses in space and/or time. However, data and methods to study such reactive interactions have remained scarce and were generally limited to two interacting species. At this time, the deployment of camera traps opens new opportunities but adapted statistical techniques are still required to analyze interaction patterns with such data. We present the multivariate Hawkes process (MHP) and show how it can be used to analyze interactions between several species using camera trap data. Hawkes processes use flexible pairwise interaction functions, allowing us to consider asymmetries and variations over time when depicting reactive temporal interactions. After describing the theoretical foundations of the MHP, we outline how its framework can be used to study interspecific interactions with camera trap data. We design a simulation study to evaluate the performance of the MHP and of another existing method to infer interactions from camera trap-like data. We also use the MHP to infer reactive interactions from real camera trap data for five species from South African savannas (impala Aepyceros melampus, greater kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros, lion Panthera leo, blue wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus and Burchell's zebra Equus quagga burchelli). The simulation study shows that the MHP can be used as a tool to benchmark other methods of interspecific interaction inference and that this model can reliably infer interactions when enough data are considered. The analysis of real data highlights evidence of predator avoidance by prey and herbivore-herbivore attraction. Lastly, we present the advantages and limits of the MHP and discuss how it can be improved to infer attraction/avoidance patterns more reliably. As camera traps are increasingly used, the multivariate Hawkes process provides a promising framework to decipher the complexity of interactions structuring ecological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Nicvert
- Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, LBBE, UMR 5558, CNRS, VAS, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sophie Donnet
- Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR MIA Paris-Saclay, Palaiseau, France
| | - Mark Keith
- Eugène Marais Chair of Wildlife Management, Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Mike Peel
- Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production Institute, Rangeland Ecology, Pretoria, South Africa
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Florida, South Africa
| | - Michael J Somers
- Eugène Marais Chair of Wildlife Management, Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Lourens H Swanepoel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | - Jan Venter
- Department of Conservation Management, Faculty of Science, George Campus, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa
- REHABS, International Research Laboratory, CNRS-NMU-UCBL, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa
| | - Hervé Fritz
- REHABS, International Research Laboratory, CNRS-NMU-UCBL, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa
- Sustainability Research Unit, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa
| | - Stéphane Dray
- Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, LBBE, UMR 5558, CNRS, VAS, Villeurbanne, France
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Ganz TR, DeVivo MT, Wirsing AJ, Bassing SB, Kertson BN, Walker SL, Prugh LR. Cougars, wolves, and humans drive a dynamic landscape of fear for elk. Ecology 2024; 105:e4255. [PMID: 38361248 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
To manage predation risk, prey navigate a dynamic landscape of fear, or spatiotemporal variation in risk perception, reflecting predator distributions, traits, and activity cycles. Prey may seek to reduce risk across this landscape using habitat at times and in places when predators are less active. In multipredator landscapes, avoiding one predator could increase vulnerability to another, making the landscape of fear difficult to predict and navigate. Additionally, humans may shape interactions between predators and prey, and induce new sources of risk. Humans can function as a shield, providing a refuge for prey from human-averse carnivores, and as a predator, causing mortality through hunting and vehicle collisions and eliciting a fear response that can exceed that of carnivores. We used telemetry data collected between 2017 and 2021 from 63 Global Positioning System-collared elk (Cervus canadensis), 42 cougars (Puma concolor), and 16 wolves (Canis lupus) to examine how elk habitat selection changed in relation to carnivores and humans in northeastern Washington, USA. Using step selection functions, we evaluated elk habitat use in relation to cougars, wolves, and humans, diel period (daytime vs. nighttime), season (summer calving season vs. fall hunting season), and habitat structure (open vs. closed habitat). The diel cycle was critical to understanding elk movement, allowing elk to reduce encounters with predators where and when they would be the largest threat. Elk strongly avoided cougars at night but had a near-neutral response to cougars during the day, whereas elk avoided wolves at all times of day. Elk generally used more open habitats where cougars and wolves were most active, rather than altering the use of habitat structure depending on the predator species. Elk avoided humans during the day and ~80% of adult female mortality was human caused, suggesting that humans functioned as a "super predator" in this system. Simultaneously, elk leveraged the human shield against wolves but not cougars at night, and no elk were confirmed to have been killed by wolves. Our results add to the mounting evidence that humans profoundly affect predator-prey interactions, highlighting the importance of studying these dynamics in anthropogenic areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor R Ganz
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Melia T DeVivo
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Spokane Valley, Washington, USA
| | - Aaron J Wirsing
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Sarah B Bassing
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Brian N Kertson
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Snoqualmie, Washington, USA
| | | | - Laura R Prugh
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Li F, Zhang T, Zhang Z, Lv T, Yu H, Yu D, Liu C. Predation risk-mediated indirect effects promote submerged plant growth: Implications for lake restoration. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 355:120512. [PMID: 38442660 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120512] [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: 12/09/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Biological manipulation, involving fish stockings, is commonly used to counteract the deterioration of submerged vegetation in eutrophic lakes. Nevertheless, the non-consumptive effects (NCEs) of stocked carnivorous fish are often overlooked. Using a controlled experimental system, we investigated the NCEs of a native carnivorous fish, snakehead (Channa argus), on two key biological factors, herbivore-dominated grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and disturbance-dominated loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), influencing submerged plants growth. Additionally, we conducted a meta-analysis on predation risk and primary productivity. The results reveal that predation risk induces oxidative stress damage and affects grass carp growth. Non-significant changes in cortisol and glucose may be linked to predation risk prediction. Simultaneously, predation risk reduces fish feeding and disturbance behavior, relieving pressure on submerged plants to be grazed and disturbed, thereby supporting plant development. The presence of submerged plants, in turn, enhances loach activity and influences water body characteristics through negative feedback. Furthermore, the meta-analysis results indicate the facilitative effect of predation risk on primary producers. Our findings contribute to the understanding of biological manipulation theory. We demonstrate that the predation risk associated with introducing carnivorous fish can promote the growth of submerged plants through behaviorally mediated indirect effects. This highlights the potential utility of predation risk in lake restoration efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuchao Li
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Tiantian Zhang
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Zhiqiang Zhang
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Tian Lv
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Haihao Yu
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Dan Yu
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Chunhua Liu
