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Esattore B, Rossi AC, Bazzoni F, Riggio C, Oliveira R, Leggiero I, Ferretti F. Same place, different time, head up: Multiple antipredator responses to a recolonizing apex predator. Curr Zool 2023; 69:703-717. [PMID: 37876645 PMCID: PMC10591180 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Prey adjust their antipredator behavioral tactics to minimize the risk of an encounter with predators. Spatiotemporal responses of prey to predators have been reported, but the nature of antipredator response is not ubiquitous and it is the object of increasing interest, especially considering the recent recovery of large carnivores in Europe, and the potential for behavioral antipredator responses to elicit consequences at the ecosystem level. We have tested multiple antipredator responses by fallow deer Dama dama to wolf Canis lupus in a Mediterranean protected area recently recolonized by this apex predator. Through intensive camera trapping, we tested for temporal and spatial association between predator and prey, and we have also studied deer vigilance in forest habitats where focal observations are usually impossible. Wolf detection rates were spatially associated with those of fallow deer. Accordingly, no evidence was found for fallow deer avoiding sites with higher predator detection rates. Temporal activity patterns were significantly different between the 2 species, with the wolf being mainly nocturnal whereas fallow deer was active especially during daylight. A comparison with a preliminary study strongly suggests an increase in the diurnal activity of fallow deer along with the stabilization of wolf presence in the area. Both the rate and the duration of vigilance of female fallow deer increased with the local frequency of wolf activity. We suggest an antipredator response based on temporal-rather than spatial-avoidance, as well as increased vigilance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Esattore
- Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Přátelství 815,104 00, Uhříněves, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Suchdol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Agnese Carlotta Rossi
- Department of Life Sciences, Research Unit of Behavioral Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management, University of Siena, Via Pier Andrea Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Francesco Bazzoni
- Department of Life Sciences, Research Unit of Behavioral Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management, University of Siena, Via Pier Andrea Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Chiara Riggio
- Department of Life Sciences, Research Unit of Behavioral Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management, University of Siena, Via Pier Andrea Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Raquel Oliveira
- Department of Life Sciences, Research Unit of Behavioral Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management, University of Siena, Via Pier Andrea Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Ivan Leggiero
- Department of Life Sciences, Research Unit of Behavioral Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management, University of Siena, Via Pier Andrea Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Francesco Ferretti
- Department of Life Sciences, Research Unit of Behavioral Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management, University of Siena, Via Pier Andrea Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo 90133, Italy
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Gable TD, Johnson-Bice SM, Homkes AT, Fieberg J, Bump JK. Wolves alter the trajectory of forests by shaping the central place foraging behaviour of an ecosystem engineer. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231377. [PMID: 37935367 PMCID: PMC10645084 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Predators can directly and indirectly alter the foraging behaviour of prey through direct predation and the risk of predation, and in doing so, initiate indirect effects that influence myriad species and ecological processes. We describe how wolves indirectly alter the trajectory of forests by constraining the distance that beavers, a central place forager and prolific ecosystem engineer, forage from water. Specifically, we demonstrate that wolves wait in ambush and kill beavers on longer feeding trails than would be expected based on the spatio-temporal availability of beavers. This pattern is driven by temporal dynamics of beaver foraging: beavers make more foraging trips and spend more time on land per trip on longer feeding trails that extend farther from water. As a result, beavers are more vulnerable on longer feeding trails than shorter ones. Wolf predation appears to be a selective evolutionary pressure propelled by consumptive and non-consumptive mechanisms that constrain the distance from water beavers forage, which in turn limits the area of forest around wetlands, lakes and rivers beavers alter through foraging. Thus, wolves appear intricately linked to boreal forest dynamics by shaping beaver foraging behaviour, a form of natural disturbance that alters the successional and ecological states of forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D. Gable
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circles, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Sean M. Johnson-Bice
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N2
| | - Austin T. Homkes
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circles, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - John Fieberg
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circles, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Joseph K. Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circles, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
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Gable TD, Johnson-Bice SM, Homkes AT, Bump JK. Differential provisioning roles, prey size, and prey abundance shape the dynamic feeding behavior of gray wolves. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1045. [PMID: 37838820 PMCID: PMC10576808 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05419-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The demands of raising dependent young can influence the feeding behaviors of social carnivores, especially for individuals that are primarily responsible for provisioning young. We investigated how the feeding and provisioning behavior of a social carnivore, gray wolves (Canis lupus), are connected and shaped by extrinsic and intrinsic factors, and whether and how these patterns changed throughout the pup-rearing season (April-August). We found breeding wolves had shorter handling times of prey, lower probability of returning to kills, and greater probability of returning to homesites after kills compared to subordinate individuals. However, the feeding and provisioning behaviors of breeding individuals changed considerably over the pup-rearing season. Wolves had longer handling times and returned to provision pups directly after kills less frequently as annual prey abundance decreased. These patterns indicate that adult wolves prioritize meeting their own energetic demands over those of their pups when prey abundance decreases. We suggest that differential provisioning of offspring based on prey abundance is a behavioral mechanism by which group size adjusts to available resources via changes in neonate survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Gable
