Age‐specific foraging strategies among pumas, and its implications for aiding ungulate populations through carnivore control

Elbroch, L. Mark; Quigley, Howard

doi:10.1111/csp2.23

Cited by 13 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Because carnivore kill rates are difficult to obtain, most studies on carnivore foraging focus on prey composition (i.e., frequency of occurrence), and in some cases, biomass of prey species in a carnivore's diet. Many carnivores consume a wide range of prey, which evidence suggests is due to variable prey availability (Hayward et al 2006(Hayward et al , 2016, prey catchability/accessibility (Hopcraft et al 2005;Balme et al 2007), and the age or life history stage of the carnivore itself (Hayward et al 2007;Elbroch et al 2017a;Blecha et al 2018;Elbroch and Quigley 2019). When used in conjunction with prey availability, diet composition data enable researchers to estimate prey selection, or preference (Hayward et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kill rates and associated ecological factors for an apex predator

et al. 2022

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Kill rates and functional responses are fundamental to the study of predator ecology and the understanding of predatory-prey dynamics. As the most widely distributed apex predator in the western hemisphere, pumas (Puma concolor) have been well studied, yet a synthesis of their kill rates is currently lacking. We reviewed the literature and compiled data on sex- and age-specific kill rate estimates of pumas on ungulates, and conducted analyses aimed at understanding ecological factors explaining the observed spatial variation. Kill rate studies on pumas, while numerous, were primarily conducted in Temperate Conifer Forests (< 10% of puma range), revealing a dearth of knowledge across much of their range, especially from tropical and subtropical habitats. Across studies, kill rates in ungulates/week were highest for adult females with kitten(s) (1.24 ± 0.41 ungulates/week) but did not vary significantly between adult males (0.84 ± 0.18) and solitary adult females (0.99 ± 0.26). Kill rates in kg/day differed only marginally among reproductive classes. Kill rates of adult pumas increased with ungulate density, particularly for males. Ungulate species richness had a weak negative association with adult male kill rates. Neither scavenger richness, puma density, the proportion of non-ungulate prey in the diet, nor regional human population density had a significant effect on ungulate kill rates, but additional studies and standardization would provide further insights. Our results had a strong temperate-ecosystem bias highlighting the need for further research across the diverse biomes pumas occupy to fully interpret kill rates for the species. Data from more populations would also allow for multivariate analyses providing deeper inference into the ecological and behavioural factors driving kill rates and functional responses of pumas, and apex predators in general.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kill rates and associated ecological factors for an apex predator

et al. 2022

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“…Finally, males feed from kills made by females within their territories in some systems, which may reduce their kill rates, while the reverse appears much less common (Elbroch et al 2017b). Subadult data were insufficient for analyses, but raw values of subadult kill rates were lower than for adults, matching recent research showing that subadults consume disproportionately more small-bodied, non-ungulate prey (Elbroch et al 2017a), and that pumas prey switch as they age and refine their hunting skills (Elbroch and Quigley 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…frequency of occurrence), and in some cases biomass of prey species in a carnivore's diet. Many carnivores consume a wide range of prey, which evidence suggests is due to variable prey availability (Hayward et al 2006;Hayward et al 2016), prey catchability/accessibility (Hopcraft et al 2005;Balme et al 2007), and the age or life history stage of the carnivore itself (Hayward et al 2007;Elbroch et al 2017a;Blecha et al 2018;Elbroch and Quigley 2019). When used in conjunction with prey availability, diet composition data enable researchers to estimate prey selection, or preference (Hayward et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeographical and ecological factors associated with kill rates of an apex predator

Cristescu

Elbroch

Dellinger

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Kill rates and functional responses are fundamental to the study of predator ecology and the understanding of predatory-prey dynamics. As the most widely distributed apex predator in the western hemisphere pumas (Puma concolor) have been widely studied yet a biogeographical synthesis of their kill rates is currently lacking. We reviewed the literature and compiled data on sex- and age-specific kill rate estimates of pumas on ungulates, and conducted analyses aimed at understanding ecological factors explaining the observed variation across their range. Kill rate studies on pumas, while numerous, were primarily conducted in Temperate Conifer Forests (< 10% of puma range), revealing a dearth of knowledge across much of their range, especially from tropical and subtropical habitats. Across studies, kill rates in ungulates/week were highest for adult females with kitten(s) (1.24 ± 0.41 ungulates/week) but did not vary significantly between adult males (0.84 ± 0.18) and solitary adult females (0.99 ± 0.26). Kill rates in kg/day did not differ significantly among reproductive classes. Kill rates of adult pumas increased with ungulate density. Ungulate species richness had a weak negative association with adult male kill rates. Neither scavenger richness, the proportion of non-ungulate prey in the diet, nor regional human population density had a significant effect on ungulate kill rates. Our results had a strong temperate-ecosystem bias highlighting the need for further research across the diverse biomes pumas occupy in order to make species level inferences. Data from more populations would also allow for multivariate analyses providing deeper inference into the ecological and behavioural factors driving kill rates and functional responses of pumas, and apex predators in general.

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“…(1) males would test positive for exposure to Y. pestis more than females because they interact with other unrelated pumas more often than females (Elbroch et al 2016); and (2) older pumas would exhibit a higher prevalence of antibodies to Y. pestis than younger pumas, as social interactions accumulate over time. In support of age-specific foraging influencing prevalence, we predicted younger pumas would test positive more often than older pumas because they eat more small prey (Elbroch & Quigley 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Nevertheless, we suggest future research continues to test whether diet explains patterns of plague among pumas, as we lacked suitable prey selection data across all pumas and all years of our study to conduct these analyses. There is new evidence that pumas exhibit intraspecific differences in diet due to age and behavioural stage (e.g., transient versus resident) (Elbroch et al 2017a, Elbroch & Quigley 2019. When programmed to acquire frequent fixes, new GPS collars also increase opportunities for researchers to conduct site investigations in order to document small puma prey (Elbroch et al 2018a).…”

Section: Environmental Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plague, pumas and potential zoonotic exposure in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2020

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SummaryWe tested for plague (Yersinia pestis) in a puma population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) over 9 years, overlapping a case when a boy in the area became infected with plague. Antibodies to Y. pestis were detected in 8 of 17 (47%) pumas tested by complement-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the organism itself was detected in 4 of 11 (36%) pumas tested after necropsy. Neither puma sex nor age was significantly associated with Y. pestis exposure or mortality, although our sample size was small. The overall prevalence of exposure we recorded was similar to that found along the western slope of Colorado, which is adjacent to the Four Corners region, a known plague hotspot in the USA. This suggests that: (1) Y. pestis may be present at higher levels in the GYE than previously assumed; (2) plague is a significant source of mortality for local pumas (6.6% of sub-adult and adult mortality); and (3) pumas may be a useful sentinel for potential risk of plague exposure to humans throughout the West. We would also emphasize that hunters and others handling pumas in this region should be made aware of the possibility of exposure.

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Age‐specific foraging strategies among pumas, and its implications for aiding ungulate populations through carnivore control

Cited by 13 publications

References 36 publications

Kill rates and associated ecological factors for an apex predator

Kill rates and associated ecological factors for an apex predator

Biogeographical and ecological factors associated with kill rates of an apex predator

Plague, pumas and potential zoonotic exposure in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

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