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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6
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Adams MS, Levi T, Bourbonnais M, Service CN, Artelle K, Bryan H, Paquet P, Nelson T, Darimont CT. Human disturbance in riparian areas disrupts predator-prey interactions between grizzly bears and salmon. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11058. [PMID: 38505181 PMCID: PMC10950355 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11058] [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: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Wildlife must increasingly balance trade-offs between the need to access important foods and the mortality risks associated with human-dominated landscapes. Human disturbance can profoundly influence wildlife behavior, but managers know little about the relationship between disturbance-behavior dynamics and associated consequences for foraging. We address this gap by empirically investigating the consequences of human activity on a keystone predator-prey interaction in a region with limited but varied industrial disturbance. Using stable isotope data from 226 hair samples of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) collected from 1995 to 2014 across 22 salmon-bearing watersheds (88,000 km2) in British Columbia, Canada, we examined how human activity influenced their consumption of spawning salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), a fitness-related food. Accounting for the abundance of salmon and other foods, salmon consumption strongly decreased (up to 59% for females) with increasing human disturbance (as measured by the human footprint index) in riparian zones of salmon-bearing rivers. Declines in salmon consumption occurred with disturbance even in watersheds with low footprints. In a region currently among the least influenced by industrial activity, intensification of disturbance in river valleys is predicted to increasingly decouple bears from salmon, possibly driving associated reductions in population productivity and provisioning of salmon nutrients to terrestrial ecosystems. Accordingly, we draw on our results to make landscape-scale and access-related management recommendations beyond current streamside protection buffers. This work illustrates the interaction between habitat modification and food security for wildlife, highlighting the potential for unacknowledged interactions and cumulative effects in increasingly modified landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan S. Adams
- Department of GeographyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Raincoast Conservation FoundationSidneyBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Hakai InstituteCampbell RiverBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Central Coast Indigenous Resource AllianceCampbell RiverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Taal Levi
- Department of Fisheries and WildlifeOregon State UniversityCorvallisOregonUSA
| | - Mathieu Bourbonnais
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic SciencesUniversity of British Columbia OkanaganKelownaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Christina N. Service
- Department of GeographyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Kitasoo Xai'xais Stewardship Authority, Kitasoo Xai'xais First NationKlemtuBritish ColumbiaCanada
- School of Environmental StudiesUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Kyle Artelle
- Department of GeographyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Raincoast Conservation FoundationSidneyBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic SciencesUniversity of British Columbia OkanaganKelownaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Department of Environmental Biology, and Center for Native Peoples and the EnvironmentState University of New York, College of Environmental Science and ForestrySyracuseNew YorkUSA
| | - Heather Bryan
- Department of GeographyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Raincoast Conservation FoundationSidneyBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Hakai InstituteCampbell RiverBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementUniversity of Northern British ColumbiaPrince GeorgeBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Paul Paquet
- Department of GeographyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Raincoast Conservation FoundationSidneyBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Trisalyn Nelson
- Department of GeographyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Chris T. Darimont
- Department of GeographyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Raincoast Conservation FoundationSidneyBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Hakai InstituteCampbell RiverBritish ColumbiaCanada
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7
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Lee SXT, Amir Z, Moore JH, Gaynor KM, Luskin MS. Effects of human disturbances on wildlife behaviour and consequences for predator-prey overlap in Southeast Asia. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1521. [PMID: 38374248 PMCID: PMC10876642 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45905-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Some animal species shift their activity towards increased nocturnality in disturbed habitats to avoid predominantly diurnal humans. This may alter diel overlap among species, a precondition to most predation and competition interactions that structure food webs. Here, using camera trap data from 10 tropical forest landscapes, we find that hyperdiverse Southeast Asian wildlife communities shift their peak activity from early mornings in intact habitats towards dawn and dusk in disturbed habitats (increased crepuscularity). Our results indicate that anthropogenic disturbances drive opposing behavioural adaptations based on rarity, size and feeding guild, with more nocturnality among the 59 rarer specialists' species, more diurnality for medium-sized generalists, and less diurnality for larger hunted species. Species turnover also played a role in underpinning community- and guild-level responses, with disturbances associated with markedly more detections of diurnal generalists and their medium-sized diurnal predators. However, overlap among predator-prey or competitor guilds does not vary with disturbance, suggesting that net species interactions may be conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Xin Tham Lee
- School of the Environment, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Zachary Amir
- School of the Environment, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jonathan H Moore
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
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Montanaro RC, O'Connor NJ. Temporal and spatial refugia modify predation risk for non-native crabs in rocky intertidal habitats. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16852. [PMID: 38317840 PMCID: PMC10840497 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Populations of the non-native Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, now dominate the rocky intertidal of southern New England, USA. High abundances suggest the recent invader may have experienced enhanced success as a result of enemy release. While larvae and juveniles may serve as a food source for ecologically important species, little is known about predation of mature H. sanguineus or the influence of habitat on predation pressure. To assess natural predation rates of adult H. sanguineus, crabs were tethered in the intertidal at Clarks Cove in New Bedford, MA. Crabs were left in situ for half of a tidal cycle then observed for signs of predation. Results of separate high and low tide trials showed that adult crabs were preyed upon at both high and low tide, though at a significantly higher rate during high tide during both daytime and nighttime, suggesting predation by aquatic species is greater than that by terrestrial species. To investigate the role of habitat as refuge from predation, a laboratory experiment manipulated the complexity of habitat provided to crabs in the presence of a native fish predator. Results indicate better refuge is provided by more complex shelter. Together, findings suggest that fish, crabs, and/or diving birds are important predators for H. sanguineus in the invaded range and that habitat refuge acts to reduce predation pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee C Montanaro
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA, United States of America
| | - Nancy J O'Connor
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA, United States of America
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9
