Predator occurrence and perceived predation risk determine grouping behavior in guanaco (<i>Lama guanicoe</i>)

Iranzo, Esperanza C.; Wittmer, Heiko; Traba, Juán; Acebes, Pablo; Mata, Cristina; Malo, Juan E.

doi:10.1111/eth.12727

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(135 reference statements)

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“…Predation risk is unlikely to explain the variability in spatial distribution among individual belugas, groups of adults, and groups with calves. As observed in other species (Heithaus and Dill 2002;Mumma et al 2017;Iranzo et al 2018), we expected the more vulnerable groups to avoid areas of high predation risk. The main predators of belugas are killer whales (Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758)), polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774), and humans (O'Corry-Crowe 2018).…”

Section: Predation Risk Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 64%

Summer distribution and habitat preference of beluga whale social groups in the Eastern Beaufort Sea

et al. 2023

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In social animals, group composition can cause variations in individual needs that can influence responses to habitat trade-offs, such as predator exposure or foraging opportunities. The Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) form different group types and cover multiple habitat types in summer. This study compares the habitat preference of three beluga social group types: 1) individual belugas, 2) groups of adults, and 3) groups at least one calf. Observations were collected during aerial surveys in July and August 2019. For each month, beluga distribution was analyzed with hierarchical generalized additive models, as a function of group type and four covariates: sea surface temperature, bathymetry, slope, and distance to the coastline. Group type, water temperature and bathymetric features best explained beluga distribution. In July, groups of adults preferred the continental shelf, whereas individual belugas and groups with calves preferred the continental slope. In August, groups of adults and groups with calves were found in Amundsen Gulf at similar depths. For both months, individual belugas associated more with deeper and colder areas. The preferences often corresponded to previously published distributions of the beluga’s main prey species, suggesting that foraging opportunities and size-related energy requirements strongly influence habitat use.

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Section: Predation Risk Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 64%

Summer distribution and habitat preference of beluga whale social groups in the Eastern Beaufort Sea

et al. 2023

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“…For instance, Moll et al ( 2016 ) reported that herd size in several African ungulate species depends on predator hunting mode and duration of predation risk. However, vigilance and herd size are not always directly related, as they also depend on other factors affecting individual risk such as reproductive status (Li et al, 2012 ), sex (Barnier et al, 2016 ; Benoist et al, 2013 ), offspring presence (Blanchard et al, 2017 ; Lashley et al, 2014 ), intraspecific competition (Biggerstaff et al, 2017 ; Fattorini et al, 2018 ), habitat features (Pays et al, 2012 ), cover and visibility (Iranzo et al, 2018 ; Pays et al, 2012 ), prey foraging strategy (Creel et al, 2014 ), and predator presence (Iranzo et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Ecology of fear” in ungulates: Opportunities for improving conservation

Chitwood

Baruzzi

Lashley

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Because ungulates are important contributors to ecosystem function, understanding the “ecology of fear” could be important to the conservation of ecosystems. Although studying ungulate ecology of fear is common, knowledge from ungulate systems is highly contested among ecologists. Here, we review the available literature on the ecology of fear in ungulates to generalize our current knowledge and how we can leverage it for conservation. Four general focus areas emerged from the 275 papers included in our literature search (and some papers were included in multiple categories): behavioral responses to predation risk (79%), physiological responses to predation risk (15%), trophic cascades resulting from ungulate responses to predation risk (20%), and manipulation of predation risk (1%). Of papers focused on behavior, 75% were about movement and habitat selection. Studies were biased toward North America (53%), tended to be focused on elk ( Cervus canadensis ; 29%), and were dominated by gray wolves (40%) or humans (39%) as predators of interest. Emerging literature suggests that we can utilize predation risk for conservation with top‐down (i.e., increasing predation risk) and bottom‐up (i.e., manipulating landscape characteristics to increase risk or risk perception) approaches. It is less clear whether fear‐related changes in physiology have population‐level fitness consequences or cascading effects, which could be fruitful avenues for future research. Conflicting evidence of trait‐mediated trophic cascades might be improved with better replication across systems and accounting for confounding effects of ungulate density. Improving our understanding of mechanisms modulating the nature of trophic cascades likely is most important to ensure desirable conservation outcomes. We recommend future work embrace the complexity of natural systems by attempting to link together the focal areas of study identified herein.

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“…This is consistent with results for mother‐calf pairs in other delphinids, including dusky (Markowitz, 2004) and Guiana ( Sotalia guianensis ) dolphins (Lunardi & Ferreira, 2014), as well as for groups with offspring in different mammalian taxa, e.g., common elands, Taurotragus oryx (Underwood, 1981) and blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus (Lewis & Pusey, 1997). This decreased interindividual proximity provides increased predator protection (Iranzo et al, 2018; Sucunza et al, 2015) and care for the calves (Markowitz, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus (Lewis & Pusey, 1997). This decreased interindividual proximity provides increased predator protection (Iranzo et al, 2018;Sucunza et al, 2015) and care for the calves (Markowitz, 2004).…”

Section: Proportion Of Calvesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the dynamics of common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) mother‐calf pairs along the south coast of Portugal using unmanned aerial vehicles

Castro,

Cid,

Quirin

et al. 2024

Marine Mammal Science

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Maternal grouping dynamics involve trade‐offs between: (1) infant protection from predation (predation hypothesis), (2) infant protection from male harassment (infant safety hypothesis), and (3) reducing scramble competition for prey resources (foraging‐type scramble competition hypothesis). Using unmanned aerial vehicles, we assessed grouping dynamics in common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) groups containing mother‐calf pairs to address these hypotheses. We analyzed social aspects and structural group elements using generalized additive mixed models and modeled group formation using multinomial generalized estimating equations. Calf proportion was higher in very compact groups and in groups of 10–20 individuals but decreased in larger groups. The frequency of socio‐sexual behaviors increased in larger groups and decreased in groups with higher calf proportion. Calf distance to its nearest neighbor decreased with increasing group size and cohesion. With a higher proportion of calves, scatter (versus parallel) formation was less frequent. A calf's nearest neighbor was most often (55.4%) a nonmother. Calves showed a preference for being in the front center of the group. These results offer strong support for the predation and infant safety hypotheses and partial support for the foraging‐type scramble competition hypothesis. This work provides insight into the adaptive function of maternal strategies in a small delphinid.

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Predator occurrence and perceived predation risk determine grouping behavior in guanaco (Lama guanicoe)

Cited by 13 publications

References 58 publications

Summer distribution and habitat preference of beluga whale social groups in the Eastern Beaufort Sea

Summer distribution and habitat preference of beluga whale social groups in the Eastern Beaufort Sea

“Ecology of fear” in ungulates: Opportunities for improving conservation

Assessing the dynamics of common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) mother‐calf pairs along the south coast of Portugal using unmanned aerial vehicles

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