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51 results for “human predator”
Behavioral "bycatch" from camera trap surveys yields insights on prey responses to human-mediated predation risk
<p>Human disturbance directly affects animal populations but indirect effects of disturbance on species behaviors are less well understood. Camera traps provide an opportunity to investigate variation in animal behaviors across gradients of disturbance. We used camera trap data to test predictions about predator-sensitive behavior in three ungulate species (caribou Rangifer tarandus; white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus; moose, Alces alces) across two boreal forest landscapes varying in disturbance. We quantified behavior as the number of camera trap photos per detection event and tested its relationship to predation risk between a landscape with greater industrial disturbance and predator abundance (Algar) and a "control" landscape with lower human and predator activity (Richardson). We also assessed the influence of predation risk and habitat on behavior across camera sites within the disturbed Algar landscape. We predicted that animals in areas with greater predation risk (more wolf activity, less cover) would travel faster and generate fewer photos per event, while animals in areas with less predation risk would linger (rest, forage), generating more photos per event. Consistent with predictions, caribou and moose had more photos per event in the landscape where predation risk was reduced. Within the disturbed landscape, no prey species showed a significant behavioral response to wolf activity, but the number of photos per event decreased for white-tailed deer with increasing line of sight (m) along seismic lines (i.e. decreasing visual cover), consistent with a predator-sensitive response. The presence of juveniles was associated with shorter behavioral events for caribou and moose, suggesting greater predator sensitivity for females with calves. Only moose demonstrated a positive association with vegetation productivity (NDVI), suggesting that for other species influences of forage availability were generally weaker than those from predation risk. Behavioral insights can be gleaned from camera trap surveys and provide information about animal responses to predation risk and the indirect impacts of human disturbances.</p>
The role of human hunters and natural predators in shaping the selection of behavioral types in male wild turkeys
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Behavioral “bycatch” from camera trap surveys yields insights on prey responses to human-mediated predation risk
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Pathways for accidental biocontrol: the human-mediated dispersal of insect predators and parasitoids
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Data from: Human-driven breakdown of predator-prey interactions in the northern Adriatic Sea
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Data from: A landscape of coexistence for a large predator in a human dominated landscape
<p>Human related mortality is a major threat for large carnivores all over the world and there is increasing evidence that large predators respond to human related risks in a similar way as prey respond to predation risk. This insight recently led to the conceptual development of a landscape of coexistence that can be used to identify areas which can sustain large predator populations in human dominated landscapes. In this study we applied the landscape of coexistence concept to a large predator in Europe. We investigated to what extent Eurasian lynx (<em>Lynx lynx</em>) habitat selection is affected by human disturbance in a human dominated landscape. More specifically, we were interested in the existence of a tradeoff between the availability of roe deer, one of their main prey and avoidance of human disturbance and how this affects the spatio-temporal space use patterns of lynx. We found that lynx face a tradeoff between high prey availability and avoidance of human disturbance and that they respond to this by using areas of high prey availability (but also high human disturbance) during the night when human activity is low. Furthermore our analysis showed that lynx increase their travelling speed and remain more in cover when they are close to areas of high human disturbance. Despite clear behavioral adjustments in response to human presence, prey availability still proved to be the most important predictor of lynx occurrence at small spatial scale, whereas human disturbance was considerably less important. The results of our study demonstrate how spatio-temporal adaptations in habitat selection enable large carnivores to persist in human dominated landscapes and demonstrate the usefulness of the concept of a landscape of coexistence to develop adaptive management plans for endangered populations of large carnivores.</p>
Eat or be eaten: Implications of potential exploitative competition between wolves and humans across predator- savvy and -naive deer populations