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Kerjean E, van de Waal E, Canteloup C. Social dynamics of vervet monkeys are dependent upon group identity. iScience 2024; 27:108591. [PMID: 38299029 PMCID: PMC10829874 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Traditions are widespread across the animal realm. Here, we investigated inter-group variability of social dynamics in wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). We analyzed 84,704 social interactions involving 247 individuals collected over nine years in three neighboring groups of wild vervet monkeys. We found that in one group - Ankhase - individuals had a higher propensity to be affiliative (i.e., sociality) and grooming interactions were more reciprocal. Despite yearly fluctuations in sociality, differences between groups remained stable over time. Moreover, our statistical model predictions confirmed that these findings were maintained for similar sex ratios, age distributions, and group sizes. Strikingly, our results suggested that dispersing males adapted their sociality to the sociality of the group they integrated with. As a whole, our study sheds light on the existence of stable social dynamics dependent upon group identity in wild vervet monkeys and suggests that at least part of this variability is socially mediated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Kerjean
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center of Integrative Biology, University of Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Erica van de Waal
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Center for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Charlotte Canteloup
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Center for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Vaud, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Cognitive & Adaptive Neurosciences, CNRS - UMR 7364, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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10
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Wooster EIF, Gaynor KM, Carthey AJR, Wallach AD, Stanton LA, Ramp D, Lundgren EJ. Animal cognition and culture mediate predator-prey interactions. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:52-64. [PMID: 37839906 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.012] [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: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey ecology and the study of animal cognition and culture have emerged as independent disciplines. Research combining these disciplines suggests that both animal cognition and culture can shape the outcomes of predator-prey interactions and their influence on ecosystems. We review the growing body of work that weaves animal cognition or culture into predator-prey ecology, and argue that both cognition and culture are significant but poorly understood mechanisms mediating how predators structure ecosystems. We present a framework exploring how previous experiences with the predation process creates feedback loops that alter the predation sequence. Cognitive and cultural predator-prey ecology offers ecologists new lenses through which to understand species interactions, their ecological consequences, and novel methods to conserve wildlife in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eamonn I F Wooster
- Gulbali Institute, School of Agricultural, Environmental, and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia.
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Alexandra J R Carthey
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113, Australia
| | - Arian D Wallach
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Lauren A Stanton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Erick J Lundgren
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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11
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Diserens TA, Churski M, Bubnicki JW, Zalewski A, Brzeziński M, Kuijper DPJ. Badgers remain fearless in the face of simulated wolf presence near their setts. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10654. [PMID: 38187920 PMCID: PMC10767146 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10654] [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: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Many mesocarnivores are fossorial and use burrow systems to avoid predators. But fossorial animals cannot stay safely underground forever; they must also risk emerging overground to forage and find mates. To make this trade-off effectively and maximise their own fitness, it is imperative they assess how risk varies in space and time and adapt their denning behaviour accordingly. We used the badger in Białowieża Forest, Poland, as a model for investigating how the denning behaviour of a fossorial mesocarnivore varies in response to short-term large carnivore risk. To this end, we experimentally simulated perceived wolf presence outside 10 badger setts using audio playbacks of wolves (their howls). We assayed two behavioural measures of fear: badger emergence time from setts on the day playbacks were broadcast and their presence in setts on the day after. We found that neither badger emergence time nor next-day sett use varied in response to wolf playbacks. The results of the present study contrast with a previous study of ours that found badgers used setts in areas with high landscape level perceived wolf risk less often than those in lower-risk areas. Together, these papers' findings suggest that different spatiotemporal scales of perceived risk can have differential effects on badger behaviour. We conclude that rather than take risk avoidance measures at all risky times and places, badgers likely display a diversity of reactions to large carnivore presence that depend on the context and spatiotemporal scale of the risk being perceived.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A. Diserens
- Mammal Research InstitutePolish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
- Faculty of BiologyUniversity of WarsawWarsawPoland
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research InstitutePolish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
| | | | - Andrzej Zalewski
- Mammal Research InstitutePolish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
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12
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Zamora-Camacho FJ. Keep the ball rolling: sexual differences in conglobation behavior of a terrestrial isopod under different degrees of perceived predation pressure. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16696. [PMID: 38144184 PMCID: PMC10740659 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Antipredator behaviors are theoretically subjected to a balance by which their display should be minimized when their benefits do not outweigh their costs. Such costs may be not only energetic, but also entail a reduction in the time available for other fitness-enhancing behaviors. However, these behaviors are only beneficial under predation risk. Therefore, antipredator behaviors are predicted to be maximized under strong predation risk. Moreover, predation pressure can differ among individuals according to traits such as sex or body size, if these traits increase vulnerability. Antipredator behaviors are expected to be maximized in individuals whose traits make them more conspicuous to predators. However, how sex, body size and antipredator behaviors interact is not always understood. Methods In this work, I tested the interaction between sex, body size and antipredator behavior in the common pill woodlouse (Armadillidium vulgare), which conglobate (i.e., they roll up their bodies almost conforming a sphere that conceals their appendages) in response to predator attacks. Specifically, I tested whether latency to unroll after a standardized mechanical induction was greater in animals exposed to predator chemical cues (toad feces) than in conspecifics exposed to cues of non-predatory animals (rabbits) or no chemical cues whatsoever (distilled water), incorporating sex and body mass in the analyses. Results In agreement with my prediction, latency to unroll was greater in individuals exposed to predator chemical cues. In other words, these animals engage in conglobation for longer under perceived predator vicinity. However, this result was only true for males. This sexual dimorphism in antipredator behavior could result from males being under greater predation risk than females, thus having evolved more refined antipredator strategies. Indeed, males of this species are known to actively search for females, which makes them more prone to superficial ground mobility, and likely to being detected by predators. Body size was unrelated to latency to unroll. As a whole, these results support the hypothesis that antipredator behavior is tuned to predator cues in a way consistent with a balance between costs and benefits, which might differ between the sexes.
