Asynchronous food-web pathways could buffer the response of Serengeti predators to El Niño southern oscillation

Understanding how entire ecosystems maintain stability in the face of climatic and human disturbance is one of the most fundamental challenges in ecology. Theory suggests that a crucial factor determining the degree of ecosystem stability is simply the degree of synchrony with which different species in ecological food webs respond to environmental stochasticity. Ecosystems in which all food-web pathways are affected similarly by external disturbance should amplify variability in top carnivore abundance over time due to population interactions, whereas ecosystems in which a large fraction of pathways are nonresponsive or even inversely responsive to external disturbance will have more constant levels of abundance at upper trophic levels. To test the mechanism underlying this hypothesis, we used over half a century of demographic data for multiple species in the Serengeti (Tanzania) ecosystem to measure the degree of synchrony to variation imposed by an external environmental driver, the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO effects were mediated largely via changes in dry-season vs. wet-season rainfall and consequent changes in vegetation availability, propagating via bottom-up effects to higher levels of the Serengeti food web to influence herbivores, predators and parasites. Some species in the Serengeti food web responded to the influence of ENSO in opposite ways, whereas other species were insensitive to variation in ENSO. Although far from conclusive, our results suggest that a diffuse mixture of herbivore responses could help buffer top carnivores, such as Serengeti lions, from variability in climate. Future global climate changes that favor some pathways over others, however, could alter the effectiveness of such processes in the future

Habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic factors affect wildcat Felis silvestris silvestris occupancy and detectability on Mt Etna

Knowledge of patterns of occupancy is crucial for planning sound biological management and for identifying areas which require paramount conservation attention. The European wildcat Felis silvestris is an elusive carnivore and is classified as ‘least concern’ on the IUCN red list, but with a decreasing population trend in some areas. Sicily hosts a peculiar wildcat population, which deserves conservation and management actions, due to its isolation from the mainland. Patterns of occupancy for wildcats are unknown in Italy, and especially in Sicily. We aimed to identify which ecological drivers determined wildcat occurrence on Mt Etna and to provide conservation actions to promote the wildcats’ long-term survival in this peculiar environment. The genetic identity of the wildcat population was confirmed through a scat-collection which detected 22 different wildcat individuals. We analysed wildcat detections collected by 91 cameras using an occupancy frame work to assess which covariates influenced the detection (p) and the occupancy (ψ) estimates. We recorded 70 detections of the target species from 38 cameras within 3377 trap-days. Wildcat detection was positively influenced by the distance to the major paved roads and negatively affected by the presence of humans. Wildcat occupancy was positively associated with mixed forest and negatively influenced by pine forest, fragmentation of mixed forest and altitude. A spatially explicit predicted occupancy map, validated using an independent dataset of wildcat presence records, showed that higher occupancy estimates were scattered, mainly located on the north face and at lower altitude. Habitat fragmentation has been claimed as a significant threat for the wildcat and this is the first study that has ascertained this as a limiting factor for wildcat occurrence. Conservation actions should promote interconnectivity between areas with high predicted wildcat occupancy while minimising the loss of habitat

High Time for Conservation: Adding the Environment to the Debate on Marijuana Liberalization

The liberalization of marijuana policies, including the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana, is sweeping the United States and other countries. Marijuana cultivation can have significant negative collateral effects on the environment that are often unknown or overlooked. Focusing on the state of California, where by some estimates 60% -- 70% of the marijuana consumed in the United States is grown, we argue that (a) the environmental harm caused by marijuana cultivation merits a direct policy response, (b) current approaches to governing the environmental effects are inadequate, and (c) neglecting discussion of the environmental impacts of cultivation when shaping future marijuana use and possession policies represents a missed opportunity to reduce, regulate, and mitigate environmental harm

Diet and foraging habitats of non-breeding white storks (Ciconia ciconia) in Bulgaria

