From fear to food: predation risk shapes deer behaviour, their resources and forest vegetation DOI Creative Commons
Jean‐Louis Martin, Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes, Anne K. Salomon

et al.

Peer Community Journal, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 5

Published: Jan. 6, 2025

The "ecology of fear" posits that predation risk shapes the behaviour large herbivores, their foraging patterns, habitat selection and consequent effect on forest ecology. To test some these predictions we used extensive empirical experimental data vegetation cover composition, deer anti-predator behaviour, collected at study sites with different histories hunting natural in Haida Gwaii archipelago nearby areas coastal British Columbia (Canada). Because also forage intertidal, a hypothetically more exposed to risk, analysed how affected intertidal by measuring proportion marine versus terrestrial stable isotopes bone collagen. In absence had strong negative understory plant composition. populations remarkable tolerance human presence (short flight initiation travel distances when disturbed), willingness consume foreign bait or investigate baited traps, propensity be active daytime. Where faced long-term predators, understories were denser diverse resembled those forests never deer. Severe culling initially without dramatically increased vegetation, although composition from one predators hunting, Deer born after exhibited longer fleeing, reluctance night-time foraging. translocation unwary population island where culls partially restored showed was not significantly modified abundant higher-quality forage. This contrasted wary observed local culls. Finally, hunters and/or less likely this trend might be, extent, resources understory. We interpreted our results as evidence is key shaping, potentially selecting for, lasting behavioural contrasts between populations, intimately connected effects diversity, ecological networks, ecosystem complexity.

Language: Английский

From fear to food: predation risk shapes deer behaviour, their resources and forest vegetation DOI Creative Commons
Jean‐Louis Martin, Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes, Anne K. Salomon

et al.

Peer Community Journal, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 5

Published: Jan. 6, 2025

The "ecology of fear" posits that predation risk shapes the behaviour large herbivores, their foraging patterns, habitat selection and consequent effect on forest ecology. To test some these predictions we used extensive empirical experimental data vegetation cover composition, deer anti-predator behaviour, collected at study sites with different histories hunting natural in Haida Gwaii archipelago nearby areas coastal British Columbia (Canada). Because also forage intertidal, a hypothetically more exposed to risk, analysed how affected intertidal by measuring proportion marine versus terrestrial stable isotopes bone collagen. In absence had strong negative understory plant composition. populations remarkable tolerance human presence (short flight initiation travel distances when disturbed), willingness consume foreign bait or investigate baited traps, propensity be active daytime. Where faced long-term predators, understories were denser diverse resembled those forests never deer. Severe culling initially without dramatically increased vegetation, although composition from one predators hunting, Deer born after exhibited longer fleeing, reluctance night-time foraging. translocation unwary population island where culls partially restored showed was not significantly modified abundant higher-quality forage. This contrasted wary observed local culls. Finally, hunters and/or less likely this trend might be, extent, resources understory. We interpreted our results as evidence is key shaping, potentially selecting for, lasting behavioural contrasts between populations, intimately connected effects diversity, ecological networks, ecosystem complexity.

Language: Английский

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