Do Carnivores Have a World Wide Web of Interspecific Scent Signals?

Apps, P.J.; Rafiq, Kasim; McNutt, J. Weldon

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-17616-7_14

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…These responses support the results of trials by Garvey et al [32,35] and field trials reported by Harrington et al [71] which indicated that, although they may be most responsive to their own odour [72], mustelid species are attracted to each other's odours. This is consistent with the current view that carnivores use interspecific scent communication [73].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Body Odours as Lures for Stoats Mustela erminea: Captive and Field Trials

Murphy

Sjoberg

Agnew

et al. 2022

Animals

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Eradication and control methods to limit damage caused to native biota in New Zealand by the stoat (Mustela erminea) rely on effective lures for trapping and detection devices, such as cameras. Long-life semiochemical lures have the potential for targeting stoats in situations where food-based lures are of limited success. The attractiveness of body odours of captive stoats was tested in a series of captive animal and extensive field trials to investigate their potential as trapping and monitoring lures. Stoats approached and spent significantly more time sniffing stoat urine and scats and bedding from oestrous female stoats than a non-treatment control. The bedding odours were attractive in both the breeding and the non-breeding season. Stoats also spent significantly more time sniffing oestrous stoat bedding than female ferret bedding, but the ferret odour also produced a significant response by stoats. In the field trials, there were no significant differences between the number of stoats caught with food lures (long-life rabbit or hen eggs) compared with oestrous female or male stoat bedding lures. These results indicate the potential of both stoat bedding odour and the scent of another mustelid species as stoat trapping lures that likely act as a general odour attractant rather than a specific chemical signal of oestrus.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Body Odours as Lures for Stoats Mustela erminea: Captive and Field Trials

Murphy

Sjoberg

Agnew

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…We recommend further research to better understand behavioural responses of predators to marking by other species in the carnivore guild, as well as the influences of environmental conditions, and intra-and interpopulation variability. Scentmarking sites play important roles in the functioning of carnivore communities (Apps et al, 2019); hence, we highlight the importance to protect and restore prominent natural features across semi-arid savannah ecosystems (Marker-Kraus et al, 1996;Walker et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, olfactory cues of cheetahs may be non-detectable for their predators (Burger et al, 2006). Investigating the occurrence of countermarking between cheetahs and dominant predators would provide further insights on the direction of information flow at the guild level (Apps et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most important functions of marking target conspecifics include advertising dominance when establishing territories, and displaying reproductive status during mating seasons (Bothma & Coertze, 2004;Eaton, 1970;Sunquist & Sunquist, 2002). Scent-marking sites are also used to gain information on sympatric competitors, predators and prey (Apfelbach et al, 2005;Apps et al, 2019;Bytheway et al, 2013;Li et al, 2013;Parsons et al, 2018). Some species may even visit marking sites for scent acquisition, possibly to deter other predators (Allen et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Carnivore guilds in Africa are among the most diverse in the world, with limited extinctions and relatively few threatened species compared with other continental carnivore guilds (Dalerum et al, 2009). Of the 39 carnivore species in South Africa, at least 24 are involved in some type of interspecific scent-marking (Apps et al, 2019). The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a subordinate species within the African large carnivore guild and is constrained to minimise interactions with dominant predators through fine-scale avoidance behaviours (Broekhuis et al, 2013;Durant, 1998Durant, , 2000Swanson et al, 2016;Vanak et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatiotemporal sharing and partitioning of scent‐marking sites by cheetahs and leopards in north‐central Namibia

et al. 2021

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Scent‐marking sites may facilitate interspecific information gathering and could help to minimise the risk of encounter with interspecific competitors. Recent evidence from South Africa shows that cheetahs avoid dominant predators at scent‐marking sites, which may delay or inhibit intraspecific communication in cheetahs. However, little is known on whether this pattern of avoidance occurs elsewhere in the cheetah's range. We analysed a 9‐year camera trap data set from north‐central Namibia to explore interspecific use of marking sites by cheetahs and leopards. We documented frequent sharing of marking sites, which was likely facilitated through temporal segregation and by availability of alternative sites that were species‐specific. We did not identify a stronger avoidance response of cheetahs to leopards than to conspecifics, suggesting that delayed communication by cheetahs resulting from predator avoidance may be limited in our study area. Seasonality affected patterns of marking site visitation, which may be attributed to behavioural changes in relation to reproduction or resource availability, or to differential detectability of olfactory cues among seasons. We recommend further research to better understand carnivore scent‐marking, including behavioural responses to olfactory cues and environmental conditions, as well as intra‐ and interpopulation differences.

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The Function of Carnivore Latrines

Buesching

Jordan

2022

Small Carnivores

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Do Carnivores Have a World Wide Web of Interspecific Scent Signals?

Cited by 13 publications

References 63 publications

Body Odours as Lures for Stoats Mustela erminea: Captive and Field Trials

Body Odours as Lures for Stoats Mustela erminea: Captive and Field Trials

Spatiotemporal sharing and partitioning of scent‐marking sites by cheetahs and leopards in north‐central Namibia

The Function of Carnivore Latrines

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