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13
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Crawford SG, Coker RH, O’Hara TM, Breed GA, Gelatt T, Fadely B, Burkanov V, Rivera PM, Rea LD. Fasting durations of Steller sea lion pups vary among subpopulations-evidence from two plasma metabolites. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad084. [PMID: 38026798 PMCID: PMC10673819 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Geographic differences in population growth trends are well-documented in Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), a species of North Pacific pinniped listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1990 following a marked decline in population abundance that began during the 1970s. As population growth is intrinsically linked to pup production and survival, examining factors related to pup physiological condition provides useful information to management authorities regarding potential drivers of regional differences. During dam foraging trips, pups predictably transition among three fasting phases, distinguished by the changes in the predominant metabolic byproduct. We used standardized ranges of two plasma metabolites (blood urea nitrogen and β-hydroxybutyrate) to assign pups to fasting categories (n = 1528, 1990-2016, 12 subpopulations): Recently Fed-Phase I (digestion/assimilation-expected hepatic/muscle glycogen usage), Phase II (expected lipid utilization), transitioning between Phases II-III (expected lipid utilization with increased protein reliance), or Phase III (expected protein catabolism). As anticipated, the majority of pups were classified as Recently Fed-Phase I (overall mean proportion = 0.72) and few pups as Phase III (overall mean proportion = 0.04). By further comparing pups in Short (Recently Fed-Phase II) and Long (all other pups) duration fasts, we identified three subpopulations with significantly (P < 0.03) greater proportions of pups dependent upon endogenous sources of energy for extended periods, during a life stage of somatic growth and development: the 1) central (0.27 ± 0.09) and 2) western (0.36 ± 0.13) Aleutian Island (declining population trend) and 3) southern Southeast Alaska (0.32 ± 0.06; increasing population trend) subpopulations had greater Long fast proportions than the eastern Aleutian Islands (0.10 ± 0.05; stabilized population). Due to contrasting population growth trends among these highlighted subpopulations over the past 50+ years, both density-independent and density-dependent factors likely influence the dam foraging trip duration, contributing to longer fasting durations for pups at some rookeries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie G Crawford
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
| | - Robert H Coker
- Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, Montana 59812, USA
| | - Todd M O’Hara
- Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 402 Raymond Stotzer Parkway, Bldg 2, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Greg A Breed
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
| | - Tom Gelatt
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 4, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Brian Fadely
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 4, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Vladimir Burkanov
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 4, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Patricia M Rivera
- Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2141 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
| | - Lorrie D Rea
- Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
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14
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Fennell MJE, Ford AT, Martin TG, Burton AC. Assessing the impacts of recreation on the spatial and temporal activity of mammals in an isolated alpine protected area. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10733. [PMID: 38034339 PMCID: PMC10682857 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10733] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The management objectives of many protected areas must meet the dual mandates of protecting biodiversity while providing recreational opportunities. It is difficult to balance these mandates because it takes considerable effort to monitor both the status of biodiversity and impacts of recreation. Using detections from 45 camera traps deployed between July 2019 and September 2021, we assessed the potential impacts of recreation on spatial and temporal activity for 8 medium- and large-bodied terrestrial mammals in an isolated alpine protected area: Cathedral Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. We hypothesised that some wildlife perceive a level of threat from people, such that they avoid 'risky times' or 'risky places' associated with human activity. Other species may benefit from associating with people, be it through access to anthropogenic resource subsidies or filtering of competitors/predators that are more human-averse (i.e., human shield hypothesis). Specifically, we predicted that large carnivores would show the greatest segregation from people while mesocarnivores and ungulates would associate spatially with people. We found spatial co-occurrence between ungulates and recreation, consistent with the human shield hypothesis, but did not see the predicted negative relationship between larger carnivores and humans, except for coyotes (Canis latrans). Temporally, all species other than cougars (Puma concolor) had diel activity patterns significantly different from that of recreationists, suggesting potential displacement in the temporal niche. Wolves (Canis lupus) and mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) showed shifts in temporal activity away from people on recreation trails relative to off-trail areas, providing further evidence of potential displacement. Our results highlight the importance of monitoring spatial and temporal interactions between recreation activities and wildlife communities, in order to ensure the effectiveness of protected areas in an era of increasing human impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam T. Ford
- Irving K Barber Faculty of ScienceUniversity of British Columbia OkanaganKelownaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Tara G. Martin
- Faculty of ForestryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - A. Cole Burton
- Faculty of ForestryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
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15
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Gresham A, Healey JR, Eichhorn MP, Barton O, Smith AR, Shannon G. Horizontal viewsheds of large herbivores as a function of woodland structure. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10699. [PMID: 37953987 PMCID: PMC10636313 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10699] [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: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
There is great potential for the use of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to quantify aspects of habitat structure in the study of animal ecology and behaviour. Viewsheds-the area visible from a given position-influence an animal's perception of risk and ability to respond to potential danger. The management and conservation of large herbivores and their habitats can benefit greatly from understanding how vegetation structure shapes viewsheds and influences animal activity patterns and foraging behaviour. This study aimed to identify how woodland understory structure influenced horizontal viewsheds at deer eye height. Mobile TLS was used in August 2020 to quantify horizontal visibility-in the form of Viewshed Coefficients (VC)-and understory leaf area index (LAI) of 71 circular sample plots (15-m radius) across 10 woodland sites in North Wales (UK) where fallow deer (Dama dama) are present. The plots were also surveyed in summer for woody plant size structure, stem density and bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.). Eight plots were re-scanned twice in winter to compare seasonal VC values and assess scan consistency. Sample plots with higher densities of small stems had significantly reduced VC 1 m from the ground. Other stem size classes, mean percentage bramble cover and understory LAI did not significantly affect VC. There was no difference in VC between summer and winter scans, or between repeated winter scans. The density of small stems influenced viewsheds at deer eye height and may alter behavioural responses to perceived risk. This study demonstrates how TLS technology can be applied to address questions in large herbivore ecology and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Gresham
