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

Abstract

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.

Drivers of diurnal rest site selection by spotted hyaenas

“…Finally, with lions being their main competitor, and potentially dangerous for hyaenas through intraguild‐predation (Périquet, Fritz & Revilla, ), their presence is likely to affect hyaena spatial behaviour (see also du Preez et al ., for a similar effect in leopards, Panthera pardus ). Even though the two predators are not very active during the day, and hence the risk of encounter is low, resting near lions would increase the probability of encounter when both predators start moving again in the late afternoon.…”

“…Our results suggest that the short‐term rather than the long‐term risk of encountering a lion affected hyaena rest site selection. This reactive rather than predictive response to lion presence has also been highlighted by Périquet (), suggesting that interactions between hyaenas and lions are complex and dynamic. A similar observation was made on the reaction from cheetahs and leopards to lions (Broekhuis et al ., ; du Preez, ).…”

A new Automated Behavioural Response system to integrate playback experiments into camera trap studies

“…) and wildlife ecology (interactions among large carnivores; Allen et al . ; Périquet, Fritz & Revilla ) it would otherwise have been infeasible to address without the use of our new ABR (Pimm et al . ).…”

Eavesdropping in solitary large carnivores: Black bears advance and vocalize toward cougar playbacks

“…Cues of the immediate presence of a competitor may signal not only risk, but also the presence of resources, and competitors may in some instances react by approaching these cues. For instance, both lions ( Panthera leo ) and spotted hyenas ( Crocuta crocuta ) obtain a substantial portion of their diet in some areas by scavenging and/or kleptoparasitizing the other's kills, and both species often approach cues indicative of the other's presence (Watts, Blankenship, Dawes, & Holekamp, ; Webster et al., ), despite the fact that aggressive interactions between these species often result in injury or death (Périquet et al., ).…”

“…“Eavesdropping” (i.e., exploiting signals intended for other individuals; Hughes, Kelley, & Banks, ; Magrath, Haff, Fallow, & Radford, ) on competitor vocalizations may therefore play a substantial role in mediating competition among sympatric large carnivores. Playback experiments indicate that eavesdropping on heterospecific competitor vocalizations is common among group‐living African large carnivores (Durant, ; Watts et al., ; Webster et al., ), and the attraction of unwanted attention from scavengers may contribute substantially to competition between highly social species such as lions and hyenas (Périquet et al., ; Watts et al., ). Subordinate large carnivore species, including African wild dogs ( Lycaon pictus ) and cheetahs ( Acinonyx jubatus ), also recognize lion and hyena vocalizations, and respond by avoiding these dominant competitors, which are a substantial source of mortality for both cheetahs and wild dogs (Durant, ; Webster, McNutt, & McComb, ).…”