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - Sean M Johnson-Bice
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Austin T Homkes
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Joseph K Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
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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. Ecol Appl 2023; 33:e2911. [PMID: 37602927 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
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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
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Freund DR, Gable TD, Johnson-Bice SM, Homkes AT, Windels SK, Bump JK. The ethology of wolves foraging on freshwater fish in a boreal ecosystem. R Soc Open Sci 2023; 10:230210. [PMID: 37234502 PMCID: PMC10206451 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Through global positioning system (GPS) collar locations, remote cameras, field observations and the first wild wolf to be GPS-collared with a camera collar, we describe when, where and how wolves fish in a freshwater ecosystem. From 2017 to 2021, we recorded more than 10 wolves (Canis lupus) hunting fish during the spring spawning season in northern Minnesota, USA. Wolves ambushed fish in creeks at night when spawning fish were abundant, available and vulnerable in shallow waters. We observed wolves specifically targeting sections of rivers below beaver (Castor canadensis) dams, suggesting that beavers may indirectly facilitate wolf fishing behaviour. Wolves also cached fish on shorelines. We documented these findings across five different social groups at four distinct waterways, suggesting that wolf fishing behaviour may be widespread in similar ecosystems but has probably remained difficult to study given its annual brevity. Spawning fish may serve as a valuable pulsed resource for packs because the spring spawning season coincides with low primary prey (deer Odocoileus virginianus) availability and abundance, and when packs have higher energetic demands owing to newly born pups. We demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability of wolf hunting and foraging behaviour, and provide insight into how wolves can survive in a myriad of ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle R. Freund
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Thomas D. Gable
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Sean M. Johnson-Bice
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2
| | - Austin T. Homkes
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Steve K. Windels
- Voyageurs National Park, National Park Service, 360 Highway 11 East, International Falls, 56649 MN, USA
| | - Joseph K. Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
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König HJ, Kiffner C, Kuhls K, Uthes S, Harms V, Wieland R. Planning for wolf-livestock coexistence: landscape context predicts livestock depredation risk in agricultural landscapes. Animal 2023; 17:100719. [PMID: 36801550 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.100719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive pastoral livestock systems in Central Europe provide multiple ecosystem services and support biodiversity in agricultural landscapes but their viability is challenged by livestock depredation (LD) associated with the recovery of wolf populations. Variation in the spatial distribution of LD depends on a suite of factors, most of which are unavailable at the appropriate scales. To assess if LD patterns can be predicted sufficiently with land use data alone at the scale of one federal state in Germany, we employed a machine-learning-supported resource selection approach. The model used LD monitoring data, and publicly available land use data to describe the landscape configuration at LD and control sites (resolution 4 km * 4 km). We used SHapley Additive exPlanations to assess the importance and effects of landscape configuration and cross-validation to evaluate the model performance. Our model predicted the spatial distribution of LD events with a mean accuracy of 74%. The most influential land use features included grassland, farmland and forest. The risk of livestock depredation was high if these three landscape features co-occurred with a specific proportion. A high share of grassland, combined with a moderate proportion of forest and farmland, increased LD risk. We then used the model to predict the LD risk in five regions; the resulting risk maps showed high congruence with observed LD events. While of correlative nature and lacking specific information on wolf and livestock distribution and husbandry practices, our pragmatic modelling approach can guide spatial prioritisation of damage prevention or mitigation practices to improve livestock-wolf coexistence in agricultural landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes J König
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, D 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Christian Kiffner
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, D 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Katrin Kuhls
- Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau, Hochschulring 1, Haus 16, D 15745 Wildau, Germany
| | - Sandra Uthes
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, D 15374 Müncheberg, Germany.
| | - Verena Harms
- Brandenburg State Office for the Environment (LfU), Seeburger Chaussee 2, OT Groß Glienicke, D 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Ralf Wieland
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, D 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
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Berghänel A, Lazzaroni M, Cimarelli G, Marshall-pescini S, Range F. Cooperation and cognition in wild canids. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022; 46:101173. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Hernández DL, Bump JK. Predation of a Beaver (Castor canadensis) by a Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) during Winter. The American Midland Naturalist 2022. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-187.1.97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Hernández
- Biology Department, Carleton College, 1 North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057
| | - Joseph K. Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota 2003 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 5510
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