Among habitat variation in prey availability and use by caracal Felis caracal

Avenant, Nico L.; Nel, J.A.J.

doi:10.1078/1616-5047-00002

Cited by 46 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This was consistent with observations made elsewhere (Schaller, 1967;Johnsingh, 1983;Stuart, 1983;McShane & Grettenberger, 1984;Palmer & Fairall, 1988;Mukherjee, 1989;Sultana & Jaeger, 1989;Weisbein & Mendelssohn, 1990;Avenant & Nel, 2002). Studies on jungle cats and golden jackal have shown rodents to occur in more than 60% of the scats analysed (Schaller, 1967(Schaller, , 1970Johnsingh, 1983;McShane & Grettenberger, 1984;Sultana & Jaeger, 1989).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

The importance of rodents in the diet of jungle cat (Felis chaus), caracal (Caracal caracal) and golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India

et al. 2004

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Many small carnivores include rodents in their diet. However, due to varying evolutionary strategies, carnivores differ in their metabolism and energy requirements. Hence, comparisons of diet between carnivores would be more meaningful if the body size and energetics of the predators are considered. The diet of three small carnivores (jungle cat Felis chaus; caracal Caracal caracal; golden jackal Canis aureus) from a semi‐arid part of western India was studied through scat analysis, and the importance of rodents in their diet was estimated as a percentage of their daily energy requirement. Although percentage frequency in scats and biomass consumption showed rodents to be equally important to all three carnivores, energy calculations showed that rodents were more important as prey for the felids than the jackal. Up to 70% of the daily metabolizable energy in felids was obtained from rodents, as compared to 45% in the jackal. Rodents are generally viewed as pests, and their importance to the small carnivore community is overlooked. Change in land use over the decades in the arid/semi‐arid tract of western India has led to several adverse as well as favourable modifications in rodent assemblages, which could influence the persistence of species like the caracal and jungle cat in this region, that largely depend on rodents for their survival.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

The importance of rodents in the diet of jungle cat (Felis chaus), caracal (Caracal caracal) and golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India

et al. 2004

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“…All three (jackal, genet and ratel), however, are expected to feed predominantly on invertebrates, including many insect and arachnid species, at least in some environmental conditions (Skinner and Smithers 1990;Loveridge and Macdonald 2003). By contrast, most other carnivores included in this study feed predominantly on vertebrates, either medium-to large-sized ungulates, murids and other small mammals, or birds (Pienaar 1969;Skinner and Smithers 1990;Avenant and Nel 2002;Mills and Funston 2003). Previously, Kelly (2000) proposed that trophic level differences in δ 15 N differ between invertebrate and vertebrate feeders, in that the herbivore-carnivore difference is larger amongst invertebrate feeders.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…The diets of mammalian carnivores are, however, extremely complex; the number and diversity of prey species killed and eaten are highly variable across space and time. As a result, documenting the diets of free-ranging carnivores by traditional methods such as field observations, fecal analysis, and summaries of known kills may be unreliable in the absence of long-term field excursions (Avenant and lifestyle of many carnivores, and the large areas their home ranges may cover, further constrain traditional methods (Bothma and Coertze 2004;Avenant and Nel 2002;Avenant 2006, personal communication). There is little doubt that further resolution of predator-prey interactions is needed to understand the effects on prey populations to build frameworks for effective adaptive management and conservation of African carnivores (see Mills and Funston 2003 for a review).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Stable isotope characterization of mammalian predator–prey relationships in a South African savanna

Codron

Lee‐Thorp

et al. 2006

Eur J Wildl Res

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This paper characterizes predator-prey interactions amongst African mammals from C 4 savanna environments using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope proxies for diet. Stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope data from hair and faeces of large African mammal carnivores, and herbivores as potential prey, are presented for a diverse range of taxa. Carbon-isotope data imply that most carnivores from the "lowveld" savanna of South Africa form part of C 4 grass-based food webs. Nitrogen isotope data show clear differences between trophic levels, although it appears that the magnitude of these differences varies between predators feeding on invertebrates and vertebrates, respectively. Whilst the number of carnivore samples for which data are available is relatively few, and data for prey are restricted mainly to large ungulate herbivores, results clearly demonstrate the potential for future applications of this technique to predator-prey food webs in African savannas. In tandem with traditional approaches, stable isotopes can help elucidate patterns of predator impacts on prey populations, domestic livestock, and resolving similar food webs in palaeoenvironmental contexts.

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“…3). Their predators on the site and elsewhere include falcons (including the peregrine, lanner and rock kestrel), barn owl, wood owl, baboons, genets, caracal, slender, banded and dwarf mongooses (Vernon 1972; Herholdt 1986; Avenant & Nel 2002; Skinner & Chimimba 2005). Activity patterns at opposite periods of the diel cycle confront the mice with different physiological challenges and predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Islands of fear: effects of wooded patches on habitat suitability of the striped mouse in a South African grassland

Baker¹,

Brown

2010

Functional Ecology

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Summary1. As a fundamental unit within a landscape, habitat patches create spatial heterogeneity. On a gradient of habitat patch size, one sees patches of denser vegetation cover occurring in otherwise open habitats (e.g. bushes in the desert, forest fragments in grasslands). 2. The resulting habitat fragmentation and consequent edge effects continue to concern conservation biologists, landscape ecologists, and wildlife managers due to their role in influencing wildlife abundance and distribution on broad geographic scales. 3. Although ecological processes near habitat edges often differ from processes away from edges, an animal's suitable habitat may increase or decrease by 'positive' or 'negative' edge effects. Such effects can be measured using behavioural indicators and experiments based on the costs and benefits of foraging under diminishing returns. 4. We used live trapping, giving-up densities [amount of food left behind in experimental food patches -giving-up density (GUD)] and geographic information system (GIS) analyses to test for spatial and temporal habitat selection by the four-striped grass mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) inhabiting a grassland containing distinct 'islands' of woody vegetation (500 m 2 of average area). We investigated how these woody islands influence the quality of the grassland in terms of activity patterns, feeding opportunities, predation risk and habitat suitability. We used R. pumilio's GUDs to explicitly map and measure habitats of varying quality using GIS. 5. Our results showed that R. pumilio perceived the wooded patches as habitats with no opportunities and yet highly risky when opportunities are provided. Furthermore, the wooded patches had a negative edge effect, their unsuitability extended for 1-3 m into the otherwise suitable habitats. 6. The combination of live-trapping and giving up densities provided an unbiased and controlled measure of a prey's perception of habitat use and foraging costs when equal opportunities are simultaneously provided. These techniques and concepts should be broadly applicable by conservationists and ecologists interested in understanding and managing edge effects. 7. This approach aims to effectively quantify edge effects and extrapolate predation risk on a landscape scale, thereby developing recommendations for managers to improve the quality or amount of edges for wildlife.

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Among habitat variation in prey availability and use by caracal Felis caracal

Cited by 46 publications

References 20 publications

The importance of rodents in the diet of jungle cat (Felis chaus), caracal (Caracal caracal) and golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India

The importance of rodents in the diet of jungle cat (Felis chaus), caracal (Caracal caracal) and golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India

Stable isotope characterization of mammalian predator–prey relationships in a South African savanna

Islands of fear: effects of wooded patches on habitat suitability of the striped mouse in a South African grassland

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