1.The puma Puma concolor is the fourth largest wild felid and the most widespread native terrestrial mammal of the Americas. We synthesised published literature documenting the biotic interactions of pumas, in order to: 1) advance our understanding of the ecological roles pumas play in natural systems, and 2) support strategic decision-making about conservation investments, public education, and whole-ecosystem conservation management. 2. We divided puma biotic interactions into five categories: 1) diet and prey regulation, 2) fear effects on prey (including trophic cascades), 3) effects via carrion production, 4) effects on other carnivores, and 5) ecosystem services.We reviewed 162 studies that met our search criteria, which described 543 ecological interactions between pumas and 485 other species. 3. Puma diet and prey regulation was the most common research topic. The geographic distribution of research was highly skewed towards the USA and Canada, and research in Tropical moist forests was underrepresented. We found a steep increase in the number of scientific publications exploring the biotic interactions associated with pumas over time, but publications that reported effect sizes or measured the strength of interactions did not increase as quickly. We noted numerous gaps in our knowledge of puma biotic interactions and found few well-controlled studies of prey fear effects, trophic cascades, or ecosystem services. 4. We conclude that pumas are influential ecological actors in natural systems and important brokers of energy and nutrients throughout ecosystems in the

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Predation risk affects prey species' behavior, even in the absence of a direct threat, but human‐induced environmental change may disturb ecologically significant predator–prey interactions. Here, we propose various ways in which knowledge of antipredator tactics, behavioral risk effects, and primate–predator interactions could assist in identifying human‐caused disruption to natural systems. Using behavior to evaluate primate responses to the ongoing environmental change should be a potentially effective way to make species conservation more predictive by identifying issues before a more dramatic population declines. A key challenge here is that studies of predation on primates often use data collected via direct observations of habituated animals and human presence can deter carnivores and influence subjects' perception of risk. Hence, we also review various indirect data collection methods to evaluate their effectiveness in identifying where environmental change threatens wild species, while also minimizing observer bias.

Detecting predators requires information, and many behavioral and environmental features are predicted to enhance or limit an animal's ability to learn about potential danger. Animals living in groups are thought to be at an advantage for learning about predator presence, but individual safety also depends on cues spreading from detectors to non-detectors as unsuspecting individuals may still be vulnerable. In this study we simulated predator presence among two groups of wild samango monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi) to mimic natural encounters where only some individuals within a primate social group have access to personal information about potential threats. We did this using visual models of natural predators placed in positions for the monkeys to encounter within the landscape for a limited amount of time. We measured the number of individuals that were observed to detect and respond to these models with antipredator reactions, relative to subgroup size. While initial detectors that were able to spot the model themselves always reacted with overt behaviors such as alarm calling or staring at the model, responses did not typically spread to all group members. The number of initial detectors was also only weakly associated with the number of individuals that responded at the end of a trial. Initial responses to leopards were much stronger and more likely to spread than those given in response to pythons or eagles and the importance of behaviors assumed to have an antipredator function depended on the type of predator the samangos encountered. Significance StatementEarly detection is critical for prey to survive an encounter with an ambush predator. Social prey have the advantage of being able to rely on cues from conspecifics, though individuals that do not detect a potential threat can still be susceptible to attack. Here we exposed wild samango monkeys to predator models to simulate predator presence to only part of a social group. Habitat visibility was a key predictor affecting collective detection, but the importance of other hypothesized factors-scanning and group spatial cohesion depended on the predator species. Overall, our results indicate that the social effectiveness of purported risk-sensitive strategies varies based on the type of threat encountered.

Meat-eating among non-human primates has been well documented but its prevalence among Afromontane baboons is understudied. In this study we report the predatory and meat-eating behaviours of a habituated group of gray-footed chacma baboons (Papio ursinus griseipes) living in an Afromontane environment in South Africa. We calculated a vertebrate-eating rate of 1 every 78.5 hours, increasing to 58.1 hours when unsuccessful predation attempts were included. A key food source was young antelopes, particularly bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), which were consumed once every 115 observation hours. Similar to other baboon research sites, predations seemed mostly opportunistic, adult males regularly scrounged and monopolised prey, there was no evidence they used an active kill bite, and active sharing was absent. This is the first baboon study to report predation of rock python (Python sebae) eggs and likely scavenging of a leopard (Panthera pardus) kill (bushbuck) cached in a tree. We also describe several scramble kleptoparasitism events, tolerating active defence from antelope parents, and the baboons inhibiting public information about predations. In the latter case, baboons with meat often hid beyond the periphery of the group, reducing the likelihood of scrounging by competitors. This often led to prey carcasses being discarded without being fully exploited and potentially providing resources to scavengers. We also highlight the absence of encounters with numerous species, suggesting the baboons are a key component of several species’ landscapes of fear. Given these findings it seems likely that their ecological role in the Soutpansberg has been undervalued, and such conclusions may also hold for other baboon populations.

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