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| | - John R. Healey
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
| | - Markus P. Eichhorn
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
- Environmental Research InstituteCorkIreland
| | - Owain Barton
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
| | - Andrew R. Smith
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
| | - Graeme Shannon
- School of Environmental and Natural SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
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16
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Walker RH, Hutchinson MC, Becker JA, Daskin JH, Gaynor KM, Palmer MS, Gonçalves DD, Stalmans ME, Denlinger J, Bouley P, Angela M, Paulo A, Potter AB, Arumoogum N, Parrini F, Marshal JP, Pringle RM, Long RA. Trait-based sensitivity of large mammals to a catastrophic tropical cyclone. Nature 2023; 623:757-764. [PMID: 37968390 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06722-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Extreme weather events perturb ecosystems and increasingly threaten biodiversity1. Ecologists emphasize the need to forecast and mitigate the impacts of these events, which requires knowledge of how risk is distributed among species and environments. However, the scale and unpredictability of extreme events complicate risk assessment1-4-especially for large animals (megafauna), which are ecologically important and disproportionately threatened but are wide-ranging and difficult to monitor5. Traits such as body size, dispersal ability and habitat affiliation are hypothesized to determine the vulnerability of animals to natural hazards1,6,7. Yet it has rarely been possible to test these hypotheses or, more generally, to link the short-term and long-term ecological effects of weather-related disturbance8,9. Here we show how large herbivores and carnivores in Mozambique responded to Intense Tropical Cyclone Idai, the deadliest storm on record in Africa, across scales ranging from individual decisions in the hours after landfall to changes in community composition nearly 2 years later. Animals responded behaviourally to rising floodwaters by moving upslope and shifting their diets. Body size and habitat association independently predicted population-level impacts: five of the smallest and most lowland-affiliated herbivore species declined by an average of 28% in the 20 months after landfall, while four of the largest and most upland-affiliated species increased by an average of 26%. We attribute the sensitivity of small-bodied species to their limited mobility and physiological constraints, which restricted their ability to avoid the flood and endure subsequent reductions in the quantity and quality of food. Our results identify general traits that govern animal responses to severe weather, which may help to inform wildlife conservation in a volatile climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reena H Walker
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Matthew C Hutchinson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Justine A Becker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Joshua H Daskin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Meredith S Palmer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Dominique D Gonçalves
- Department of Scientific Services, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Marc E Stalmans
- Department of Scientific Services, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
| | - Jason Denlinger
- Department of Scientific Services, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
| | - Paola Bouley
- Department of Conservation, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
- Associação Azul Moçambique, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Mercia Angela
- Department of Conservation, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
| | - Antonio Paulo
- Department of Conservation, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
| | - Arjun B Potter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Nikhail Arumoogum
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Francesca Parrini
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jason P Marshal
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Ryan A Long
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
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17
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Brönmark C, Hellström G, Baktoft H, Hansson LA, McCallum ES, Nilsson PA, Skov C, Brodin T, Hulthén K. Ponds as experimental arenas for studying animal movement: current research and future prospects. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:68. [PMID: 37880741 PMCID: PMC10601242 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00419-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Animal movement is a multifaceted process that occurs for multiple reasons with powerful consequences for food web and ecosystem dynamics. New paradigms and technical innovations have recently pervaded the field, providing increasingly powerful means to deliver fine-scale movement data, attracting renewed interest. Specifically in the aquatic environment, tracking with acoustic telemetry now provides integral spatiotemporal information to follow individual movements in the wild. Yet, this technology also holds great promise for experimental studies, enhancing our ability to truly establish cause-and-effect relationships. Here, we argue that ponds with well-defined borders (i.e. "islands in a sea of land") are particularly well suited for this purpose. To support our argument, we also discuss recent experiences from studies conducted in an innovative experimental infrastructure, composed of replicated ponds equipped with modern aquatic telemetry systems that allow for unparalleled insights into the movement patterns of individual animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christer Brönmark
- Department of Biology-Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Ecology building, Sölvegatan 37 223 62, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Gustav Hellström
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, 90183, Sweden
| | - Henrik Baktoft
- National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Lars-Anders Hansson
- Department of Biology-Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Ecology building, Sölvegatan 37 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Erin S McCallum
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, 90183, Sweden
| | - P Anders Nilsson
- Department of Biology-Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Ecology building, Sölvegatan 37 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Christian Skov
- National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Tomas Brodin
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, 90183, Sweden
| | - Kaj Hulthén
- Department of Biology-Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Ecology building, Sölvegatan 37 223 62, Lund, Sweden.