<p>Recolonization of predators to their former ranges is becoming increasingly prevalent. Such recolonization places predators amongst their prey once again; the latter having lived without predation (from such predators) for considerable time. This renewed coexistence creates opportunities to explore predation ecology at both fundamental and applied levels.</p> <p>We used a paired experimental design to investigate white-tailed deer risk allocation in the Upper and Lower Peninsulas (UP and LP) in Michigan, USA. Wolves are functionally absent in the LP, while deer in the UP coexist with a re-established wolf population. We treated 15 sites each in UP and LP with wolf olfactory cues and observed deer vigilance, activity, and visitation rates at the interface of habitat covariates using remote cameras. Such a paired design across wolf versus no-wolf areas allowed us to examine indirect predation effects while accounting for confounding parameters such as the presence of other predators and human activity.</p> <p>While wolf urine had no effect across most metrics in both UP and LP, we observed differences in deer activity in areas with versus without wolves. Sites treated with wolf urine in the UP showed a reduction in crepuscular deer activity, compared to control/novel-scent treated sites. Further, we observed a strong positive effect of vegetation cover on deer vigilance in these sites. This indicates that simulated predator cues likely affect deer vigilance more acutely in denser habitats, which presumably facilitates predation success. Such responses were however absent among deer in the LP that are presumably naïve towards wolf predation.</p> <p>Where human and non-human predators hunt shared prey, such as in Michigan, predators may constrain human hunting success by increasing deer vigilance. Hunters may avoid such exploitative competition by choosing hunting/bait sites located in open areas. Our results pertaining to fundamental predation ecology have strong applied implications that can promote human-predator coexistence.</p>
Livestock guardian dogs establish a landscape of fear for wild predators: implications for the role of guardian dogs in reducing human-wildlife conflict and supporting biodiversity conservation
<ol> <li>Livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) are increasingly used to protect livestock from predators, but their effects on the distribution and behaviour of wild predators are mostly unknown. A key question is whether LGDs exclude predators from grazing land, or if predators continue to use areas with LGDs but modify their behaviour in ways that reduce impacts on livestock.</li> <li>We studied effects of LGDs (Maremma sheepdogs) on distribution and behaviour of red foxes Vulpes vulpes in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. We mapped the activity of LGDs across the study areas using GPS tracking and measured fox activity using remote cameras. We also measured risk-sensitive foraging in foxes to test if they reduced feeding time at sites regularly used by LGDs.</li> <li>Foxes occurred throughout areas occupied by LGDs, but their probability of detection was negatively related to probability of LGD presence. Foxes extracted fewer food items from experimental food stations in proportion to the intensity of local activity of LGDs. This indicates that though foxes overlapped with LGDs, they responded to risk of encountering LGDs by allocating less time to foraging. </li> <li>While LGDs do not necessarily exclude wild predators from areas used for livestock production, they can have strong effects on predator behaviour. Reduction in time allocated to foraging in areas regularly used by LGDs could lead to suppression of hunting behaviour and therefore a reduction in attacks on livestock. The flexible response of predators to LGDs should facilitate coexistence of wild predators with livestock farming, by allowing predators to continue to use areas occupied by livestock while still preventing attacks on those livestock. Our results therefore strengthen the case for use of LGDs in the conservation of predators threatened by conflict with farming. Suppression of hunting behaviour should also mean that prey species experience reduced rates of predation on farmland with LGDs. This effect could be valuable for conservation of threatened species of prey.</li> </ol>
Data from: Human food subsidies drive individual specialization and intrapopulation dietary differences in a generalist predator
<p>Generalist species can exhibit individual specialization (IS), where individuals adopt specialized foraging behaviors not attributable to age, sex, or social dominance. While IS increases with the diversity of available foraging resources (ecological opportunity), the potential impact of human food subsidies on ecological opportunity is unknown. We quantified the isotopic niche width of Steller's Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri), a synanthropic predator and dietary generalist, across a gradient of human land-use categories ranging from subsidized (park campgrounds) to unsubsidized (forest interior) habitats in a protected area in California. We asked (1) if isotopic niche width was better predicted by individual foraging behavior than sex, social dominance, or habitat category (indicating IS) and (2) if degree of IS exhibited by jays increased with the availability of human food subsidies. We characterized the isotopic niche space occupied by individual jays relative to the population using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values. Using linear models, we found that