Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Aimee Tallian, Andres Ordiz, Barbara Zimmermann, Hakan Sand, Camilla Wikenros, Petter Wabakken, Goran Bergqvist, Jonas Kindberg
Summary: Studying the effects of recovering wolf and bear populations on moose survival in Sweden revealed a negative correlation between wolf and bear densities and calf/cow ratios. In areas where wolves and bears were allopatric, calf/cow ratios decreased by 7% and 17%, while in sympatric areas, the decrease was 18%.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Noa L. A. Rigoudy, Michael Clinchy, Mike J. S. Peel, Sarah Huebner, Craig Packer, Liana Y. Zanette
Summary: Research has shown that different large carnivores inspire varying levels of fear in their ungulate prey, which may lead to different impacts on the ecosystem, highlighting the importance of conserving large carnivore populations worldwide.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Manjari Malviya, Ramesh Krishnamurthy
Summary: Understanding the factors associated with human/livestock-large carnivore conflict and predicting conflict risk are important for effective prevention and mitigation. This study used spatial modelling to analyze the ecological correlates of human-tiger conflict and predict livestock predation risk. The results showed that prey and shrub cover were key determinants of conflict, and the spatial risk map can guide conflict prevention measures.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Rowena P. Hamer, Riana Z. Gardiner, Kirstin M. Proft, Christopher N. Johnson, Menna E. Jones
Summary: Research has shown that alien mammalian carnivores, such as feral cats and red foxes, have disproportionately contributed to the global loss of biodiversity. In Australia, predation by these alien species poses a significant threat to native vertebrates. Feral cats, in particular, have greater impacts on prey compared to native predators due to their higher population densities, intense home-range use, and broad habitat preferences.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Amber R. Schenk, Thomas K. Stevens, Amanda M. Hale
Summary: Urbanization can alter predator-prey dynamics, resulting in lower predation rates despite an increase in predator abundance. In a study conducted in a large urban forest in Texas, researchers found that raptor activity was higher in less urbanized areas. They used prey mimics to assess predation rates and found no relationship between predation rates and urbanization. The study shows a decoupling of the predator-prey relationship in an urban setting.
Article
Biology
Mariano Rodriguez-Recio, Camilla Wikenros, Barbara Zimmermann, Hakan Sand
Summary: Wolves are returning to regions in Europe, which has led to opposition due to their predatory habits on game species. Using data on prey selection, kill rates, and territory size, researchers estimated the impact of wolf recolonization in southern Sweden. The study showed that the current five-ungulate species system in southern Sweden could potentially support a higher wolf density. Such research can help anticipate and address conservation conflicts that arise with the return of large carnivores to the wild.
Article
Ecology
Shannon Kachel, Rana Bayrakcismith, Zairbek Kubanychbekov, Rahim Kulenbekov, Thomas McCarthy, Byron Weckworth, Aaron Wirsing
Summary: Spatial responses to risk from multiple predators can have emergent consequences for prey, and the interaction between predator and prey traits is a key factor influencing antipredator behavior. However, this interaction has been understudied in large vertebrate systems. Our study aimed to generalize the understanding of how predators influence ecosystems by considering multiple sources of contingency. We found that prey spatial responses and the resulting multiple-predator effects are contingent on the interplay of hunting mode and escape tactics.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Mathematics
Renato Colucci, Erika Diz-Pita, M. Victoria Otero-Espinar
Summary: The study focuses on a population model with two preys and one predator, analyzing the stability of equilibria and the possibility of Hopf bifurcation. Additionally, the problem of persistence is discussed, with numerical simulations used to illustrate theoretical results.
Article
Biology
Jolle Wolter Jolles, Matthew M. G. Sosna, Geoffrey P. F. Mazue, Colin R. Twomey, Joseph Bak-Coleman, Daniel Rubenstein, Iain D. Couzin
Summary: Predation is a main evolutionary driver of social grouping, and its detailed quantification remains challenging. In this study, high-resolution tracking of solitary predators hunting schooling fish sheds light on predator decision-making and identifies key features that predict individual risk and survival during attacks. The results reveal the importance of attackers approaching the largest groups stealthily and already being inside the school, making prey in the frontal 'strike zone' the most vulnerable to be targeted. From the prey's perspective, fish in central locations, but relatively far from and less aligned with their neighbors, are most likely to be targeted.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Przemyslaw Gawronski, Alfio Borzi, Krzysztof Kulakowski
Summary: This study investigates the system of two resources and one consumer within the Rosenzweig-MacArthur model, with a Holling type II functional response. The results show that oscillations of C and mutually synchronized R-i are destabilized when consumption rates are modified, leading the system towards fixed points or limit cycles with smaller amplitudes. The consumer is unable to change the preferred resource due to the symmetry between the resources.