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18
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Fletcher RJ, O'Brien A, Hall TF, Jones M, Potash AD, Kruger L, Simelane P, Roques K, Monadjem A, McCleery RA. Frightened of giants: fear responses to elephants approach that of predators. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230202. [PMID: 37817576 PMCID: PMC10565413 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0202] [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: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals are faced with a variety of dangers or threats, which are increasing in frequency with ongoing environmental change. While our understanding of fearfulness of such dangers is growing in the context of predation and parasitism risk, the extent to which non-trophic, interspecific dangers elicit fear in animals remains less appreciated. We provide an experimental test for fear responses of savannah ungulates to a dominant and aggressive megaherbivore, the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), and contrast responses to an apex predator known to elicit fear in this system. Using an automated behavioural response system, we contrast vigilance and run responses of ungulates to elephant, leopard (Panthera pardus), and control (red-chested cuckoo Cuculus solitarius) vocalizations. Overall, we find that ungulates responded to elephant calls, both in terms of an increase in run and vigilance responses relative to controls. The magnitude of most behavioural responses (four of six considered) to elephant vocalizations were not significantly different than responses to leopards. These results suggest that megaherbivores can elicit strong non-trophic fear responses by ungulates and call to broaden frameworks on fear to consider dominant species, such as megaherbivores, as key modifiers of fear-induced interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Fletcher
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Amanda O'Brien
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Timothy F. Hall
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Maggie Jones
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Alex D. Potash
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | | | - Phumlile Simelane
- All Out Africa, Savannah Research Centre, Mbuluzi Game Reserve, Lubombo, Eswatini
| | - Kim Roques
- All Out Africa, Savannah Research Centre, Mbuluzi Game Reserve, Lubombo, Eswatini
| | - Ara Monadjem
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Eswatini, Kwaluseni, Eswatini
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Robert A. McCleery
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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19
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Abernathy HN, Crawford DA, Chandler RB, Garrison EP, Conner LM, Miller KV, Cherry MJ. Rain, recreation and risk: Human activity and ecological disturbance create seasonal risk landscapes for the prey of an ambush predator. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:1840-1855. [PMID: 37415521 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13976] [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: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Predation risk and prey responses exhibit fluctuations in space and time. Seasonal ecological disturbances can alter landscape structure and permeability to influence predator activity and efficacy, creating predictable patterns of risk for prey (seasonal risk landscapes). This may create corresponding seasonal shifts in antipredator behaviour, mediated by species ecology and trade-offs between risk and resources. Yet, how human recreation interacts with seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator behaviour remains understudied. In South Florida, we investigated the impact of a seasonal ecological disturbance, specifically flooding, which is inversely related to human activity, on interactions between Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We hypothesized that human activity and ecological disturbances would interact with panther-deer ecology, resulting in the emergence of two distinct seasonal landscapes of predation risk and the corresponding antipredator responses. We conducted camera trap surveys across southwestern Florida to collect detection data on humans, panthers and deer. We analysed the influence of human site use and flooding on deer and panther detection probability, co-occurrence and diel activity during the flooded and dry seasons. Flooding led to decreased panther detections and increased deer detections, resulting in reduced deer-panther co-occurrence during the flooded season. Panthers exhibited increased nocturnality and reduced diel activity overlap with deer in areas with higher human activity. Supporting our hypothesis, panthers' avoidance of human recreation and flooding created distinct risk schedules for deer, driving their antipredator behaviour. Deer utilized flooded areas to spatially offset predation risk during the flooded season while increasing diurnal activity in response to human recreation during the dry season. We highlight the importance of understanding how competing risks and ecological disturbances influence predator and prey behaviour, leading to the generation of seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator responses. We emphasize the role of cyclical ecological disturbances in shaping dynamic predator-prey interactions. Furthermore, we highlight how human recreation may function as a 'temporal human shield,' altering seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator responses to reduce encounter rates between predators and prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- H N Abernathy
- Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, USA
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - D A Crawford
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, USA
- Jones Center at Ichauway, Newton, Georgia, USA
| | - R B Chandler
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - E P Garrison
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - L M Conner
- Jones Center at Ichauway, Newton, Georgia, USA
| | - K V Miller
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - M J Cherry
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, USA
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20
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Vuong QH, Nguyen PL, Jin R, Nguyen MH, Le TT. Trust Is for the Strong: How Health Status May Influence Generalized and Personalized Trust. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:2373. [PMID: 37685407 PMCID: PMC10486567 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11172373] [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: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In the trust-health relationship, how trusting other people in society may promote good health is a topic often examined. However, the other direction of influence-how health may affect trust-has not been well explored. In order to investigate this possible effect, we employed the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics to go deeper into the information processing mechanisms underlying the expressions of trust. Conducting a Bayesian analysis on a dataset of 1237 residents from Cali, Colombia, we found that general health status is positively associated with generalized trust, but recent experiences of illnesses/injuries have a negative moderating effect. Personalized trust is largely unchanged across different general health conditions, but the trust level becomes higher with recent experiences of illnesses/injuries. Psychophysiological mechanisms of increasing information filtering intensity toward unfamiliar sources during a vulnerable state of health is a plausible explanation of found patterns in generalized trust. Because established personal relationships are reinforced information channels, personalized trust is not affected as much. Rather, the results suggest that people may rely even more on loved ones when they are in bad health conditions. This exploratory study shows that the trust-health relationship can be examined from a different angle that may provide new insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan-Hoang Vuong
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam; (Q.-H.V.); (M.-H.N.)
| | | | - Ruining Jin
- Civil, Commercial and Economic Law School, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Minh-Hoang Nguyen
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam; (Q.-H.V.); (M.-H.N.)
