Reassembly of the Large Predator Guild into Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park

Somers, Michael J.; Becker, Penny A.; Druce, Dave J.; Graf, Jan A.; Gunther, Micaela Szykman; Marneweck, David G.; Trinkel, Martina; Moleón, Marcos; Hayward, Matt W.

doi:10.1017/9781139382793.017

Cited by 17 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…We deemed Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) and Kruger National Park (KNP) as 'high risk' because of the presence of lions. Both sites have an intact large predator guild, which consists of similar densities of lion (HiP:13 lions/ 100 km 2 [26] and KNP: 8 lions/100 km 2 [27]) as well as secondary predators that include leopard (Panthera pardus), African wild dog (Lycon pictus), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)-all of which also can prey on zebra, although they are not a preferred prey item [28][29][30][31]. Ithala Game Reserve and the Cape Vidal section of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park were considered to be 'low risk' because they lacked lions altogether, although they do have populations of both leopard and spotted hyena.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mixed-species herding levels the landscape of fear

et al. 2020

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Prey anti-predator behaviours are influenced by perceived predation risk in a landscape and social information gleaned from herd mates regarding predation risk. It is well documented that high-quality social information about risk can come from heterospecific herd mates. Here, we integrate social information with the landscape of fear to quantify how these landscapes are modified by mixed-species herding. To do this, we investigated zebra vigilance in single-and mixed-species herds across different levels of predation risk (lion versus no lion), and assessed how they manage herd size and the competition-information trade-off associated with grouping behaviour. Overall, zebra performed higher vigilance in high-risk areas. However, mixedspecies herding reduced vigilance levels. We estimate that zebra in singlespecies herds would have to feed for approximately 35 min more per day in low-risk areas and approximately 51 min more in high-risk areas to compensate for the cost of higher vigilance. Furthermore, zebra benefitted from the competition-information trade-off by increasing the number of heterospecifics while keeping the number of zebra in a herd constant. Ultimately, we show that mixed-species herding reduces the effects of predation risk, whereby zebra in mixed-species herds, under high predation risk, perform similar levels of vigilance compared with zebra in low-risk scenarios.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mixed-species herding levels the landscape of fear

et al. 2020

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“…HiP, a 900‐km 2 state‐owned reserve, varies from semi‐deciduous forests in the north to open savannah woodlands in the south (Trinkel et al., 2008). Historically, cheetahs were regionally extirpated in the 1940s, due to persecution but were re‐introduced to HiP in 1966 (Somers et al., 2017) and Phinda in 1992 (Hunter, 1998). At the start of this study, Phinda had a cheetah population comprised of 27 individuals (C. Sholto‐Douglas, personal communication, June 2017), while HiP had five, all located in the southern iMfolozi region (D. Druce, personal communication, July 2016).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cheetah behaviour at scent‐marking sites indicates differential use by sex and social rank

Cornhill

Kerley

2020

Ethology

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Scent‐marking is an important form of communication for solitary species, as the information remains for the receiver after the sender has left the area. Individuals of different demographic or dominance classes (ranks) need to provide different information to conspecifics. Therefore, the use of scent‐marking sites is of particular value for solitary species, but their functional role may vary between demographic classes. Using camera traps, we video‐recorded the behaviour of cheetahs at scent‐marking sites, assessing how individuals of different sex and social rank use the sites for different roles. We tested hypotheses that these sites are for territorial marking, reproductive signalling and information gathering. We found that females visit the sites infrequently, apparently to signal oestrous events, while males visit the sites frequently for territorial marking and information gathering. Among males, dominant individuals scent‐marked the most and reacted to female visitation by vocalizing. In contrast, subordinate males, although also visiting the sites, were not recorded scent‐marking nor vocalizing. These differences in the functional use of scent‐marking sites among sex and social rank support the hypotheses that cheetahs use these scent‐marking sites for both territorial and reproductive signalling, as well as to gather information.

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“…Recently, faunal restoration programs in HiP have successfully restored the predator and megaherbivore guilds. Lion (Panthera leo) numbers doubled in the past two decades (from approximately 60 to 120 animals) and wild dog (Lycaon pictus) numbers increased approximately three fold since 2002 (from approximately 20 to 70 individuals) [28]. Elephant and giraffe were (re)introduced in the early 1980s and mid-1950s, respectively and their populations have grown dramatically to a current density of 0.7 elephants/km 2 [29] and approximately 0.5 giraffes/km 2 [30].…”

Section: Star+methods Key Resources Table Contact For Reagent and Resmentioning

confidence: 99%

Megaherbivores Modify Trophic Cascades Triggered by Fear of Predation in an African Savanna Ecosystem

2018

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The loss of apex consumers (large mammals at the top of their food chain) is a major driver of global change [1]. Yet, research on the two main apex consumer guilds, large carnivores [2] and megaherbivores [3], has developed independently, overlooking any potential interactions. Large carnivores provoke behavioral responses in prey [1, 4], driving prey to distribute themselves within a "landscape of fear" [5] and intensify their impacts on lower trophic levels in low-risk areas [6], where they may concentrate nutrients through localized dung deposition [7, 8]. We suggest, however, that megaherbivores modify carnivore-induced trophic cascades. Megaherbivores (>1,000 kg [9]) are largely invulnerable to predation and should respond less to the landscape of fear, thereby counteracting the effects of fear-triggered trophic cascades. By experimentally clearing plots to increase visibility and reduce predation risk, we tested the collective role of both apex consumer guilds in influencing nutrient dynamics in African savanna. We evaluated whether megaherbivores could counteract a behaviorally mediated trophic cascade by redistributing nutrients that accumulate through fear-driven prey aggregations. Our experiment showed that mesoherbivores concentrated fecal nutrients in more open habitat, but that megaherbivores moved nutrients against this fear-driven nutrient accumulation by feeding within the open habitat, yet defecating more evenly across the risk gradient. This work adds to the growing recognition of functional losses that are likely to have accompanied megafaunal extinctions by contributing empirical evidence from one of the last systems with a functionally complete megaherbivore assemblage. Our results suggest that carnivore-induced trophic cascades work differently in a world of giants.

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Reassembly of the Large Predator Guild into Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park

Cited by 17 publications

References 50 publications

Mixed-species herding levels the landscape of fear

Mixed-species herding levels the landscape of fear

Cheetah behaviour at scent‐marking sites indicates differential use by sex and social rank

Megaherbivores Modify Trophic Cascades Triggered by Fear of Predation in an African Savanna Ecosystem

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