Environmental factors regulate occupancy of free-ranging dogs on a sub-Antarctic island, Chile

Contardo, Juan; Grimm‐Seyfarth, Annegret; Cattan, Pedro E.; Schüttler, Elke

doi:10.1007/s10530-020-02394-3

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…In consistency with our predictions, the dog's occupancy probability given snow leopard and wolf presence, and occupancy probability of snow leopard given wolf presence were found to be negatively associated with an increase in distance to road and NDVI as top model covariates. Dogs are largely associated with humans in a wide variety of habitats (Contardo et al, 2021 ; Home et al, 2017 , 2018 ). A previous study conducted in the upper Spiti landscape has shown the density of free‐ranging dogs to be positively related to village size and garbage availability (Ghoshal et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We modeled variation in occupancy using five covariates considering previous studies (Contardo et al, 2021 ; Ghoshal et al, 2019 ; Murdoch et al, 2016 ; Rehman et al, 2021 ) (Table S1 ). We hypothesized that the distribution of predators would be influenced by habitat including natural and anthropogenic factors and available prey resources.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding carnivore interactions in a cold arid trans‐Himalayan landscape: What drives co‐existence patterns within predator guild along varying resource gradients?

Justa

Lyngdoh

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Predators compete for resources aggressively, forming trophic hierarchies that shape the structure of an ecosystem. Competitive interactions between species are modified in the human‐altered environment and become particularly important where an introduced predator can have negative effects on native predator and prey species. The trans‐Himalayan region of northern India has seen significant development in tourism and associated infrastructure over the last two decades, resulting in many changes to the natural setting of the landscape. While tourism, combined with unmanaged garbage can facilitate red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), it also allows free‐ranging dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris ), an introduced mesopredator to thrive, possibly more than the native red fox. We look at the little‐known competitive dynamics of these two meso‐carnivores, as well as their intra‐guild interactions with the region's top carnivores, the snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ) and the Himalayan wolf ( Canis lupus chanco ). To study interactions between these four carnivores, we performed multispecies occupancy modeling and analyzed spatiotemporal interactions between these predators using camera trap data. We also collected scat samples to calculate dietary niche overlaps and determine the extent of competition for food resources between these carnivores. The study found that, after controlling for habitat and prey covariates, red fox site use was related positively to snow leopard site use, but negatively to dog and wolf site use. In addition, site use of the dog was associated negatively with top predators, that is, snow leopard and Himalayan wolf, while top predators themselves related negatively in their site use. As anthropogenic impacts increase, we find that these predators coexist in this resource‐scarce landscape through dietary or spatiotemporal segregation, implying competition for limited resources. Our research adds to the scant ecological knowledge of the predators in the region and improves our understanding of community dynamics in human‐altered ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding carnivore interactions in a cold arid trans‐Himalayan landscape: What drives co‐existence patterns within predator guild along varying resource gradients?

Justa

Lyngdoh

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Even when the carnivore assemblage appeared to be more resistant than the herbivore assemblage, at the local scale all four carnivores recorded in our study are considered of conservation concern (Torres and Tamburini 2018). In the light of the penetration of introduced dogs into the remaining forests, we recommend the implementation of responsible pet ownership regulations, as well as ethically approved control actions for feral dogs (e.g., Contardo et al 2021). Dogs are known to prey upon all the native species recorded in our study (Zamora-Nasca et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Setting large- and medium-sized mammal restoration goals in a last mountain Chaco remnant from central Argentina

et al. 2023

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Background Setting large- and medium-sized wild mammal (≥ 2 kg) restoration goals is important due to their role as ecosystem engineers and generalized numeric reductions. However, determining wild mammal restoration goals is very challenging due to difficulties in obtaining data on current mammal density and due to unclear information on what mammal density values should be used as a reference. Here we chose a 154 ha conservation area within one of the last remnants of the mountainous Chaco from central Argentina. We suspected that extensive and unreported defaunation had occurred due to past human pressure and the introduction of non-native mammals. To conduct the analyses, we used a simplified technique that integrates methods used in rangeland and ecological sciences. Results Eight native mammal species including only one herbivore species, and four non-native mammal species including three herbivore species were detected during 6113 camera trap days. We used known cattle densities as estimated by droppings and direct counts, together with the relative abundance indexes obtained from camera trap photos to calculate the densities of the other species, correcting for mammal size. Densities for the least and most abundant native species were 0.2 and 1.33 individuals km−2, respectively; and for non-native species, 0.03 and 5.00 individuals km−2, respectively. Native and non-native species represented 0.8% and 99.2%, respectively, of the biomass estimates. Reference values for native herbivore biomass, as estimated from net primary productivity, were 68 times higher than values estimated for the study area (3179 vs. 46.5 kg km−2). Conclusions There is an urgent need to increase native mammals, with special emphasis on herbivore biomass and richness, while non-native mammal numbers must be reduced. As cattle are widespread in large portions of the globe and there is a lot of experience estimating their abundances, the ratio method we used extrapolating from cattle to other large- and medium-sized mammals could facilitate estimating mammal restoration goals in other small and defaunated areas, where traditional methods are not feasible when target mammal densities get very low.

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“…In our study, tourists were followed on average by 1.4 dogs, observed dogs in groups of 2.6 animals, and were photographed on trails together with 1.3 dogs. Free-ranging dogs often occur in groups of up to four individuals (in Chile [ 51 ], China [ 52 ], North America [ 53 ], Zimbabwe [ 54 ]), which allows them to perform pack hunting, targeting even large mammals (e.g., [ 55 ]). Among the factors determining the propensity of group formation in free-ranging dogs is the presence of garbage sites [ 56 ], but more studies are needed, e.g., examining whether dogs of the same household or more social dogs roam in groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Tourists Facilitators of the Movement of Free-Ranging Dogs?

Schüttler

Jiménez

2022

Animals

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Dogs are the most abundant carnivores on earth and, as such, negatively impact wildlife. Free-ranging dogs roam in many protected areas, which in turn are often tourist destinations. Whether tourists influence their roaming is largely unexplored but highly relevant to wildlife conservation. To address this question, we obtained (i) 81 completed questionnaires from tourists on their experience with free-ranging dogs in the remote Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, Chile, and (ii) photographs of three camera-traps placed next to trekking trails (n = 87 trap days). A third of the participants were followed by dogs for up to four days, and 39% saw free-ranging dogs on their hikes, but neither feeding dogs nor fear of them had any influence on whether tourists were followed by dogs. Camera-traps yielded 53 independent dog sequences, recorded 32 individuals plus 14 unidentified dogs, of which only one was leashed, with a frequency of one dog every 28th person. In 17% of 53 sequences, dogs were photographed together with hikers carrying large backpacks for several-day trips. We conclude that tourists are facilitators for the movement of dogs and highlight the importance of the engagement of the tourism sector in wildlife conservation in and close to protected areas.

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Environmental factors regulate occupancy of free-ranging dogs on a sub-Antarctic island, Chile

Cited by 7 publications

References 60 publications

Understanding carnivore interactions in a cold arid trans‐Himalayan landscape: What drives co‐existence patterns within predator guild along varying resource gradients?

Understanding carnivore interactions in a cold arid trans‐Himalayan landscape: What drives co‐existence patterns within predator guild along varying resource gradients?

Setting large- and medium-sized mammal restoration goals in a last mountain Chaco remnant from central Argentina

Are Tourists Facilitators of the Movement of Free-Ranging Dogs?

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