Article
Biology
Alberto Bortoni, Sharon M. Swartz, Hamid Vejdani, Aaron J. Corcoran
Summary: A predator's ability to catch prey depends on its navigation skills in response to prey movements. The pursuit behavior of Townsend's big-eared bat varies, as it relies on a slow and agile flight to stealthily approach prey and reacts to prey movements using a combination of pure pursuit and proportional navigation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Haley K. Epperly, Michael Clinchy, Liana Y. Zanette, Robert A. McCeery
Summary: The experiment showed that the fear large carnivores inspire in large ungulates can cause trophic cascades, with ungulates perceiving less fear from large carnivores in open habitats. This has implications for ecosystem properties.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Shotaro Shiratsuru, Emily K. Studd, Stan Boutin, Michael J. L. Peers, Yasmine N. Majchrzak, Allyson K. Menzies, Rachael Derbyshire, Thomas S. Jung, Charles J. Krebs, Rudy Boonstra, Dennis L. Murray
Summary: The study found that the activity patterns of snowshoe hares and Canada lynx are not necessarily related to predation risk, and lynx can still prey on hares during the daytime when hares are inactive. This suggests that the overlap of predator-prey activity may not always be a reliable proxy for predation risk, highlighting the need to examine the spatio-temporal behavior of predator and prey to improve our understanding of predation risk.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Ashley N. Peterson, Matthew J. McHenry
Summary: This study examines the strategy of red lionfish in pursuing faster prey. The behavior of successfully capturing prey is defined as the "persistent-predation strategy", which includes pure pursuit, uninterrupted motion, and high success rate in strike.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Zoology
M. Vettorazzi, N. Mogensen, B. Kaelo, F. Broekhuis
Summary: Optimal foraging theory predicts that carnivores select prey based on intrinsic factors. This study explores how changes in prey abundance, resulting from mass annual migration of herbivores, influence prey profiles of lion and cheetah. The study found that changes in prey abundance had a strong influence on prey profiles, with lions and male cheetah more likely to feed on wildebeest during the migration. These changes in prey profiles could have implications for herbivore dynamics, human-wildlife conflict, and ecological interactions.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sarah M. Durant, Matthew S. Becker, Scott Creel, Sultana Bashir, Amy J. Dickman, Roseline C. Beudels-Jamar, Laly Lichtenfeld, Ray Hilborn, Jake Wall, George Wittemyer, Lkhagvasuren Badamjav, Stephen Blake, Luigi Boitani, Christine Breitenmoser, Femke Broekhuis, David Christianson, Gabriele Cozzi, Tim R. B. Davenport, James Deutsch, Pierre Devillers, Luke Dollar, Stephanie Dolrenry, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Egil Droege, Emily FitzHerbert, Charles Foley, Leela Hazzah, J. Grant C. Hopcraft, Dennis Ikanda, Andrew Jacobson, Dereck Joubert, Marcella J. Kelly, James Milanzi, Nicholas Mitchell, Jassiel M'Soka, Maurus Msuha, Thandiwe Mweetwa, Julius Nyahongo, Elias Rosenblatt, Paul Schuette, Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, Anthony R. E. Sinclair, Mark R. Stanley Price, Alexandra Zimmermann, Nathalie Pettorelli
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Ecology
Scott Creel, Jassiel M'soka, Egil Droge, Eli Rosenblatt, Matthew S. Becker, Wigganson Matandiko, Twakundine Simpamba
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2016)
Article
Ecology
Elias Rosenblatt, Scott Creel, Matthew S. Becker, Johnathan Merkle, Henry Mwape, Paul Schuette, Twakundine Simpamba
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2016)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Paul Schuette, Ngawo Namukonde, Matthew S. Becker, Fred G. R. Watson, Scott Creel, Clive Chifunte, Wigganson Matandiko, Paul Millhouser, Elias Rosenblatt, Carolyn Sanguinetti
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2018)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Scott Creel, Wigganson Matandiko, Paul Schuette, Elias Rosenblatt, Carolyn Sanguinetti, Kambwiri Banda, Milan Vinks, Matthew Becker
