scholarly journals Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul: managing threatened predators of endangered and declining prey species

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeke Davidson ◽  
Marc Dupuis-Desormeaux ◽  
Arjun Dheer ◽  
Laura Pratt ◽  
Elizabeth Preston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Management ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Species Survival ◽  
Scale Population ◽  
Credible Threat ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Grevy’S Zebra

Conservation policy and practice can sometimes run counter to their mutual aims of ensuring species survival. In Kenya, where threatened predators such as lion deplete endangered prey such as Grevy’s zebra, conservation practitioners seek to ensure species success through exclusive strategies of protection, population increase and preservation. We found strong selection for the endangered Grevy’s zebra by both lion and hyena on two small fenced conservancies in Kenya. Despite abundant diversity of available prey, Grevy’s zebra were selected disproportionately more than their availability, while other highly available species such as buffalo were avoided. Lions were therefore not alone in presenting a credible threat to Grevy’s zebra survival. Conservation practitioners must consider interlinked characteristics of prey selection, resource availability and quality, the interplay between carnivore guild members and landscape scale population trends performance in wildlife management decisions.

PATTERNS OF GASTROPOD MOLLUSK PREDATION ON BIVALVE MOLLUSKS ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS GULF COAST

2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serena J. Randolph ◽  
Alan D. Maccarone
Keyword(s):  
Shell Thickness ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Drill Hole ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hole Diameter ◽  
Bivalve Mollusks ◽  
Collection Site ◽  
Drill Holes

Abstract Predation on bivalve mollusks by gastropod mollusks is common in coastal regions of the United States; however, few previous studies have examined whether drilling gastropods exhibit prey selection. In 2016, shells with small holes drilled by as many as two gastropod predators were collected at three sites separated by 30 km along the Texas Upper Gulf Coast on the Bolivar Peninsula (29° 40′N, 94° 90′W). The likeliest predators in these waters are the southern oyster drill (Stramonita haemastoma Linnaeus 1767) and the moon snail (Neverita duplicate Say 1822). Collected shells were identified to species and measurements were taken to examine statistical relationships between predators and prey species. These measurements included drill-hole diameter, shell thickness, drill-hole completeness, number of drill attempts, and collection site. Across the three locations, 17 different species of shells with drill holes were collected; of these, we focused on the ten most abundant species (n = 277 shells). The sample showed high variation in drill-hole diameter, shell thickness, and drill-hole completeness. Both the total number of holes and mean drill-hole diameter differed significantly among prey species (ANOVA, both P < 0.0001). In addition, drill-hole diameter correlated directly with prey shell thickness (P < 0.0001). Shells whose drill holes were complete were significantly thinner than shells with incomplete holes (P < 0.0001). Mean prey shell thickness, mean drill-hole diameter, and mean number of drill holes all differed significantly by collection site (all P < 0.0001). Ecological and morphological implications related to gastropod predation on mollusks are discussed.

scholarly journals Prey species and prey selection of dholes at three different sites in Thailand

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
KHWANRUTAI CHARASPET ◽  
Ronglarp - Sukmasuang ◽  
NORASET KHOEWSREE ◽  
MANANYA PLA-ARD ◽  
YUWALUK CHANACHAI
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Khao Yai National Park ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract. Charaspet K, Sukmasuang R, Khoewsree N, Pla-ard M, Chanachai Y. 2020. Prey species and prey selection of dholes at three different sites in Thailand. Biodiversitas 21: 5248-5262. The study of prey species and prey selection of Dholes at 3 different sites was conducted at Khao Yai National Park, Salak Pra, and Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries from 2013 to 2020. Information on Dhole prey at the sites was collected from the residues of dhole scats, from which the selection index, the relative biomass of the prey, and the relative amounts of the consumed prey were calculated. The data were collected simultaneously with the use of camera traps at each site. The study revealed that there were 13 species of Dhole prey with body weight over 5 kg. The result indicated that there were 7 species of even-toed ungulates. The relative biomass of even-toed ungulates ranged between 76.78 - 90.50% of the total biomass of all the Dholes’ consumed prey for all study sites. The dietary diversity index unveiled a similar index in all areas, which proved the adequacy of the analyzed scats. However, the Niche breadth index, which indicates the relevance of prey selection and prey species to the appearances of the prey at each site, was found to be high at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Khao Yai National Park, while the index was found to be low at Salak Pra Wildlife Sanctuary. The results revealed that Dholes consumed viverrid species and Malayan porcupine more often at the site where there were large carnivores. The recommendation from this study was the conservation and restoration of the ungulate populations, the main prey, as it greatly affects the conservation of the Dhole populations in Thailand.  Grassland and salt lick sites, water sources improvements are also important to promote prey population. The conservation of wildlife prey by releasing them to nature, as currently conducted, has an effect on the increase of Dholes’ prey species.

