An empirical and experimental test of risk and costs of kleptoparasitism for African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) inside and outside a protected area

Meer, E. van der; Moyo, M.; Rasmussen, Gregory S. A.; Fritz, Hervé

doi:10.1093/beheco/arr079

Cited by 31 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…2A). This hypothesis is in line with a study by van der Meer et al (2011) who concluded that a higher risk and cost of kleptoparasitism inside Hwange National Park might have contributed to habitat choice of African wild dogs outside the park. The GPS data from our study showed that the wild dogs, which denned south of the fence (data not shown) daily returned to the wildlife side instead of hunting on the livestock side, thus weakening the alternative hypothesis that the presence of wild dogs south of the fence was due to an easily accessible prey base (small stock).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Following the proposed competition exclusion hypothesis, the fence may in effect encourage species that seek spatial refuge from superior competitors to move closer to human activities where they eventually suffer direct persecution (Balme, Slotow & Hunter 2010;van der Meer et al 2011). This may finally function as an ecological trap where the high mortality rate outside protected areas can have negative consequences on protected populations (Balme, Slotow & Hunter 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparison of the effects of artificial and natural barriers on large African carnivores: Implications for interspecific relationships and connectivity

Cozzi

Broekhuis

McNutt

et al. 2013

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Summary1. Physical barriers contribute to habitat fragmentation, influence species distribution and ranging behaviour, and impact long-term population viability. Barrier permeability varies among species and can potentially impact the competitive balance within animal communities by differentially affecting co-occurring species. The influence of barriers on the spatial distribution of species within whole communities has nonetheless received little attention. 2. During a 4-year period, we studied the influence of a fence and rivers, two landscape features that potentially act as barriers on space use and ranging behaviour of lions Panthera leo, spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta, African wild dogs Lycaon pictus and cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus in Northern Botswana. We compared the tendencies of these species to cross the barriers using data generated from GPS-radio collars fitted to a total of 35 individuals. Barrier permeability was inferred by calculating the number of times animals crossed a barrier vs. the number of times they did not cross. Finally, based on our results, we produced a map of connectivity for the broader landscape system. 3. Permeability varied significantly between fence and rivers and among species. The fence represented an obstacle for lions (permeability = 7Á2%), while it was considerably more permeable for hyenas (35Á6%) and wild dogs and cheetahs ( ! 50%). In contrast, the rivers and associated floodplains were relatively permeable to lions (14Á4%) while they represented a nearly impassable obstacle for the other species (<2%). 4. The aversion of lions to cross the fence resulted in a relatively lion-free habitat patch on one side of the fence, which might provide a potential refuge for other species. For instance, the competitively inferior wild dogs used this refuge significantly more intensively than the side of the fence with a high presence of lions. 5. We showed that the influence of a barrier on the distribution of animals could potentially result in a broad-scale modification of community structure and ecology within a guild of co-occurring species. As habitat fragmentation increases, understanding the impact of barriers on species distributions is thus essential for the implementation of landscape-scale management strategies, the development and maintenance of corridors and the enhancement of connectivity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of the effects of artificial and natural barriers on large African carnivores: Implications for interspecific relationships and connectivity

Cozzi

Broekhuis

McNutt

et al. 2013

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…Increasing competition pressure with lions and hyaenas is thought to be responsible for the decrease in African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) populations inside PAs (Durant, 1998) and could be responsible for their local extinction (Creel & Creel, 1996;van der Meer et al, 2011). For instance, if prey abundance is reduced, prey guild composition is modified or the habitat is changed, this could lead to one species outcompeting the other, at worst resulting in local extinction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, hyaenas and lions can have strong effects on other sympatric carnivores. Increasing competition pressure with lions and hyaenas is thought to be responsible for the decrease in African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) populations inside PAs (Durant, 1998) and could be responsible for their local extinction (Creel & Creel, 1996;van der Meer et al, 2011). A recent series of papers (Packer et al, 2013a,b) argue that fencing is a solution for lion conservation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Lion King and the Hyaena Queen: large carnivore interactions and coexistence

