Living in the concrete jungle: carnivore spatial ecology in urban parks

Abstract

People and wildlife are living in an increasingly urban world, replete with unprecedented human densities, sprawling built environments, and altered landscapes. Such anthropogenic pressures can affect multiple processes within an ecological community, from spatial patterns to interspecific interactions. We tested two competing hypotheses, human shields vs. human competitors, to characterize how humans affect the carnivore community using multispecies occupancy models. From 2017 to 2020, we conducted the first camera survey of city parks in Detroit, Michigan, and collected spatial occurrence data of the local native carnivore community. Our 12,106–trap night survey captured detection data for coyotes (Canis latrans), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis). Overall occupancy varied across species (Ψcoyote = 0.40, Ψraccoon = 0.54, Ψred fox = 0.19, Ψstriped skunk = 0.09). Contrary to expectations, humans did not significantly affect individual occupancy for these urban carnivores. However, co‐occurrence between coyote and skunk increased with human activity. The observed positive spatial association between an apex and subordinate pair supports the human shield hypothesis. Our findings demonstrate how urban carnivores can exploit spatial refugia and coexist with humans in the cityscape.

Scavengingvshunting affects behavioral traits of an opportunistic carnivore

“…Many predators successfully adapt to shifts in resource availability ( Bateman & Fleming, 2012 ; Gámez & Harris, 2021 ). However, certain individuals in a population likely succeed in this adaptation, while others do not ( Schell et al, 2021 ).…”

“…However, human influence also alters resource availability in non-urban ecosystems through livestock production, rural landfills, and spillage of food during transportation ( Ciucci et al, 2020 ; Mourier, Claudet & Planes, 2020 ). These shifts in resource availability may influence predator resource use and ecological interactions ( Beckmann & Berger, 2003 ; Ciucci et al, 2020 ; Gámez & Harris, 2021 ).…”

Influence of human development and predators on patterns of Virginia opossum occupancy, abundance, and activity

“…Mesopredator responses to human development are often complicated and can lead to interesting patterns of occupancy and behavior. Larger‐bodied mesopredators that outcompete or depredate smaller mesopredators are often referred to as dominant over the smaller‐bodied subordinate species (Gámez & Harris, 2021; Moll et al., 2018). Many dominant mesopredators are less likely to occur in developed areas due to harassment by humans (e.g.…”

“…Ordeñana et al., 2010). In such cases, subordinate urban mesopredators may benefit through a reduction in predation risk from their natural predators, a phenomenon referred to as the Human Shield Hypothesis (HSH; Gámez & Harris, 2021; Moll et al., 2018). The human shield effect can be spatial if dominant predators avoid urban areas and structures, or it can be a more complicated spatio‐temporal effect whereby dominant and subordinate species use the same areas but at different times (Moll et al., 2018; Vanak et al., 2013).…”

Responsibility, equity, justice, and inclusion in dynamic human–wildlife interactions

“…In addition, wildlife provide recreational opportunities, serve as food or furnish other resources, and generate revenues that contribute to local and national economies (Mace et al 2012). Reciprocal benefits also exist, as humans buffer or shield against competitive pressures from more dominant sympatric species to promote species coexistence (eg Gámez and Harris 2021). However, the pervasiveness of negative outcomes from HWIs is undeniable, often occurring when wildlife injure or exploit shared human resources (eg domestic animals, fisheries), damage crops, or endanger human lives through direct mortality or public health pathways (Figure 1) (König et al 2020;Gulati et al 2021).…”