The diet of non-breeding White Storks was studied by pellet analysis and included mainly insects (99.9%, n=28947) with a predominance of grasshoppers (Orthoptera, 76.1%), and beetles (Coleoptera, 26.1%). The bush crickets Decticus albifrons/verrucivorus were the most numerous prey (29.9% by items), occurring in almost all pellets (98% occurrence in pellets, n=147) and predominating in half of them (49.7%). The grasshopper associations in the pellets specify foraging mainly in mesophytic grasslands that usually replace abandoned fields and overgrown pastures with a low level of grazing. The xerophytic grass-shrubby habitats, not rare on stony terrains, were of less importance, providing around 20% by prey. The typical aquatic inhabitants and the use of carrion around villages were exceptions in the study diet. The number of innutritious materials in the pellets rose when the White Storks hunted on nippy and agile grasshoppers and decreased when the main pray was slower beetles taken from the ground. The roosting of non-breeding White Storks disappeared when their preferred feeding habitats were ploughed up in the following years

Incorporating Human Beliefs and Behaviors into Wildlife Ecology

Like much of the global biosphere, wildlife species have experienced rapid declines during the Anthropocene. Wildlife ecologists have responded to these crises by developing a range of technologies, techniques, and large datasets, which together have revolutionized the field, provided novel insights into the movements and behaviors of animals, and identified new risks and impacts to wildlife in a human-dominated world. While these advances have been vitally important, wildlife ecology has been slower to recognize and incorporate humans themselves into its new research domains. The chapters of this dissertation explore methods for better incorporating human behaviors, beliefs, actions, and infrastructure into the theories and approaches in wildlife ecology that have flourished in the last two decades. The research presented here demonstrates the importance of linking human beliefs and behaviors to wildlife ecology both by presenting novel findings and by showing the opportunities missed when narrow approaches are applied to complex socio-ecological problems.In Chapter 1, I provide a general introduction on the theories underlying this research, contextualize the research questions in light of the loss and recovery of large predators, and describe the research site where I collected much of the data for this dissertation. In Chapter 2, I apply the methods of movement ecology to some of the first fine-scale telemetry data collected on rifle hunters. I draw conclusions about their individual, site-level, and regional-level hunting behaviors and discuss the broad implications of these findings for hunting management. In Chapter 3, I examine livestock-predator conflict using approaches from both ecology and the social sciences. I describe a form of selection bias that is likely widespread but unreported due to the omission of social data from ecological models of conflict, and I offer guidelines for combining and translating ecological and social research on conflict. In Chapter 4, I explore the ecological impacts of one of the most globally widespread human constructions, the fence. I show for the first time the potential extent of fencing at large scales and discuss the wide variety of ecological effects of fences for both humans and ecosystems. I further highlight biases and gaps in fence research that have thus far limited a complete understanding of the environmental effects of these features. In Chapter 5, I conclude by making recommendations regarding how research might better incorporate human perceptions, decisions, and actions into ecology

Abundance of Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes Edwardsii (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1818) (Carnivora: Herpestidae) in the Bengaluru Region

Indian Grey Mongoose, Herpestes edwardsii is common throughout the Indian subcontinent. To investigate the abundance of this species, a study was conducted in different urban locations of the Bengaluru, Karnataka State of South India. A significant difference was found among the relative percentage abundance of mongooses in various study locations. The highest abundance of mongoose was recorded from prohibited places, mostly in the rural and suburban regions, and the least in the urban region depending upon the availability of food and protected shelter in the reed beds and thickets of aquatic vegetation, particularly during the breeding season. They usually breed on the ground and need shelter from direct sunrays as well as potential predators during this period. This mongoose species also prefers shelter in the reed beds and thickets of aquatic vegetation and the suburban and rural region for diurnal activities