- A.I. for Social Data Lab (AISDL), Vuong & Associates, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Tam-Tri Le
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam; (Q.-H.V.); (M.-H.N.)
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21
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Turner JW, Prokopenko CM, Kingdon KA, Dupont DLJ, Zabihi-Seissan S, Vander Wal E. Death comes for us all: relating movement-integrated habitat selection and social behavior to human-associated and disease-related mortality among gray wolves. Oecologia 2023; 202:685-697. [PMID: 37515598 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05426-6] [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: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Avoiding death affects biological processes, including behavior. Habitat selection, movement, and sociality are highly flexible behaviors that influence the mortality risks and subsequent fitness of individuals. In the Anthropocene, animals are experiencing increased risks from direct human causes and increased spread of infectious diseases. Using integrated step selection analysis, we tested how the habitat selection, movement, and social behaviors of gray wolves vary in the two months prior to death due to humans (being shot or trapped) or canine distemper virus (CDV). We further tested how those behaviors vary as a prelude to death. We studied populations of wolves that occurred under two different management schemes: a national park managed for conservation and a provincially managed multi-use area. Behaviors that changed prior to death were strongly related to how an animal eventually died. Wolves killed by humans moved slower than wolves that survived and selected to be nearer roads closer in time to their death. Wolves that died due to CDV moved progressively slower as they neared death and reduced their avoidance of wet habitats. All animals, regardless of dying or living, maintained selection to be near packmates across time, which seemingly contributed to disease dynamics in the packs infected with CDV. There were no noticeable differences in behavior between the two management areas. Overall, habitat selection, movement, and sociality interact to put individuals and groups at greater risks, influencing their cause-specific mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie W Turner
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - Christina M Prokopenko
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Katrien A Kingdon
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Daniel L J Dupont
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
- Département des sciences expérimentales, Université de Saint-Boniface, 200 ave de la Cathédrale, Winnipeg, MB, R2H 0H7, Canada
| | - Sana Zabihi-Seissan
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
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22
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Pringle RM, Abraham JO, Anderson TM, Coverdale TC, Davies AB, Dutton CL, Gaylard A, Goheen JR, Holdo RM, Hutchinson MC, Kimuyu DM, Long RA, Subalusky AL, Veldhuis MP. Impacts of large herbivores on terrestrial ecosystems. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R584-R610. [PMID: 37279691 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Large herbivores play unique ecological roles and are disproportionately imperiled by human activity. As many wild populations dwindle towards extinction, and as interest grows in restoring lost biodiversity, research on large herbivores and their ecological impacts has intensified. Yet, results are often conflicting or contingent on local conditions, and new findings have challenged conventional wisdom, making it hard to discern general principles. Here, we review what is known about the ecosystem impacts of large herbivores globally, identify key uncertainties, and suggest priorities to guide research. Many findings are generalizable across ecosystems: large herbivores consistently exert top-down control of plant demography, species composition, and biomass, thereby suppressing fires and the abundance of smaller animals. Other general patterns do not have clearly defined impacts: large herbivores respond to predation risk but the strength of trophic cascades is variable; large herbivores move vast quantities of seeds and nutrients but with poorly understood effects on vegetation and biogeochemistry. Questions of the greatest relevance for conservation and management are among the least certain, including effects on carbon storage and other ecosystem functions and the ability to predict outcomes of extinctions and reintroductions. A unifying theme is the role of body size in regulating ecological impact. Small herbivores cannot fully substitute for large ones, and large-herbivore species are not functionally redundant - losing any, especially the largest, will alter net impact, helping to explain why livestock are poor surrogates for wild species. We advocate leveraging a broad spectrum of techniques to mechanistically explain how large-herbivore traits and environmental context interactively govern the ecological impacts of these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Joel O Abraham
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - T Michael Anderson
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Tyler C Coverdale
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Andrew B Davies
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | | | | | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82072, USA
| | - Ricardo M Holdo
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Matthew C Hutchinson
- Department of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Duncan M Kimuyu
- Department of Natural Resources, Karatina University, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Ryan A Long
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Amanda L Subalusky
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Michiel P Veldhuis
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
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23
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Prugh LR, Cunningham CX, Windell RM, Kertson BN, Ganz TR, Walker SL, Wirsing AJ. Fear of large carnivores amplifies human-caused mortality for mesopredators. Science 2023; 380:754-758. [PMID: 37200434 DOI: 10.1126/science.adf2472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The challenge that large carnivores face in coexisting with humans calls into question their ability to carry out critical ecosystem functions such as mesopredator suppression outside protected areas. In this study, we examined the movements and fates of mesopredators and large carnivores across rural landscapes characterized by substantial human influences. Mesopredators shifted their movements toward areas with twofold-greater human influence in regions occupied by large carnivores, indicating that they perceived humans to be less of a threat. However, rather than shielding mesopredators, human-caused mortality was more than three times higher than large carnivore-caused mortality. Mesopredator suppression by apex predators may thus be amplified, rather than dampened, outside protected areas, because fear of large carnivores drives mesopredators into areas of even greater risk from human super predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura R Prugh
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Calum X Cunningham
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Rebecca M Windell
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Brian N Kertson
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Snoqualmie, WA 98065, USA
| | - Taylor R Ganz
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Savanah L Walker
- Spokane Tribe of Indians, Department of Natural Resources, Wellpinit, WA 99040, USA
| | - Aaron J Wirsing
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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24
