African ungulates recognize a locally extinct native predator

Large carnivores are important ecosystem components but frequently suffer local extinctions. However, reintroductions and shifting conservation attitudes have lead to some population repatriations. Since the ecological consequences of predation may relate to indirect effects of predation risk, reconstruction of carnivore ecosystem function could depend on adequate predator recognition by prey. We evaluated behavioral responses in naive and lion exposed impala (Aepyceros melampus), blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), and warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) to audio calls of a native (African lion Panthera leo) and an alien (grey wolf Canis lupus) predator as well as to unfamiliar (music) and familiar (running water) neutral controls. Our results demonstrated stronger behavioral responses to lions than to any of the other calls, even in naive populations, and suggest that retained predator recognition may enable rapid reconstruction of carnivore ecosystem function throughout Africa. However, since recognition may be lost in large increments, we urge that carnivore repatriations should be a prioritized component of African ecosystem conservation.National Geographic/Wait’s Foundation (grant number W32-08), the National Research Foundation (grant number NRF66135), and by the University of Pretoria.http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org2016-01-30hb201

Spotted hyaena space use in relation to human infrastructure inside a protected area

Increasing human population growth has led to elevated levels of human-carnivore conflict. However, some carnivore populations have adapted to urban environments and the resources they supply. Such associations may influence carnivore ecology, behaviour and life-history. Pockets of urbanisation sometimes occur within protected areas, so that anthropogenic influences on carnivore biology are not necessarily confined to unprotected areas. In this study we evaluated associations between human infrastructure and related activity and space use of spotted hyaenas within one of the largest protected areas in South Africa, the Kruger National Park. Home range size was smaller for the dominant female of a clan living in close proximity to humans than that of the dominant female of a clan without direct access to human infrastructure. The home range including human infrastructure was also used less evenly during the night, presumably when the animals were active. Within this home range, a village area was preferred during the night, when the least modified areas within the village were preferred and administration and highly modified areas were avoided. During the day, however, there were no preference or avoidance of the village area, but all habitats except unmodified habitats within the village area were avoided.Wesuggest that human infrastructure and associated activity influenced hyaena space use, primarily through alterations in the spatial distribution of food. However, these effects may have been indirectly caused by habitat modification that generated favourable hunting habitat rather than a direct effect caused by access to human food such as garbage. Because of the often pivotal effects of apex predators in terrestrial ecosystems, we encourage further work aimed to quantify how human presence influences large carnivores and associated ecosystem processes within protected areas.Supplement 1. Estimation of convergence of home range size estimates. To evaluate whether or not we had sufficient sample sizes to estimate seasonal home ranges we created accumulation curves for each clan and season. We created randomized sets of coordinates with increasing sample sizes from 10 relocations up to the actual sample size used for each seasonal range. For each sample size, we randomly drew 100 data sets without replacements from the original sets of coordinates that was utilized to calculate each seasonal home range, and for each random data set we calculated the area covered by a 100% MCP. These areas were plotted against sample size. (10.7717/peerj.2596/supp-1)Supplement 2. Raw data on animal locations. (DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2596/supp-2)This study was funded through incentive funding for rated researchers by the National Research Foundation (E Cameron, F Dalerum), a research fellowship from University of Pretoria (F Dalerum) as well as a Ramón y Cajal fellowship by the Spanish Ministry of Comptitiveness and Economy (F Dalerum).https://peerj.comam2017Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

Spotted hyaena space use in relation to human infrastructure inside a protected area

Increasing human population growth has led to elevated levels of human-carnivore conflict. However, some carnivore populations have adapted to urban environments and the resources they supply. Such associations may influence carnivore ecology, behaviour and life-history. Pockets of urbanisation sometimes occur within protected areas, so that anthropogenic influences on carnivore biology are not necessarily confined to unprotected areas. In this study we evaluated associations between human infrastructure and related activity and space use of spotted hyaenas within one of the largest protected areas in South Africa, the Kruger National Park. Home range size was smaller for the dominant female of a clan living in close proximity to humans than that of the dominant female of a clan without direct access to human infrastructure. The home range including human infrastructure was also used less evenly during the night, presumably when the animals were active. Within this home range, a village area was preferred during the night, when the least modified areas within the village were preferred and administration and highly modified areas were avoided. During the day, however, there were no preference or avoidance of the village area, but all habitats except unmodified habitats within the village area were avoided.Wesuggest that human infrastructure and associated activity influenced hyaena space use, primarily through alterations in the spatial distribution of food. However, these effects may have been indirectly caused by habitat modification that generated favourable hunting habitat rather than a direct effect caused by access to human food such as garbage. Because of the often pivotal effects of apex predators in terrestrial ecosystems, we encourage further work aimed to quantify how human presence influences large carnivores and associated ecosystem processes within protected areas.Supplement 1. Estimation of convergence of home range size estimates. To evaluate whether or not we had sufficient sample sizes to estimate seasonal home ranges we created accumulation curves for each clan and season. We created randomized sets of coordinates with increasing sample sizes from 10 relocations up to the actual sample size used for each seasonal range. For each sample size, we randomly drew 100 data sets without replacements from the original sets of coordinates that was utilized to calculate each seasonal home range, and for each random data set we calculated the area covered by a 100% MCP. These areas were plotted against sample size. (10.7717/peerj.2596/supp-1)Supplement 2. Raw data on animal locations. (DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2596/supp-2)This study was funded through incentive funding for rated researchers by the National Research Foundation (E Cameron, F Dalerum), a research fellowship from University of Pretoria (F Dalerum) as well as a Ramón y Cajal fellowship by the Spanish Ministry of Comptitiveness and Economy (F Dalerum).https://peerj.comam2017Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