jay diet variation was best explained by individual behavior and habitat use rather than by sex or social dominance. While degree of IS increased with the availability of human foods, individual jays exhibited a variety of foraging behaviors in all habitats that were segregated by foraging stratum and use of human foods. Individual diet also determined the degree of specialization, as jays that specialized on human foods had the narrowest niche width regardless of habitat. Management efforts targeted at generalist wildlife exhibiting large degrees of IS should therefore account for the impact of food subsidies on foraging behavior. Approaches that involve aversive conditioning may fail where highly-specialized individuals are unlikely to encounter treatments, therefore we recommend simultaneous efforts to limit human food subsidies (e.g., information campaigns and improved containment of human food and food waste), and deployment across the largest possible extent of foraging microhabitats and substrates in order to ensure exposure of whole populations to emetic eggs.</p>
Environmental and anthropogenic features in relation to human hunting and wolf predation risk
<p>Landscape characteristics, seasonal changes in the environment, and daylight conditions influence space use and detection of prey and predators, resulting in spatiotemporal patterns of predation risk for the prey. When predators have different hunting modes, the combined effects of multiple predators are mediated by the physical landscape and can result in overlapping or contrasting patterns of predation risk. Humans have become super predators in many anthropogenic landscapes by harvesting games species and competing with large carnivores for prey. Previous studies have focused on how the physical environment mediates risk from human hunters and ambush predators, but very little knowledge exists on how risk from hunters and cursorial predators is linked to habitat characteristics. Here, we used the locations of wolf (<em>Canis lupus</em>)-killed and hunter-killed moose (<em>Alces alces</em>) in south-central Scandinavia to investigate whether environmental and anthropogenic features within the landscape influenced where wolves and hunters killed moose. We predicted that due to differences in hunting modes between wolves and hunters, the combined effects of these two predators would result in contrasting patterns of spatial risk. Nonetheless, we expected these contrasting spatial patterns of risk to also contrast temporally, with wolves and hunters killing predominantly at night and during the day, respectively. During the moose hunting season, the probability of a wolf kill increased with wolf space use, whereas it decreased with increasing distance to forest roads, building density and distance to young forests and clear-cuts. After the moose hunting season, the probability of a wolf kill increased with increasing moose density, wolf space use and terrain ruggendess, while it decreased with increasing building density, distance to main and secondary roads and distance to young forests and clear-cuts. The probability of a hunter kill was highest closer to bogs, main and secondary roads, in areas with greater moose density, less rugged terrain and higher building density. Hunters killed all moose during the day, whereas wolves killed most moose at nighttime both during and after the hunting season. Our findings suggest that both environmental and anthropogenic features mediate hunting and wolf predation risk. Additionally, we found that hunter- and wolf-killed moose exhibited contrasting spatial associations to landscape features, most likely as a result of the different hunting modes and needs exhibited by hunters and wolves. However, wolf predation risk and hunting risk also contrasted in time, since wolves killed mostly at night and hunters were restricted to hunting during daytime and during the hunting season. This temporal segregation in risk might therefore suggest that moose could minimize risk exposure by taking advantage of spatiotemporally vacant hunting domains.</p>
Effects of human and non-human predation risk on antipredator movement behaviors of an upland game bird
<p>Predators can elicit antipredator behaviors in prey such as proactive and reactive movements, but both are rarely investigated simultaneously. Impacts of human predation risk on antipredator behaviors can potentially be greater than non-human predators, resulting in increased effects on populations and community structure. Therefore, we compared the influence of human and non-human predation risk on proactive and reactive antipredator movement behaviors of a commonly harvested game bird, male Eastern wild turkeys (<em>Meleagris</em> <em>gallopavo</em>, hereafter turkey). We used simultaneously collected GPS locations from 31 turkeys and 36 coyotes (<em>Canis</em> <em>latrans</em>) to investigate antipredator behavior of turkeys to coyotes. To assess antipredator behaviors by turkeys to hunters, we used 1,661 hunting tracks collected while monitoring 109 turkeys. Specifically, for proactive movements, we quantified how predation risk influenced resource selection. To investigate reactive movements, we quantified changes in movement behavior of turkeys after encountering hunters and coyotes. Coyotes and turkeys were sympatric on the landscape