Trends in the extinction of carnivores in Madagascar

Tendencias de la extinción de carnívoros en Madagascar La extinción de los depredadores apicales, como los mamíferos carnívoros, puede conllevar cambios drásticos en la estructura de la red alimentaria y la dinámica de los ecosistemas. Dado que todos los mamíferos carnívoros terrestres autóctonos de Madagascar son endémicos, su extinción implica una pérdida notable de biodiversidad en este país. En el presente artículo examinamos las publicaciones sobre mamíferos carnívoros de Madagascar con el propósito de determinar cuáles son las especies que tienen mayor probabilidad de extinguirse en un futuro próximo, en vista de los factores que amenazan su supervivencia. Puntuamos cada factor en función de los efectos que ejerce en las especies. Según nuestros resultados, la especie que tiene más probabilidad de extinguirse es la mangosta rayada grande, Galidictis grandidieri, lo cual no es sorprendente porque esta especie se considera uno de los carnívoros más escasos del mundo, que habita solo en un ecosistema forestal pequeño y amenazado. Asimismo, nuestros resultados ponen de manifiesto la necesidad de disponer de datos sólidos sobre cada especie, a fin de ayudar y respaldar a las autoridades a poner en práctica medidas de conservación.The extinction of top predators, such as mammalian carnivores can lead to dramatic changes in foodweb structure and ecosystem dynamics. Since all native Malagasy terrestrial mammalian carnivores are endemic, their extinction implies a significant loss of biodiversity in Madagascar. Here we review the literature on Madagascar’s mammalian carnivores, aiming to determine which species are most likely to become extinct in the near future in view of the factors threatening their survival. We scored each factor according to its impact on the species. According to our results, the giant–striped mongoose, Galidictis grandidieri, is the most likely species to next become extinct. This is no surprise because this species is considered one of the rarest carnivores in the world, inhabiting only a small, threatened forest ecosystem. Our results emphasize the need for robust data about each species to help and support decision–makers implement conservation measures.Tendencias de la extinción de carnívoros en Madagascar La extinción de los depredadores apicales, como los mamíferos carnívoros, puede conllevar cambios drásticos en la estructura de la red alimentaria y la dinámica de los ecosistemas. Dado que todos los mamíferos carnívoros terrestres autóctonos de Madagascar son endémicos, su extinción implica una pérdida notable de biodiversidad en este país. En el presente artículo examinamos las publicaciones sobre mamíferos carnívoros de Madagascar con el propósito de determinar cuáles son las especies que tienen mayor probabilidad de extinguirse en un futuro próximo, en vista de los factores que amenazan su supervivencia. Puntuamos cada factor en función de los efectos que ejerce en las especies. Según nuestros resultados, la especie que tiene más probabilidad de extinguirse es la mangosta rayada grande, Galidictis grandidieri, lo cual no es sorprendente porque esta especie se considera uno de los carnívoros más escasos del mundo, que habita solo en un ecosistema forestal pequeño y amenazado. Asimismo, nuestros resultados ponen de manifiesto la necesidad de disponer de datos sólidos sobre cada especie, a fin de ayudar y respaldar a las autoridades a poner en práctica medidas de conservación

Human-wildlife conflict, benefit sharing and the survival of lions in pastoralist community-based conservancies

No abstract available

Why Has Human–Carnivore Conflict Not Been Resolved in Namibia?

Human–wildlife conflict has historically been portrayed as a management problem where solutions lie in technical changes or financial incentives. However, recent research shows many conflicts stem from social, economic, and political drivers. We undertook qualitative data collection on livestock farms to determine whether relationships between farmers and their workers affected frequency of reported livestock depredation in Namibia. We found that the conflict was affected by social and economic inequalities embedded in the previous apartheid regime. Macro- and microlevel socioeconomic problems created an environment where livestock depredation was exacerbated by unmotivated farm workers. Poor treatment of workers by farmers resulted in vengeful behaviors, such as livestock theft and wildlife poaching. Successfully addressing this situation therefore requires recognition and understanding of its complexity, rather than reducing it to its most simplistic part