2014

Self Cite

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Interactions among species, which range from competition to facilitation, have profound effects on ecosystem functioning. Large carnivores are of particular importance in shaping community structure since they are at the top of the food chain, and many efforts are made to conserve such keystone species. Despite this, the mechanisms of carnivore interactions are far from understood, yet they are key to enabling or hindering their coexistence and hence are highly relevant for their conservation. The goal of this review is thus to provide detailed information on the extents of competition and facilitation between large carnivores and their impact in shaping their life histories. Here, we use the example of spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) and lions (Panthera leo) and provide a comprehensive knowledge of their interactions based on meta-analyses from available literature (148 publications). Despite their strong potential for both exploitation and interference competition (range and diet overlap, intraguild predation and kleptoparasitism), we underline some mechanisms facilitating their coexistence (different prey-age selection and scavenging opportunities). We stress the fact that prey abundance is key to their coexistence and that hyaenas forming very large groups in rich ecosystems could have a negative impact on lions. We show that the coexistence of spotted hyaenas and lions is a complex balance between competition and facilitation, and that prey availability within the ecosystem determines which predator is dominant. However, there are still many gaps in our knowledge such as the spatio-temporal dynamics of their interactions. As both species' survival becomes increasingly dependent on protected areas, where their densities can be high, it is critical to understand their interactions to inform both reintroduction programs and protected area management.

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“…Kleptoparasitism tends to increase in frequency when food resources are scarce, search time for food is high, or if there is asymmetry between the two competitors–meaning that larger, more powerful kleptoparasites more easily and more often steal from physically inferior species or conspecifics [18], [19]. Vertebrate scavengers are generally considered opportunistic foragers of available resources rather than true competitors (see review in [20]), and therefore researchers have assumed that unlike predators, scavengers do not exhibit top-down control on prey populations [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nuisance Ecology: Do Scavenging Condors Exact Foraging Costs on Pumas in Patagonia?

Elbroch

Wittmer

2013

PLoS ONE

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Predation risk describes the energetic cost an animal suffers when making a trade off between maximizing energy intake and minimizing threats to its survival. We tested whether Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) influenced the foraging behaviors of a top predator in Patagonia, the puma (Puma concolor), in ways comparable to direct risks of predation for prey to address three questions: 1) Do condors exact a foraging cost on pumas?; 2) If so, do pumas exhibit behaviors indicative of these risks?; and 3) Do pumas display predictable behaviors associated with prey species foraging in risky environments? Using GPS location data, we located 433 kill sites of 9 pumas and quantified their kill rates. Based upon time pumas spent at a carcass, we quantified handling time. Pumas abandoned >10% of edible meat at 133 of 266 large carcasses after a single night, and did so most often in open grasslands where their carcasses were easily detected by condors. Our data suggested that condors exacted foraging costs on pumas by significantly decreasing puma handling times at carcasses, and that pumas increased their kill rates by 50% relative to those reported for North America to compensate for these losses. Finally, we determined that the relative risks of detection and associated harassment by condors, rather than prey densities, explained puma “giving up times” (GUTs) across structurally variable risk classes in the study area, and that, like many prey species, pumas disproportionately hunted in high-risk, high-resource reward areas.

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An empirical and experimental test of risk and costs of kleptoparasitism for African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) inside and outside a protected area

Cited by 31 publications

References 33 publications

Comparison of the effects of artificial and natural barriers on large African carnivores: Implications for interspecific relationships and connectivity

Comparison of the effects of artificial and natural barriers on large African carnivores: Implications for interspecific relationships and connectivity

The Lion King and the Hyaena Queen: large carnivore interactions and coexistence

Nuisance Ecology: Do Scavenging Condors Exact Foraging Costs on Pumas in Patagonia?

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