Human presence shifts the landscape of fear for a free‐living mammal DOI Creative Commons
Chelsea A. Ortiz‐Jimenez,

S. Conroy,

Erin S. Person

et al.

Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 106(1)

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Humans may play a key role in providing small prey mammals spatial and temporal refuge from predators, but few studies have captured the heterogeneity of these effects across space time. Global COVID-19 lockdown restrictions offered unique opportunity to investigate how sudden change human presence semi-urban park impacted wildlife. Here, we quantify changes distributions humans natural predators influenced landscape fear for California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) pandemic (2020) non-COVID (2019) year. We used structural equation modeling approach explore direct indirect presence, predator habitat features on foraging that reflected responses (e.g., giving-up densities [GUDs], number foragers, average food intake rate while at patches). In 2019, dogs had moderate GUDs; squirrels were less fearful (lower GUDs) areas frequently visited by dogs, raptors weak. contrast, 2020, GUDs weak; more high raptor activity, open sky, cover. both years, farthest most risk-averse. Overall, our analyses revealed an increase perceived risk 2020 associated with concentration presence. Thus, risk-sensitive was dynamic time, depending complex interplay among dog microhabitat features. Our findings elucidate myriad ways directly indirectly influence animal perception safety danger.

Language: Английский

Human presence shifts the landscape of fear for a free‐living mammal DOI Creative Commons
Chelsea A. Ortiz‐Jimenez,

S. Conroy,

Erin S. Person

et al.

Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 106(1)

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Humans may play a key role in providing small prey mammals spatial and temporal refuge from predators, but few studies have captured the heterogeneity of these effects across space time. Global COVID-19 lockdown restrictions offered unique opportunity to investigate how sudden change human presence semi-urban park impacted wildlife. Here, we quantify changes distributions humans natural predators influenced landscape fear for California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) pandemic (2020) non-COVID (2019) year. We used structural equation modeling approach explore direct indirect presence, predator habitat features on foraging that reflected responses (e.g., giving-up densities [GUDs], number foragers, average food intake rate while at patches). In 2019, dogs had moderate GUDs; squirrels were less fearful (lower GUDs) areas frequently visited by dogs, raptors weak. contrast, 2020, GUDs weak; more high raptor activity, open sky, cover. both years, farthest most risk-averse. Overall, our analyses revealed an increase perceived risk 2020 associated with concentration presence. Thus, risk-sensitive was dynamic time, depending complex interplay among dog microhabitat features. Our findings elucidate myriad ways directly indirectly influence animal perception safety danger.

Language: Английский

Citations

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