scholarly journals Feeding Ecology of Short-Toed Snake-Eagle (Circaetus gallicus [Gmelin, 1788]) in the Montados of Iberian Peninsula

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-179
Author(s):  
Nuno Onofre ◽  
Luís Sampaio
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Generalist Predator ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Psammodromus Algirus ◽  
Circaetus Gallicus ◽  
Water Snakes

The diet of Short-toed Snake-eagle (Circaetus gallicus) during the breeding season in an area dominated by cork and holm oak parkland forests (Montados) was analyzed in this study. As expected, results showed that snakes are the dominant prey in the diet of this eagle, comprising up to 92.5% of the identified items, if potential secondary prey species were excluded. The Montpellier Snake (Malpolon monspessulanus) was the most consumed one (42.2%), followed by the Ladder Snake (Zamenis scalaris) (28.0%), and the water snakes (Natrix spp.) (14.2%). According to the same criteria, lizards (mainly Psammodromus algirus) and mammals represent between 4.8 and 2.2%, respectively. Other animals such as pond turtle and amphibians are irregular prey (<1%), and no bird remains were found at all. Short-toed Snake-eagle is usually referred as a stenophagic predator where snakes are by far its most important prey type, and where within this taxonomic group it behaves as a generalist predator. In this study this premise was then tested comparing the relative abundance of the snake species with their proportion in the diet composition of the eagle in order to know whether or not prey selection exists with regard to the species of snakes in this region. Results point to a quite plausible "preference" for the Ladder Snake and an "avoidance" for the smooth snakes group (Macroprotodon brevis/Coronella girondica), and possibly for the Horseshoe Whip (Hemorrhois hippocrepis). The avoidance to the Horseshoe Whip must be indirect and habitat related, while in relation to the two smooth snakes it may be due in large extend to its small size, in particular.

Intrapopulation variation in the diet of franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) off southern Brazil

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Manuela Bassoi ◽  
Eduardo R. Secchi ◽  
Daniel Danilewicz ◽  
Ignacio B. Moreno ◽  
Roberta A. Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Pontoporia Blainvillei ◽  
Franciscana Dolphin

Abstract The franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) is a coastal dolphin endemic to the western South Atlantic Ocean. The dolphin is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, with incidental catches in gillnet fisheries the greatest conservation concern for this species. Insights into the feeding habits of this dolphin are essential to understand its distribution, movements and use of habitat, which are fundamental for effective management of the species. The feeding habits of franciscana dolphins were investigated from analyses of stomach contents of animals incidentally caught by two fishing operations from southern and northern regions of the southern Brazilian coast. In this study we investigate the existence of intrapopulation (sexual maturity and sex-related) variation in the diet of the franciscana dolphin, evaluating the spatial (northern and southern geographic areas) and seasonal influences. The analyses were based on Linear and Generalized Linear Models (LM and GLM). The majority of identified prey species were bottom-dwelling teleosts and the squid Doryteuthis sanpaulensis. The most important prey differed spatially and seasonally between northern and southern regions of the study area, and our results revealed significant differences between sexes and sexual maturity stages, mainly related to prey species sizes. This variation might indicate differences in prey selection, availability or habitat use patterns among these groups. In any case, these dietary differences are likely to minimize intraspecific competition for food resources, and/or indicate spatio-temporal variation in prey availability.

scholarly journals The impact of hunting with dogs on wildlife harvests in the Bosawas Reserve, Nicaragua

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEREMY KOSTER
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Management ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Game Species ◽  
Hunting Dogs ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Harvest Data ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARYAlthough they are used throughout the Neotropics, the impact of dogs on the composition of wildlife harvests has received little systematic attention. In the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve of Nicaragua, indigenous hunters rely heavily on dogs to locate prey. Hunting harvest data over a year-long period in two indigenous Mayangna and Miskito communities indicate that the use of hunting dogs is significantly associated with the harvests of several terrestrial mammalian species. The use of dogs is also a significant predictor of the extent to which the species composition of harvests deviates from Neotropical averages. Although dogs appear to have little effect on the sex profiles of harvested game species, the use of dogs is significantly associated with hunting in agricultural landscapes. From a conservation perspective, the disadvantages of dogs include their indiscriminate pursuit of prey species, including species that hunters would not otherwise pursue. Advantages of dogs include their relative ineffectiveness in pursuits of species that are particularly vulnerable to overhunting, such as primates and white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari). Hunting dogs may be an economical option for many Neotropical societies, and their role in wildlife management plans merits increased attention from conservationists.

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