Anthropogenic influences on spotted hyaena diet in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

Rapid urban expansion has led to an increase in carnivores that live close to human dominated environments. Some carnivore species have successfully adapted to these novel conditions and taken advantage of opportunities associated with human habitation. Whilst many studies have compared carnivores living in protected areas to those in an urban setting, few have looked at the relationships between carnivores and human habitation within protected areas. In this study, we examined the effects of human habitation on the diet of spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) in the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. Our results suggested a limited effect of anthropogenic resources on spotted hyaena diet in the KNP. We found neither temporal nor spatial variation in the amount of, nor types of, anthropogenic material in spotted hyaena scats, despite observations of more road side litter close to large anthropogenic sites. We therefore suggest that anthropogenic resources may not have been utilised completely according to abundance. We encourage further research evaluating potential secondary effects of human activity and infrastructure on spotted hyaena diet and also stable isotope approaches that may provide further insights into the importance of anthropogenic food for spotted hyaenas inside the KNP.The National Research Foundation (incentive funding for rated researchers to EZC and FD), by the University of Pretoria and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (a research fellowship to FD).https://link.springer.com/journal/133642019-07-01hj2018Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

Do mating strategies determine genital allometry in African mole rats (Bathyergidae)?

Allometry describes the relationship of components of an organism with change in overall body size and has become the focus of numerous studies on the evolution of genitalia. Typically, negative allometry is observed in insects and is explained by stabilizing selection whereas the very few studies on mammals have shown a positive allometric relationship of genitalia in the body size, thought to have arisen as a result of sexual selection. However, all mammal species studied to date are thought to use mainly post-copulatory mating strategies. Across mammals, however, both pre-and post-copulatory strategies occur (although the two are not mutually exclusive). We propose that where pre-copulatory strategies are mainly used, no reproductive benefits would result from evolving positively allometric genitalia. As such, mammal genitalia are not typically positively allometric but rather allometry will, to a certain degree, be determined by mating strategy. We tested this prediction using four species of African mole rats (Bathyergidae) exhibiting variation in their life histories and mating strategies. Although generally supported, in that positive allometry did not occur in species that we assumed use mainly pre-mating strategies, positive allometry did not occur in either of the promiscuous species thought to use post-copulatory strategies. We suggest, therefore, that while mating strategies may tentatively determine genital allometry, whether positively allometric genitalia occur also depends on a number of complex interacting factors. In addition, this study provides further evidence and empirical support for the co-evolution of male and female genitalia in mammals

Landscape level effects of lion presence (Panthera leo) on two contrasting prey species

Due to the strong individual cost of being predated, potential prey species alter their behavior and physiology in response to predation risk. Such alterations may cause major indirect consequences on prey populations that are additive to the direct demographic effects caused by prey being killed. However, although earlier studies showed strong general effects of the presence of apex predators, recent data suggest that indirect effects may be highly context dependent and not consistently present. We combined behavioral data with data on endocrine stress and stable isotopes to assess landscape level effects of lion (Panthera leo) presence on two prey species in South Africa, impala (Aepyceros melampus) and blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus). We also evaluated if there was any seasonal variation in such effects. In addition, we provide results from a physiological validation for an enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA) that can be used for non-invasive monitoring of glucocorticoid stress metabolite concentrations in impala from fecal pellets. We did not find any significant differences in vigilance behavior, fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations, d13C values or isotope niche breadth between animals living with and without lions for either species. However, wildebeest living in a reserve with lions spent more time foraging compared to wildebeest in a lion-free environment, but only during the wet season. Values of fecal d15N suggest a shift in habitat use, with impala and wildebeest living with lions potentially feeding in less productive areas compared to animals living without lions. For both species, characteristics of the social groups appeared to be more important than individual characteristics for both foraging and vigilance behavior. Our results highlight that antipredator responses may be highly dynamic and scale-dependent.We urge for further studies that quantify at what temporal and spatial scales predation risk is causing indirect effects on prey populations.The National Geographic/Wait’s Foundation (grant number W32-08), the National Research Foundation in South Africa (grant numbers SFP2008072900003 and IFR2011032400087), and the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness in Spain (grant number RYC-2013- 14662).http://www.frontiersin.org/Ecology_and_Evolutionam2019Zoology and Entomolog