Dietary partitioning of three large carnivores in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Abstract

Between 2011 and 2012, the carnivore guild in Majete Wildlife Reserve (MWR), Malawi, was restored following the reintroduction of lion (Panthera leo) and leopard (Panthera pardus). The aim of this study was to describe and compare the diet of lion, leopard and resident spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) using scat analysis. Lions and spotted hyaenas displayed the greatest dietary overlap (Oab = 0.88) and selected mainly medium‐ to large‐bodied prey species. Lions had a mean preferred prey weight of 120.33 ± 42.14 kg (SE), with warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) and waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) making up 60.64% of relative biomass consumed. Spotted hyaenas had a mean preferred prey weight of 102.40 ± 41.69 kg and had a more generalised diet (Ba = 0.46) compared to lions (Ba = 0.36). In contrast, leopards occupied a dietary niche substantially lower than that of lions and spotted hyaenas, selecting relatively smaller prey with a mean preferred prey weight of 27.50 ± 6.74 kg. Our results suggest that coexistence between the resident hyaena and reintroduced lion and leopard in MWR is facilitated by dietary partitioning. We advise long‐term monitoring of reintroduced carnivores in small, enclosed reserves to assess their impacts on predator and prey populations.

Carnivore coexistence facilitated by spatial and dietary partitioning and fine‐scale behavioural avoidance in a semi‐arid ecosystem

“…Caracals typically have a broad dietary range constituting mostly mammals, but the importance of prey items, like rodents and antelope, varies widely between studies (Avenant et al., 2016). Thus, these findings highlight the importance of area‐specific studies to improve the understanding of carnivore feeding behaviour at a finer scale (Briers‐Louw & Leslie, 2020).…”

Prey availability and intraguild competition regulate the spatiotemporal dynamics of a modified large carnivore guild

“…In some ecosystems, kleptoparasitism has resulted in leopard adopting either spatial (Comley et al, 2020;Ramesh et al, 2017) or temporal avoidance strategies, although Ramesh et al (2017) suggested that the spatial avoidance between leopard and hyena was due to lion presence. Leopards also exhibit behavioral adaptations (i.e., tree caching and dietary plasticity) to facilitate coexistence with hyena (Balme et al, 2019;Briers-Louw & Leslie, 2020). However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of leopard and hyena are often overlooked Vanak et al, 2013), particularly in ecosystems where the carnivore guild has been depleted due to anthropogenic disturbance.…”

Patterns and predictors of ungulate space use across an isolated Miombo woodland reserve

“…Greater grass height and vegetation cover are important for predator hunting success (Funston et al., 2001; Owen‐Smith, 2019), so many species may use open areas as an anti‐predator strategy (Funston et al., 2001; Hopcraft et al., 2005). Buffalo, eland and zebra used more open areas, but are not preferred prey species of lions in Majete (Briers‐Louw & Leslie, 2020), possibly due to their success in avoiding lion predation by using the areas of higher visibility. Additionally, predation risk shapes the vigilance behaviour of zebra bachelor herds in Majete (de Vos et al., 2020), indicating that anti‐predator strategies are important.…”

“…Additionally, predation risk shapes the vigilance behaviour of zebra bachelor herds in Majete (de Vos et al., 2020), indicating that anti‐predator strategies are important. Impala, a preferred leopard prey species in Majete (Briers‐Louw & Leslie, 2020), may be using more open areas in Majete to avoid leopard habitat (i.e. habitat with intermediate cover; Balme et al., 2007).…”

“…habitat with intermediate cover; Balme et al., 2007). Surprisingly, the presence of bushbuck, also an important leopard prey item in Majete (Briers‐Louw & Leslie, 2020), increases as predator relative abundance increases which may be driven by leopard selecting habitats that bushbuck use. Conversely, buffalo, eland and zebra are also positively associated with predator presence, although as previously mentioned, they probably avoid being killed in high numbers by using open areas (Briers‐Louw & Leslie, 2020) and buffalo potentially also actively defend themselves (i.e.…”