Sampling design and analytical advances allow for simultaneous density estimation of seven sympatric carnivore species from camera trap data

Rich, Lindsey N.; Miller, David A. W.; Muñóz, David; Robinson, Hugh S.; McNutt, J. Weldon; Kelly, Marcella J.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2019.02.018

Cited by 50 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The dry season spanned the remainder of the year. Large carnivore densities within our study area were estimated as 1.90 (95% confidence intervals: 1.30-2.94) lions; 1.70 (0.78-4.53) male leopards; 2.40 (1.38-5.33) wild dogs; and 0.6 (no confidence intervals provided by study) cheetahs per 100 km 2 (Broekhuis, 2012;Rich et al, 2019Rich et al, ). et al, 2013.Collars also continuously recorded and binned into 30 s windows triaxial accelerometer data, with each window having two activity measurements recorded for the three axes.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 91%

Spatial and temporal overlaps between leopards (Panthera pardus) and their competitors in the African large predator guild

et al. 2020

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Understanding the mechanisms facilitating coexistence within species assemblages is a key consideration for conservation as intact assemblages are necessary for maintaining full ecosystem function. The African large predator guild represents one of the few remaining functionally intact large predator assemblages on Earth, and as such, represents a unique study system to understand competitive interactions. Yet, relatively little is known of the coexistence mechanisms between some of its intermediately sized members, particularly leopards (Panthera pardus). Here, we use overlapping spatio-temporal activity and GPS data on lions (Panthera leo), leopards, African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) and cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) to examine spatial interactions and temporal partitioning between leopards and other guild members in northern Botswana. We found that at the population level, male leopard space use and activity patterns were largely unaffected by intraguild competitors. Leopards showed minimal movement coherence with competitors (avoidance or attraction) when moving through areas of home ranges shared with intraguild species. Moreover, we found evidence to support the hypothesis that guild species' activity patterns are primarily driven by light availability rather than predator avoidance. Our results suggest predator avoidance has a limited impact on broad-scale leopard spatio-temporal niches, with aspects of the leopards' ecology and life history likely facilitating its ability to thrive in close proximity to competitors. Considered alongside other studies, our results suggest that landscape-level approaches to conservation may be suitable for aiding leopard conservation.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 91%

Spatial and temporal overlaps between leopards (Panthera pardus) and their competitors in the African large predator guild

et al. 2020

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“…For the latter two types of models we used additional information (such as telemetry data from some individuals) to improve the estimates. All these spatially explicit methods have been used to assess density for multiple species simultaneously (Jiménez et al, 2017;Rich et al, 2019) We implemented spatially-explicit models in a Bayesian framework (Royle et al, 2014) using R (R Core Team, 2018) and the package nimble (De Valpine et al, 2017;NIMBLE Development Team, 2017). For the Iberian lynx and feral cat Felis silvestris catus, all the individuals were identifiable, so we used spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models.…”

Section: Carnivore Abundance Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoring apex predators can reduce mesopredator abundances

Jímenez

Nuñez-Arjona

Mougeot

et al. 2019

Biological Conservation

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The role that apex predators play in ecosystem functioning, disease regulation and biodiversity maintenance is increasingly acknowledged. However, the positive impacts of their presence in terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in human-dominated landscapes, remain controversial. Limited experimental insights regarding the consequences of apex predator recoveries may be behind such controversy and may also impact on the social acceptability towards the recovery of these species. Using a quasi-experimental design and state-of-the-art density estimates, we show that the restoration of an apex predator caused a short term, local reduction of mesopredator abundances, with resonating positive impacts on lower trophic levels. Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus reintroduction reduced the abundance of mesocarnivores such as red foxes Vulpes vulpes and Egyptian mongooses Herpestes ichneumon by ca. 80% and contributed to the recovery of small game of high socioeconomic value (European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus and red-legged partridges Alectoris rufa). The observed mesopredator reduction resulted in an estimated 55.6% less rabbit consumption for the entire carnivore guild studied. Our findings have important implications for the social acceptability of Iberian lynx reintroductions, which crucially depend on the perception of private land owners and managers. Under certain circumstances, restoring apex predators may provide a sustainable and ethically acceptable way to reduce mesopredator abundances.

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“…Unbiased and precise estimates are best acquired through long‐term intensive studies that are often time‐consuming, expensive, and labor‐intensive (Beukes, Radloff, & Ferreira, ; Loveridge, Valeix, Davidson, Mtare, & Macdonald, ; Mweetwa et al, ). Long‐term studies allow the use of capture–mark–recapture (CMR) or spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) techniques, with individuals being identified by direct observation (Beukes et al, ; Elliot & Gopalaswamy, ; Loveridge, Valeix, Elliot, & Macdonald, ; Mweetwa et al, ) or camera trapping (Borah et al, ; Karanth, ; Kelly et al, ; Rich et al, ; Silver et al, ; Tarugara, Clegg, Gandiwa, & Muposhi, ). Genetic identification (Bellemain, Swenson, Tallmon, Brunberg, & Taberlet, ; Boersen et al, ; Kendall et al, ; Miotto, Cervini, Kajin, Begotti, & Galetti Jr, ; Solberg, Bellemain, Drageset, Taberlet, & Swenson, ; Spitzer, Norman, & Schneider, ) or a mix of these methods (Jiménez et al, ) can also be employed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the performance of index calibration survey methods to monitor populations of wide‐ranging low‐density carnivores

Dröge

Creel

Becker

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Apex carnivores are wide‐ranging, low‐density, hard to detect, and declining throughout most of their range, making population monitoring both critical and challenging. Rapid and inexpensive index calibration survey (ICS) methods have been developed to monitor large African carnivores. ICS methods assume constant detection probability and a predictable relationship between the index and the actual population of interest. The precision and utility of the resulting estimates from ICS methods have been questioned. We assessed the performance of one ICS method for large carnivores—track counts—with data from two long‐term studies of African lion populations. We conducted Monte Carlo simulation of intersections between transects (road segments) and lion movement paths (from GPS collar data) at varying survey intensities. Then, using the track count method we estimated population size and its confidence limits. We found that estimates either overstate precision or are too imprecise to be meaningful. Overstated precision stemmed from discarding the variance from population estimates when developing the method and from treating the conversion from tracks counts to population density as a back‐transformation, rather than applying the equation for the variance of a linear function. To effectively assess the status of species, the IUCN has set guidelines, and these should be integrated in survey designs. We propose reporting the half relative confidence interval width (HRCIW) as an easily calculable and interpretable measure of precision. We show that track counts do not adhere to IUCN criteria, and we argue that ICS methods for wide‐ranging low‐density species are unlikely to meet those criteria. Established, intensive methods lead to precise estimates, but some new approaches, like short, intensive, (spatial) capture–mark–recapture (CMR/SECR) studies, aided by camera trapping and/or genetic identification of individuals, hold promise. A handbook of best practices in monitoring populations of apex carnivores is strongly recommended.

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Sampling design and analytical advances allow for simultaneous density estimation of seven sympatric carnivore species from camera trap data

Cited by 50 publications

References 33 publications

Spatial and temporal overlaps between leopards (Panthera pardus) and their competitors in the African large predator guild

Spatial and temporal overlaps between leopards (Panthera pardus) and their competitors in the African large predator guild

Restoring apex predators can reduce mesopredator abundances

Assessing the performance of index calibration survey methods to monitor populations of wide‐ranging low‐density carnivores

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