as home range overlap was high, but lack of core area overlap, encounters, and similar resource selection suggested use of different areas on the landscape. Turkeys selected areas associated with decreased coyote risk and closer to hardwoods. Coyotes preferred shrubs and open areas, suggesting turkeys avoided coyote risk and the habitats coyotes preferred. We detected 17 coyote and turkey contacts, and probability of a contact decreased by 16.6% for every 100m farther from a forest edge. Turkeys did not display reactive movement behaviors after a direct encounter with coyotes, as step lengths were similar prior and after encounters, which did not differ from random step lengths. After the onset of hunting, turkeys selected to be farther away from public access points and closer to private property, suggesting proactive avoidance of areas associated with increased hunter predation risk. We detected 31 hunter and turkey contacts, step lengths after hunter contacts were approximately double compared to random step lengths. The probability of a hunter-turkey contact decreased by 5.5% for every 100m farther from a secondary road. Collectively, antipredator movement behaviors by turkeys suggest coyote risk to be low over a broad temporal window as we only documented proactive movement behaviors. Conversely, hunter risk is high for a short temporal window while hunting is occurring, as we documented both proactive and reactive movement behavior responses. Overall, we provide insight into how human-induced fear can cause antipredator behavioral responses greater than non-human fear, potentially causing changes in species distribution and community structure.</p>
Non-exploitative human disturbance provides shelter for prey from predator
<p>Human activities can influence behaviors of predators and prey, as well as predator-prey interactions. Using camera trap data, we investigated whether or to what extent human activities influenced behaviors of predators (tigers and leopards) and prey (sambar deer, spotted deer, wild boar, barking deer), and predator-prey interactions in the Barandabhar Corridor Forest (BCF), Chitwan District, Nepal. A multispecies occupancy model revealed that the presence of humans altered the conditional occupancy of both prey and predator species. Specifically, the conditional occupancy probability of prey was substantially higher (ψ = 0.91, CI = 0.89–0.92) when humans were present than when humans were absent (ψ = 0.68, CI = 0.54–0.79). The diel activity pattern of most prey species overlapped strongly with humans, whereas predators were generally more active when humans were absent. Finally, the spatio-temporal overlap analysis revealed that human-prey interactions (i.e., the probability that both humans and prey species being present on the same grid at the same hourly period) was ~3 times higher (10.5%, CI = 10.4%–10.6%) compared to spatio-temporal overlap between humans-predators (3.1%, CI = 3.0%–3.2%). Our findings are consistent with the human-shield hypothesis and suggest that ungulate prey species may reduce predation risk by using areas with high human activities.</p>
Rain, recreation, and risk: Human activity and ecological disturbance create seasonal risk landscapes for the prey of an ambush predator
<p>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 behavior, mediated by species ecology and trade-offs between risk and resources. Yet, how human recreation interacts with seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator behavior remains understudied.</p> <p><strong>Goals</strong> – 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 (<em>Puma concolor coryi</em>) and white-tailed deer (<em>Odocoileus</em> <em>virginianus</em>). 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 response. We conducted camera trap surveys across southwestern Florida to collect detection data on humans, panthers, and deer. We analyzed 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 behavior. 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.</p> <p><strong>Significance to the field </strong>– We highlight the importance of understanding how competing risks and ecological disturbances influence predator and prey behavior, 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. </p>
Contrasting patterns of risk from human and non-human predators shape temporal activity of prey
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Data from: Human food subsidies drive individual specialization and intrapopulation dietary differences in a generalist predator
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Data from: Fear of the human ‘super predator’ reduces feeding time in large carnivores
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Sex-specific foraging of an apex predator puts females at risk of human-wildlife conflict
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Eat or be eaten: Implications of potential exploitative competition between wolves and humans across predator- savvy and -naive deer populations
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Data from: A landscape of coexistence for a large predator in a human dominated landscape
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Non-exploitative human disturbance provides shelter for prey from predator
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