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thandiwe Mweetwa, David Christianson, Matt Becker, Scott Creel, Elias Rosenblatt, Johnathan Merkle, Egil Droge, Henry Mwape, Jones Masonde, Twakundine Simpamba
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elias Rosenblatt, Scott Creel, Paul Schuette, Matthew S. Becker, David Christianson, Egil Droge, Thandiwe Mweetwa, Henry Mwape, Johnathan Merkle, Jassiel M'soka, Jones Masonde, Twakundine Simpamba
Article
Ecology
Milan A. Vinks, Scott Creel, Paul Schuette, Elias Rosenblatt, Wigganson Matandiko, Carolyn Sanguinetti, Kambwiri Banda, Ben Goodheart, Matthew Becker, Clive Chifunte, Chuma Simukonda
Article
Ecology
Milan A. Vinks, Scott Creel, Paul Schuette, Matthew S. Becker, Elias Rosenblatt, Carolyn Sanguinetti, Kambwiri Banda, Ben Goodheart, Kim Young-Overton, Xia Stevens, Clive Chifunte, Neil Midlane, Chuma Simukonda
Summary: Large carnivores, such as African lions in Kafue National Park, are experiencing range contraction and population declines due to prey depletion. While lion survival rates remain relatively good, recruitment of cubs is poor, signaling low prey density in the area. The age structure and average pride size of lion populations can serve as indicators of the impact of prey depletion on the population.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Joshua Blouin, Jacob DeBow, Elias Rosenblatt, James Hines, Cedric Alexander, Katherina Gieder, Nicholas Fortin, James Murdoch, Therese Donovan
Summary: The decline in moose populations due to winter tick infestation is influenced by habitat selection and elevation, with winter ticks being largely immobile during the fall questing and spring drop-off periods. Habitat selection by adult female moose during the fall questing period impacts the survival of their offspring, with successful mothers choosing different habitats from those whose calves perish. These findings provide important insights for management strategies aimed at reversing declining moose populations.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ben Goodheart, Scott Creel, Matthew S. Becker, Milan Vinks, Paul Schuette, Kambwiri Banda, Carolyn Sanguinetti, Elias Rosenblatt, Chase Dart, Anna Kusler, Kim Young-Overton, Xia Stevens, Alstone Mwanza, Chuma Simukonda
Summary: The study found that the population of African wild dogs in the study area was not competitively released due to the low density of lions, but rather impacted by prey scarcity, indicating that the number of wild dogs is influenced by an optimal balance of prey and competitors.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jacob Debow, Joshua Blouin, Elias Rosenblatt, Cedric Alexander, Katherina Gieder, Walter Cottrell, James Murdoch, Therese Donovan
Summary: Moose populations in the northeastern United States have declined significantly, primarily due to the effects of winter ticks. The best supported models show that tick infestation negatively impacts moose survival, and reducing tick effects can be achieved through managing moose density and habitat.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Milan A. Vinks, Scott Creel, Elias Rosenblatt, Matthew S. Becker, Paul Schuette, Ben Goodheart, Carolyn Sanguinetti, Kambwiri Banda, Clive Chifunte, Chuma Simukonda
Summary: Leopard populations are declining globally, but in the north-central Kafue National Park, Zambia, leopard density and survival rates remain good despite prey depletion, possibly due to low lion density and weaker impact of prey depletion on leopard-preferred prey. This suggests that the effects of prey depletion on carnivore species can be more complex than simply causing a uniform decline. Further investigation is warranted.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elias Rosenblatt, Jacob DeBow, Joshua Blouin, Therese Donovan, James Murdoch, Scott Creel, Will Rogers, Katherina Gieder, Nick Fortin, Cedric Alexander
Summary: Research focused on the impact of environmental factors on stress and nutrition in moose calves, predicting winter survival rates with models including tick infestation, body weight, and habitat type as significant influences.
CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)