The comparative effects of large carnivores on the acquisition of carrion by scavengers

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Motion-triggered video cameras reveal spatial and temporal patterns of red fox foraging on carrion provided by mountain lions

Carrion is a rich, ephemeral resource vital to biodiversity and ecosystem health. In temperate ecosystems in which cold temperatures and snowfall influence the accessibility and availability of small prey and seasonal mast crops, carrion may also be a limiting resource for mesocarnivores like red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), which are too small to predate ungulates. Using motion-triggered video cameras and generalized linear mixed models, we studied the spatial and temporal patterns of red fox scavenging at 232 mountain lion kills in the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) from 2012–2015. We found that red foxes scavenged mountain lion kills across all habitats throughout the year, however, red fox behaviors varied with season. In winter, we documented red foxes at a greater proportion of mountain lion kills (70.3% in winter vs. 48.9% in summer), and in greater numbers (1.83 foxes per kill in winter vs. 1.16 in summer). In winter, red foxes fed longer (= 102.7 ± 138.3 minutes feeding in winter vs. = 39.7 ± 74.0 in summer), and they more often scavenged while the mountain lion was nearby. We speculated that red foxes may have increased risk taking in winter due to hunger driven by resource scarcity. Our research highlighted an important ecological relationship between red foxes and mountain lions in the GYE. Mountain lions tolerate high levels of scavenging, so the frequency and intensity of red fox scavenging at their kills may not impact mountain lions, but instead facilitate the dispersion and benefits of resources created by this apex predator. Large carnivores, and mid-trophic felids like mountain lions in particular, are essential producers of carrion vital to biodiversity and ecosystem health. In turn, scavengers play critical roles in distributing these resources and increasing the heterogeneity of resources that support biodiversity and ecosystem structure, as well as ecological resilience

Correction to: Determining puma habitat suitability in the Eastern USA (Biodiversity and Conservation, (2023), 10.1007/s10531-022-02529-z)

In the original article, One of the author names was incorrectly misspelled as Tom Bulter. It must be published as “Tom Butler”. The original article has been corrected

Determining puma habitat suitability in the Eastern USA

Pumas (Puma concolor) were eliminated from most of the eastern USA a century ago. In the past couple of decades, their recovery in the West has increased puma dispersal into the Midwest, with some individuals even traveling to the East Coast. We combined published expert opinion data and a habitat suitability index in an analysis that identified 17 areas in the Upper Midwest, Ozarks, Appalachia, and New England that could potentially host puma populations in the future. Thirteen of these were larger than 10,000 km2 and so likely to ensure a puma population’s long-term genetic health. Further, we quantified patch size, human density, livestock density, percent public land, and a sociocultural index reflecting wildlife values for comparing patches, as well as present a summary of current legislation relevant to puma management in the East. Our work may be useful in identifying suitable areas to restore pumas based not only on the quality of their biophysical habitat, but also on social values conducive to puma-human coexistence

Functional biogeography of vertebrate scavengers drives carcass removal across biomes

Resumen del trabajo presentado en el XVI Congreso Nacional de la AEET 2023: la ecología en una biosfera humanizada, celebrado en Almería entre el 16 y el 20 de octubre de 2023.Vertebrate scavengers play a crucial role in food web stability and cycling of organic matter and nutrients. However, the global factors that influence their functional biogeography and impact on ecosystem functioning at regional and local levels remain poorly understood. We aim to address this challenge by analyzing a global dataset covering 49 regions in all inhabited continents, including information on 1,847 locally monitored carcasses and 204 vertebrate scavenger species along with their functional traits. We investigate the importance of biogeographical (spatial), environmental and anthropogenic factors in structuring vertebrate scavengers¿ functional trait composition, diversity and abundance. Additionally, we investigate how these biodiversity attributes affect carcass removal at regional and local scales. Our results show that the functional trait composition of assemblages across studied regions was primarily explained by latitude and lon¬gitude, suggesting a strong biogeographical signature. In addition, while functional richness remained unexplained, scavenger abundance responded to both environmental and spatial factors. Further, we found that carcass removal was mainly driven by functional composition, but with the relative importance of particular functional traits varying from local to regional scales. At the local scale, carcass removal was positively related to large carnivorous species with large home ranges, while at the regional scale, carcass removal was better explained by the presence of vultures, other raptors and diurnal birds. Our study provides a better understanding of the factors controlling the func¬tional biogeography of terrestrial vertebrates and their role in maintaining essential ecological functions and services.Peer reviewe

Observations of Wild Cougar (Puma concolor) Kittens with Live Prey: Implications for Learning and Survival

The Cougar (Puma concolor) is a cryptic species in which social learning or opportunity learning has yet to be documented in the wild. “Opportunity teaching” is teaching in which an animal creates opportunities for conspecifics to observe or participate in operant learning. We present video data on an observation of Cougar kittens exhibiting social learning and inefficiency and inexperience in attempting to kill a live Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) fawn. Our observations provide evidence for the importance of maternal care and they help explain why Cougar kittens less than a year of age have low survival rates

Cougars (Puma concolor) Killed by North American Porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum)

Predation is inherently risky, and Cougars (Puma concolor) are occasionally injured while hunting prey. Between 2001 and 2015, we documented the cause of death of 59 Cougars (22 subadults and 37 adults) in the Southern Yellowstone Ecosystem, Wyoming. Here we report on 2 animals (9% of subadult mortalities) killed as a result of complications after hunting North American Porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum). We also report an observation of a Cougar killed in Venezuela by quills of a Prehensile-tailed Porcupine (Coendou prehensilis). Porcupines may kill and wound more Cougars than previously suspected and may be an important cause of mortality, at least for subadult animals