Effects of Predation Risk on Space Use by Small Mammals: A Field Experiment with a Neotropical Rodent

Oikos ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. O. Lagos ◽  
L. C. Contreras ◽  
P. L. Meserve ◽  
J. R. Gutiérrez ◽  
F. M. Jaksic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Predation Risk ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Neotropical Rodent

scholarly journals Tracking native small mammals to measure fine-scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlands

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. e01348
Author(s):  
Florencia Spirito ◽  
Mary Rowland ◽  
Michael Wisdom ◽  
Solana Tabeni
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Scale Space ◽  
Fine Scale

Does perceived predation risk affect patterns of extra‐pair paternity? A field experiment in a passerine bird

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 1001-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin N. Abbey‐Lee ◽  
Yimen G. Araya‐Ajoy ◽  
Alexia Mouchet ◽  
Maria Moiron ◽  
Erica F. Stuber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Predation Risk ◽  
Passerine Bird ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Perceived Predation Risk

scholarly journals Herbivore release through cascading risk effects

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 773-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin H. Schmidt-Entling ◽  
Eva Siegenthaler
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Predation Risk ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Wolf Spiders ◽  
Risk Effects ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
Inverse Pattern

Predators influence prey through consumption, and through trait-mediated effects such as emigration in response to predation risk (risk effects). We studied top-down effects of (sub-) adult wolf spiders (Lycosidae) on arthropods in a meadow. We compared risk effects with the overall top-down effect (including consumption) by gluing the chelicers of wolf spiders to prevent them from killing the prey. In a field experiment, we created three treatments that included either: (i) intact (‘predation’) wolf spiders; (ii) wolf spiders with glued chelicers (‘risk spiders’); or (iii) no (sub-) adult wolf spiders. Young wolf spiders were reduced by their (sub-) adult congeners. Densities of sheetweb spiders (Linyphiidae), a known intraguild prey of wolf spiders, were equally reduced by the presence of risk and predation wolf spiders. Plant- and leafhoppers (Auchenorrhyncha) showed the inverse pattern of higher densities in the presence of both risk and predation wolf spiders. We conclude that (sub-) adult wolf spiders acted as top predators, which reduced densities of intermediate predators and thereby enhanced herbivores. Complementary to earlier studies that found trait-mediated herbivore suppression, our results demonstrate that herbivores can be enhanced through cascading risk effects by top predators.

scholarly journals Energetics and fear of humans constrain the spatial ecology of pumas

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. e2004592118
Author(s):  
Barry A. Nickel ◽  
Justin P. Suraci ◽  
Anna C. Nisi ◽  
Christopher C. Wilmers
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Space Use ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Accelerometer Data ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Energetic Costs

Energetic demands and fear of predators are considered primary factors shaping animal behavior, and both are likely drivers of movement decisions that ultimately determine the spatial ecology of wildlife. Yet energetic constraints on movement imposed by the physical landscape have only been considered separately from those imposed by risk avoidance, limiting our understanding of how short-term movement decisions scale up to affect long-term space use. Here, we integrate the costs of both physical terrain and predation risk into a common currency, energy, and then quantify their effects on the short-term movement and long-term spatial ecology of a large carnivore living in a human-dominated landscape. Using high-resolution GPS and accelerometer data from collared pumas (Puma concolor), we calculated the short-term (i.e., 5-min) energetic costs of navigating both rugged physical terrain and a landscape of risk from humans (major sources of both mortality and fear for our study population). Both the physical and risk landscapes affected puma short-term movement costs, with risk having a relatively greater impact by inducing high-energy but low-efficiency movement behavior. The cumulative effects of short-term movement costs led to reductions of 29% to 68% in daily travel distances and total home range area. For male pumas, long-term patterns of space use were predominantly driven by the energetic costs of human-induced risk. This work demonstrates that, along with physical terrain, predation risk plays a primary role in shaping an animal’s “energy landscape” and suggests that fear of humans may be a major factor affecting wildlife movements worldwide.

scholarly journals Weak spatiotemporal response of prey to predation risk in a freely interacting system

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy J. Cusack ◽  
Michel T. Kohl ◽  
Matthew C. Metz ◽  
Tim Coulson ◽  
Daniel R. Stahler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Cervus Elaphus ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
List Type ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
Spatiotemporal Scales ◽  
Spatiotemporal Response

AbstractThe extent to which prey space use actively minimises predation risk continues to ignite controversy. Methodological reasons that have hindered consensus include inconsistent measurements of predation risk, biased spatiotemporal scales at which responses are measured, and lack of robust null expectations.We addressed all three challenges in a comprehensive analysis of the spatiotemporal responses of adult female elk (Cervus elaphus) to the risk of predation by grey wolves (Canis lupus) during winter in northern Yellowstone, USA.We quantified spatial overlap between the winter home ranges of GPS-collared elk and three measures of predation risk: the intensity of wolf space use, the distribution of wolf-killed elk and vegetation openness. We also assessed whether elk varied their use of areas characterised by more or less predation risk across hours of the day, and estimated encounter rates between simultaneous elk and wolf pack trajectories. We determined whether observed values were significantly lower than expected if elk movements were random with reference to predation risk using a null model approach.Although a small proportion of elk did show a tendency to minimise use of open vegetation at specific times of the day, overall we highlight a notable absence of spatiotemporal response by female elk to the risk of predation posed by wolves in northern Yellowstone.Our results suggest that predator-prey interactions may not always result in strong spatiotemporal patterns of avoidance.

Making a killing: photographic evidence of predation of a Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii) by a feral cat (Felis catus)

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn A. Fancourt
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Adult Female ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Photographic Evidence

Feral cats (Felis catus) have contributed to the extinction of numerous Australian mammals and are a major threat to many species of conservation significance. Small mammals are considered to be those at greatest risk of cat predation, with risk typically inferred from dietary studies. However, dietary studies may provide only weak inference as to the risk of cat predation for some species. The most compelling evidence of predation risk comes from direct observation of killing events; however, such observations are rare and photographic evidence is even rarer. I present photographic evidence of a feral cat killing and consuming an adult female Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii). This observation provides direct evidence that feral cats can kill prey up to 4 kg in body mass, with potential implications for the conservation of medium-sized mammals.

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