Effects of free‐ranging livestock on occurrence and interspecific interactions of a mammalian community

Salvatori, Marco; Oberosler, Valentina; Augugliaro, Claudio; Krofel, Miha; Rovero, Francesco

doi:10.1002/eap.2644

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Therefore, because these locations may be less suitable for prey species, we chose to discard their records from the occupancy analysis. Conversely, activity may be considered relatively independent from the terrain used and, therefore, indications on activity rhythms may be inferred (e.g., Salvatori et al 2021 , 2022 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal behavior of predators and prey in an arid environment of Central Asia

et al. 2022

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The mechanisms of interactions between apex and smaller carnivores may range from competition to facilitation. Conversely, interactions between predators and prey are mainly driven by the prey reducing the likelihood of encounters with predators. In this study, we investigated (i) the spatio-temporal interactions between an apex (the snow leopard) and a meso-predator (the red fox), and (ii) the temporal interactions between the snow leopard and its potential prey (Siberian ibex, argali, Asian wild ass, Tolai hare) through camera-trapping in the Mongolian Great Gobi-A. The probability of occurrence for the red fox was higher in presence of the snow leopard than in its absence. Moreover, the red fox activity pattern matched that of the snow leopard, with both species mostly active at sunset. This positive spatio-temporal interaction suggests that the presence of the snow leopard may be beneficial for the red fox in terms of scavenging opportunities. However, other explanations may also be possible. Amongst prey, the Siberian ibex and the argali were mainly active during the day, whereas the Asian wild ass and the Tolai hare were more nocturnal. These findings suggest that potential prey (especially the Siberian ibex and the argali) may shape their behaviour to decrease the opportunity of encounters with the snow leopard. Our results have revealed complex interactions between apex and smaller predators and between apex predator and its potential prey.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal behavior of predators and prey in an arid environment of Central Asia

et al. 2022

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“…Occupancy of all species increased with the increase in distance from human settlement except for Yellow‐throated marten. The increase in occupancy of all species with the increase in distance from human settlement generally relates to the increase of anthropogenic disturbance as human settlements offer different threats to wildlife like poaching as well as guard dogs (Cavada et al, 2019 ; Salvatori et al, 2022 ; Schuette et al, 2013 ). The decrease in occupancy of species with proximity to the settlement due to the hunting and poaching pressure is rather common observation in case of ungulates (Soh et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing mammalian community occupancy in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal

Regmi

Belant

Pant

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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The decline in mammalian species diversity is increasing worldwide, with areas characterized by high human activities experiencing more prominent effects. Knowledge of spatial distributions of species and factors acting on them is necessary for effective management. We evaluated community‐level occupancy of mammal species in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (DHR), Nepal using remote cameras during 15 March–15 June 2022. We used mammal species detections from remote cameras and multispecies hierarchical occupancy modeling to assess the effects of environmental and anthropogenic variables on community‐level occupancy of detected mammal species. We identified a highly heterogeneous mammal species community at DHR with greatest detection probability (0.21) for red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and lowest (0.08) for blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur). Naïve occupancy ranged from 0.31 for giant‐flying squirrel (Petaurista magnificus) to 0.84 for red fox. Mammal community occupancy increased with increasing canopy cover and number of livestock detections, but overall occupancy declined close to human settlements. The findings of this study can be used for developing policy at DHR for the management of mammal species through reducing the potential increase of human settlements or livestock grazing.

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“…During 2020 surveys majority of the leopard faecal samples were obtained from the buffer regions of the park, which are not prime habitats in terms of prey abundances (Harihar et al, 2020). The southern buffer and Gohri range of ERTR (see Figure 1) supports lower prey densities (25.24 individuals/ km 2 ) than the core areas (39.23 individuals/ km 2 ) (Harihar et al 2020) and still hosts human settlements and livestock that exert heavy pressure on forest resources (Johnsingh et al, 1994; Harihar et al, 2014; Harihar et al, 2020) and affects the ungulates population density by hindering the forest resource availability to wild prey species (Rasal et al, 2022; Salvatori et al, 2022; Pozo et al, 2021). An alternate explanation behind such pattern could be leopard prey preferences for the medium to small bodied prey size class (Pokheral & Wegge 2019; Karanth & Sunquist 1995), but the natural experimental setup (presence of tiger in ERTR and not in WRTR) allowed us to confirm the effects of competition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cost of sympatry: spatio-temporal patterns in leopard dietary and physiological responses to tiger competition in Rajaji Tiger Reserve, India

Patel

Ruhela

Biswas

et al. 2022

Preprint

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1. Apex predators have critical roles in maintaining the structure of ecosystem functioning by controlling intraguild subordinate populations. Such dominant-subordinate interactions involve agonistic interactions including direct (death/displacement) or indirect (physiological and/or health implications) impacts on the subordinates. As these indirect effects are often mediated through physiological processes, it is important to quantify such responses for better understanding of population parameters. 2. We used a well-known sympatric large carnivore intraguild system involving tiger (Panthera tigris) and leopard (Panthera pardus) to understand the dietary and physiological responses under a spatio-temporal gradient of tiger competition pressures in Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR), a major source tiger population of the western Terai-Arc Landscape, India between 2015-2020. The park provided a natural experimental set-up for tiger competition with the eastern part (ERTR) having high tiger density and the western (WRTR) part with functionally no competition from tigers. 3. We conducted systematic faecal sampling in the winters of 2015 and 2020 from ERTR and WRTR to assess diet and physiological measures. Analyses of leopard-confirmed faeces suggest a dietary-niche separation as a consequence of tiger competition. In 2020, we found increased occurrence of large-bodied prey species without tiger competition in WRTR. Physiological measures followed the dietary responses where leopards with large-sized prey in diet showed higher fT3M and lower fGCM measures in WRTR. In contrast, ERTR leopards showed lower levels of fT3M as well as fGCM in 2020, possibly due to intense competition from tigers. Overall, these patterns strongly indicate a physiological cost of sympatry where competition with dominant tigers resulted in elevated nutritional stress. 4. The combination of the natural habitat providing unique experimental setup, spatio-temporal sampling strategy and multidisciplinary approaches provide critical conservation perspectives for leopards, particularly in the context of recent increase in tiger numbers across India. We recommend expansion of leopard monitoring and population estimation efforts to buffers, developing appropriate plans for human-leopard conflict mitigation and intensive efforts to understand leopard population dynamics patterns to ensure their persistence during the ongoing Anthropocene.

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Effects of free‐ranging livestock on occurrence and interspecific interactions of a mammalian community

Abstract: This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as

Cited by 12 publications

References 58 publications

Spatiotemporal behavior of predators and prey in an arid environment of Central Asia

Spatiotemporal behavior of predators and prey in an arid environment of Central Asia

Factors influencing mammalian community occupancy in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal

The cost of sympatry: spatio-temporal patterns in leopard dietary and physiological responses to tiger competition in Rajaji Tiger Reserve, India

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