Animals feel safer from humans in the dark

Benítez‐López, Ana

doi:10.1126/science.aau1311

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…At disturbed latrines, the frequency of daytime visits and defecation events was depressed even further. This is similar to observations in other carnivore species that have adapted to a synanthropic lifestyle (e.g., red foxes, coyotes, raccoons, European badgers; Sálek et al ), often by changing their activity patterns to become predominantly, or even exclusively, nocturnal (McIntyre , Benítez‐López , Gaynor et al ). Other studies (Zhou et al ) reported that a wide variety of other carnivore species (e.g., yellow‐throated martens [ Martes flavigula ], masked palm civets) were deterred from defecating close to areas of heightened human activity, and thus changed their temporal and spatial latrine‐use pattern.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…We hypothesized that if raccoon dogs perceive human activity as a predation risk (Clinchy et al ), they may alter or modify their behavior in accord with the risk‐disturbance hypothesis (Frid and Dill ), shifting activity patterns towards nocturnal latrine use (Benítez‐López , Gaynor et al ). Thus, we predicted that level of human disturbance would affect timing of latrine visits and defecation events, but that overall latrine‐use frequency would not be affected by disturbance, and that raccoon dogs would continue to use disturbed latrines because olfactory information exchanged at latrines is crucial in this species to maintain stable socio‐spatial networks.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Human disturbance affects latrine‐use patterns of raccoon dogs

et al. 2018

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Although urbanization is a leading threat to wildlife conservation, some species have adapted to a synanthropic lifestyle. We used a population of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in the Akasaka Imperial Grounds in central Tokyo, Japan to investigate how latrine‐using carnivores can maintain their socio‐spatial organization with human disturbance. Between 2012 and 2014, we selected 4–11 latrines per year (from a max. of 18 latrines recorded in the area) using 1 camera per latrine. We focused on latrines that included varying levels of human disturbance. We analyzed the temporal patterns of 3,257 latrine visits, of which 878 included defecation events. Overall, latrine use (i.e., visits with and without defecation events) increased as winter approached, coinciding with dispersal, and showed a seasonal shift from diurnal to nocturnal use patterns as days got shorter. Generalized linear mixed model results confirmed that temporal visiting and defecation patterns were affected by human disturbance and shifted from diurnal to nocturnal, although overall frequency of visits and defecation events did not decrease at disturbed latrines and raccoon dogs continued to use disturbed latrine sites. Raccoon dogs likely perceive human disturbance as predation risk and avoided this by shifting their temporal, but not spatial, activity pattern to minimize disturbance. Minimizing the amount of disturbance around raccoon‐dog latrines at sensitive sites and times of day would allow them to co‐exist with people with the minimal compromise to their latrine‐centered socio‐spatial organization. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

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confidence: 99%

Human disturbance affects latrine‐use patterns of raccoon dogs

et al. 2018

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“…Top‐down, bottom‐up and physical environment effects of human activities may also alter ecosystem dynamics through shifts in the timing and distribution of animal activities, such as increasing nocturnality (Benítez‐López 2018; Gaynor et al . 2018) and avoidance of or attraction to developed areas (Leblond et al .…”

Section: Linking Human‐induced Behaviour Change To Ecological Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological impacts of human‐induced animal behaviour change

et al. 2020

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A growing body of literature has documented myriad effects of human activities on animal behaviour, yet the ultimate ecological consequences of these behavioural shifts remain largely uninvestigated. While it is understood that, in the absence of humans, variation in animal behaviour can have cascading effects on species interactions, community structure and ecosystem function, we know little about whether the type or magnitude of human-induced behavioural shifts translate into detectable ecological change. Here we synthesise empirical literature and theory to create a novel framework for examining the range of behaviourally mediated pathways through which human activities may affect different ecosystem functions. We highlight the few empirical studies that show the potential realisation of some of these pathways, but also identify numerous factors that can dampen or prevent ultimate ecosystem consequences. Without a deeper understanding of these pathways, we risk wasting valuable resources on mitigating behavioural effects with little ecological relevance, or conversely mismanaging situations in which behavioural effects do drive ecosystem change. The framework presented here can be used to anticipate the nature and likelihood of ecological outcomes and prioritise management among widespread human-induced behavioural shifts, while also suggesting key priorities for future research linking humans, animal behaviour and ecology.

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“…As diurnal “super predators”, humans dominate 75% of Earth’s land surface and are driving increases in nocturnal activity in medium- and large-bodied mammals (Benítez-López, 2018). A recent meta-analysis of 76 studies of 62 mammalian species on six continents (Gaynor et al., 2018) revealed a strong effect of human presence on the temporal activity of wildlife, with an average 36% increase in nocturnal activity in response to human disturbance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Moonlight Increase Predation Risk for Elusive Mammals in Costa Rica?

Botts

Eppert

Wiegman

et al. 2020

Tropical Conservation Science

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An increasing body of evidence indicates that moonlight influences the nocturnal activity patterns of tropical mammals, both predators and prey. One explanation is that brighter moonlight is associated with increased risk of predation (Predation Risk hypothesis), but it has also been proposed that nocturnal activity may be influenced by the sensory ecology of a species, with species that rely on visual detection of food and danger predicted to increase their activity during bright moonlight, while species relying on non-visual senses should decrease activity (Visual Acuity hypothesis). Lack of an objective measure of “visual acuity” has made this second hypothesis difficult to test, therefore we employed a novel approach to better understand the role of lunar illumination in driving activity patterns by using the tapetum lucidum as a proxy for “night vision” acuity. To test the alternative predictions, we analyzed a large dataset from our long-term camera trap study in Costa Rica using activity overlap, relative abundance, and circular statistical techniques. Mixed models explored the influence of illumination factors (moonrise/set, cloud cover, season) and night vision acuity (tapetum type) on nocturnal and lunar phase-related activity patterns. Our results support the underlying assumptions of the predation risk and visual acuity models, but indicate that neither can fully predict lunar-related activity patterns. With diurnal human “super predators” forcing a global increase in activity during the night by mammals, our findings can contribute to a better understanding of nocturnal activity patterns and the development of conservation approaches to mitigate forced temporal niche shifts.

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Animals feel safer from humans in the dark

Abstract: Mammals shift their activities to twilight and night hours in response to human disturbance

Cited by 19 publications

References 14 publications

Human disturbance affects latrine‐use patterns of raccoon dogs

Human disturbance affects latrine‐use patterns of raccoon dogs

Ecological impacts of human‐induced animal behaviour change

Does Moonlight Increase Predation Risk for Elusive Mammals in Costa Rica?

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