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Clare JDJ, Zuckerberg B, Liu N, Stenglein JL, Van Deelen TR, Pauli JN, Townsend PA. A phenology of fear: Investigating scale and seasonality in predator-prey games between wolves and white-tailed deer. Ecology 2023; 104:e4019. [PMID: 36882907 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Predators and prey engage in games where each player must counter the moves of the other, and these games include multiple phases operating at different spatiotemporal scales. Recent work has highlighted potential issues related to scale-sensitive inferences in predator-prey interactions, and there is growing appreciation that these may exhibit pronounced but predictable dynamics. Motivated by previous assertions about effects arising from foraging games between white-tailed deer and canid predators (coyotes and wolves), we used a large and year-round network of trail cameras to characterize deer and predator foraging games, with a particular focus on clarifying its temporal scale and seasonal variation. Linear features were strongly associated with predator detection rates, suggesting these play a central role in canid foraging tactics by expediting movement. Consistent with expectations for prey contending with highly mobile predators, deer responses were more sensitive to proximal risk metrics at finer spatiotemporal scales, suggesting that coarser but more commonly used scales of analysis may miss useful insights into prey risk-response. Time allocation appears to be a key tactic for deer risk management and was more strongly moderated by factors associated with forage or evasion heterogeneity (forest cover, snow and plant phenology) than factors associated with the likelihood of predator encounter (linear features). Trade-offs between food and safety appeared to vary as much seasonally as spatially, with snow and vegetation phenology giving rise to a "phenology of fear." Deer appear free to counter predators during milder times of year, but a combination of poor foraging state, reduced forage availability, greater movements costs, and reproductive state dampen responsiveness during winter. Pronounced intra-annual variation in predator-prey interactions may be common in seasonal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D J Clare
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Benjamin Zuckerberg
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Nanfeng Liu
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Jennifer L Stenglein
- Office of Applied Science, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 101 S. Webster Street, Box 7921, Madison, Wisconsin, 53707, USA
| | - Timothy R Van Deelen
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Jonathan N Pauli
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Philip A Townsend
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
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25
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Palmer MS, Gaynor KM, Abraham JO, Pringle RM. The role of humans in dynamic landscapes of fear. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:217-218. [PMID: 36586766 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Meredith S Palmer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University. Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
| | - Joel O Abraham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University. Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University. Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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26
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Arumoogum N, Marshal JP, Parrini F. Anthropogenically driven spatial niche partitioning in a large herbivore assemblage. Oecologia 2023; 201:797-812. [PMID: 36856880 PMCID: PMC10038942 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05342-9] [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: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how human activity can influence species distributions and spatial niche partitioning between sympatric species is a key area of contemporary ecology. Extirpations of large mammalian populations, the result of a 15-year civil war, within the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, have been followed by an extended period of restoration. The species-specific recovery of these populations has provided an ideal system to identify how niche partitioning between coexisting species is altered as a consequence of extreme disturbance events. Here, we aimed to understand how distribution patterns of grazing herbivores, as well as spatial niche overlap between them, changed between the pre- and post-war scenarios. We focused on the following four grazer species: buffalo (Syncerus caffer); sable (Hippotragus niger); waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus); and zebra (Equus quagga). Using long-term aerial survey data, we quantified range size for each species, as well as spatial niche overlap between each species pair, for pre- and post-war periods. Range size of buffalo and zebra decreased drastically from the pre-war period; with both species inhabiting subsets of their historical distribution in the park. Sable and waterbuck have both colonised historically avoided habitat, with waterbuck doubling their pre-war range size. Spatial overlap between all four grazers pre-war was significantly high, indicating niche similarity; however, this decreased in the post-war period, with some species pairs displaying spatial niche dissimilarity. Our findings highlight how population responses to anthropogenic disturbance can result in significant alterations to species' distributions, with consequences for patterns of niche similarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhail Arumoogum
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, Biology Building, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
| | - Jason P Marshal
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, Biology Building, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
| | - Francesca Parrini
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, Biology Building, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
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27
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Rowe ZW, Robins JH, Rands SA. Red deer Cervus elaphus blink more in larger groups. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9908. [PMID: 36937074 PMCID: PMC10015368 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Most animals need to spend time being vigilant for predators, at the expense of other activities such as foraging. Group-living animals can benefit from the shared vigilance effort of other group members, with individuals reducing personal vigilance effort as group size increases. Behaviors like active scanning or head lifting are usually used to quantify vigilance but may not be accurate measures of this. We suggest that measuring an animal's blinking rate gives a meaningful measure of vigilance: increased blinking implies reduced vigilance, as the animal cannot detect predators when its eyes are closed. We describe an observational study of a captive population of red deer, where we measured the blinking rates of individual deer from groups of differing sizes (where mean group size ranged between 1 and 42.7 individuals). We demonstrate that as group size increases in red deer, individuals increase their blink rate, confirming the prediction that vigilance should decrease. Blinking is a simple non-invasive measure and offers a useful metric for assessing the welfare of animals experiencing an increase in perceived predation risk or other stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeke W. Rowe
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
- Department of Ecological SciencesVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | | | - Sean A. Rands
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
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28
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Extending the dynamic landscape of fear in a human-dominated world. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:215-216. [PMID: 36372612 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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29
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Toscano BJ, Allegue H, Gownaris NJ, Drausnik M, Yung Z, Bauloye D, Gorman F, Ver Pault M. Among‐individual behavioral responses to predation risk are invariant within two species of freshwater snails. Ethology 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hassen Allegue
- Département des Sciences Biologiques Université du Québec à Montréal Montréal Quebec Canada
| | - Natasha J. Gownaris
- Department of Environmental Studies, Gettysburg College Gettysburg Pennsylvania USA
| | - Marta Drausnik
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
| | - Zach Yung
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
| | - Daniel Bauloye
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
| | - Flynn Gorman
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
| | - Mia Ver Pault
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
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