Hot or hungry? A tipping point in the effect of prey depletion on African wild dogs

Creel, Scott; Becker, Matthew S.; Merkle, Johnathan; Goodheart, Ben

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110043

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Thus, variation among regions in prey density was a good predictor of survival, but variation in direct snaring was not. This result aligns with the prior finding that African wild dogs are directly snared at similar rates in the LVE (where their density is among the highest on record) and the Greater Kafue Ecosystem (where their density is among the lowest on record) (Creel et al., 2023b).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Therefore, the well-established pattern that African wild dogs fare best in areas with low densities of dominant competitors will no longer provide unambiguous guidance for conservation strategy (Creel et al, 2023b;Goodheart et al, 2021Goodheart et al, , 2022.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, as prey depletion due to heavy illegal offtake has become stronger, limiting effects on African wild dog density and dynamics have begun to emerge (Goodheart et al., 2021). Under the ecological conditions of the past, there was strong evidence that the benefits of competitive release outweighed the costs of resource limitation for African wild dogs (Creel & Creel, 1996, 2002): if this balance of costs and benefits is now being reversed by prey depletion, recognition of this change will be essential for their conservation (Creel et al., 2023a, 2023b; Goodheart et al., 2021). Range‐wide, African wild dogs now occupy areas that span a gradient of protection, all increasingly exposed to the effects of anthropogenic prey depletion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If the hypothesis is supported, then areas of low densities of dominant competitors and prey due to high levels of anthropogenic prey depletion will not be likely to support viable African wild dog populations. Therefore, the well‐established pattern that African wild dogs fare best in areas with low densities of dominant competitors will no longer provide unambiguous guidance for conservation strategy (Creel et al., 2023b; Goodheart et al., 2021, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long‐term data reveal fitness costs of anthropogenic prey depletion for a subordinate competitor, the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)

Reyes de Merkle,

Creel,

Becker

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Within carnivore guilds, dominant competitors (e.g., lions, Panthera leo) are limited primarily by the density of prey, while subordinate competitors (e.g., African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus) have been limited by the density of dominant competitors. Historically, the fitness and population density of subordinate competitors have not been tightly linked to prey density. However, populations of large herbivores have declined substantially across sub‐Saharan Africa due to human impacts, and where prey depletion is severe, fitness costs for competitive subordinates may begin to outweigh the benefits of competitive release. Using long‐term intensive monitoring of African wild dogs in Zambia's Luangwa Valley Ecosystem (LVE), we tested the effects of prey depletion on survival and reproduction. We hypothesized that African wild dog fitness would be lower in prey‐depleted areas, despite lower lion densities. Our study area included four contiguous regions that varied in protection level, prey density, and lion density. We fit Bayesian Cormack–Jolly–Seber and closed‐capture models to estimate effects on survival and population density, and generalized linear models to estimate effects on reproductive success. We found that the LVE is a stronghold for African wild dogs, with an estimated median density of 4.0 individuals/100 km2. Despite this high density, survival and reproduction differed among regions, and both components of fitness were substantially reduced in the region with the lowest prey density. Anthropogenic prey depletion is becoming an important limiting factor for African wild dogs. If prey depletion (or any other form of habitat degradation) becomes severe enough that its fitness costs outweigh the benefits of competitive release, such changes can fundamentally alter the balance between limiting factors for competitively subordinate species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%