Dynamic landscapes of fear: understanding spatiotemporal risk

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 37(10), С. 911 - 925

Опубликована: Июль 8, 2022

Язык: Английский

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Impacts of large herbivores on terrestrial ecosystems

Current Biology, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 33(11), С. R584 - R610

Опубликована: Июнь 1, 2023

Язык: Английский

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Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally

Science, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 382(6670), С. 589 - 594

Опубликована: Ноя. 2, 2023

Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation hampered by incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control under restoration. Herbivores at sites reduced abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those relatively undegraded suppressed, rather fostered, plant diversity. These effects were particularly pronounced regions with higher temperatures lower precipitation. Excluding targeted herbivores temporarily or introducing their predators improved magnitudes similar to greater achieved managing competition facilitation. Thus, herbivory a promising strategy enhancing efforts.

Язык: Английский

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Quantifying the movement, behaviour and environmental context of group‐living animals using drones and computer vision

Journal of Animal Ecology, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 92(7), С. 1357 - 1371

Опубликована: Март 21, 2023

Abstract Methods for collecting animal behaviour data in natural environments, such as direct observation and biologging, are typically limited spatiotemporal resolution, the number of animals that can be observed information about animals' social physical environments. Video imagery capture rich their but image‐based approaches often impractical due to challenges processing large complex multi‐image datasets transforming resulting data, locations, into geographical coordinates. We demonstrate a new system studying wild uses drone‐recorded videos computer vision automatically track location body posture free‐roaming georeferenced coordinates with high resolution embedded contemporaneous 3D landscape models surrounding area. provide two worked examples which we apply this approach gelada monkeys multiple species group‐living African ungulates. how simultaneously, classify individuals by age–sex class, estimate individuals' postures (poses) extract environmental features, including topography trails. By quantifying movement while reconstructing detailed model landscape, our opens door sensory ecology decision‐making within

Язык: Английский

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Cascading impacts of large-carnivore extirpation in an African ecosystem

Science, Год журнала: 2019, Номер 364(6436), С. 173 - 177

Опубликована: Март 8, 2019

Populations of the world's largest carnivores are declining and now occupy mere fractions their historical ranges. Theory predicts that when apex predators disappear, large herbivores become less fearful, new habitats, modify those habitats by eating food plants. Yet experimental support for this prediction has been difficult to obtain in large-mammal systems. After extirpation leopards African wild dogs from Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, forest-dwelling antelopes [bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus)] expanded into treeless floodplains, where they consumed novel diets suppressed a common plant [waterwort (Bergia mossambicensis)]. By experimentally simulating predation risk, we demonstrate behavior was reversible. Thus, whereas anthropogenic predator extinction disrupted trophic cascade enabling rapid differentiation prey behavior, carnivore restoration may just as rapidly reestablish cascade.

Язык: Английский

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Human disturbance has contrasting effects on niche partitioning within carnivore communities

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 95(6), С. 1689 - 1705

Опубликована: Июль 14, 2020

ABSTRACT Among species, coexistence is driven partly by the partitioning of available resources. The mechanisms and competition among species have been a central topic within community ecology, with particular focus on mammalian carnivore research. However, despite growing concern regarding impact humans behaviour very little known about effect interactions. aim this review to establish comprehensive framework for impacts human disturbance three dimensions (spatial, temporal trophic) niche communities subsequent effects both intraguild structure. We conducted systematic literature (246 studies) extracted 46 reported disturbance. found evidence that resource partitioning, either positively or negatively, in all dimensions. repercussions such variations are highly heterogeneous differ according type how landscape and/or availability resources affected. propose theoretical main outcomes structure: ( i ) impedes increasing reducing richness diversity community; ii unbalances competition, affecting stability; iii facilitates decreasing enriching community. call better integration future research interspecific competition.

Язык: Английский

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Deer, wolves, and people: costs, benefits and challenges of living together

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 95(3), С. 782 - 801

Опубликована: Фев. 11, 2020

ABSTRACT Human‐driven species annihilations loom as a major crisis. However the recovery of deer and wolf populations in many parts northern hemisphere has resulted conflicts controversies rather than relief. Both interact complex ways with their environment, each other, humans. We review these interactions context ecological human costs benefits associated species. integrate scattered information to widen our perspective on nature perception how they link other ongoing regarding we manage populations. After revisiting roles wolves play contemporary ecosystems, explore interact, directly indirectly, groups including farmers, foresters, shepherds, hunters. Interactions generate various axes tension, posing both sociological challenges. Resolving tensions requires that address key questions using integrative approaches: what are consequences recovery? How do influence other? What social socio‐ecological large presence? Finally, obstacles must be overcome allow deer, people coexist? Reviewing results suggests insights improve understanding resolve long‐standing challenges coexistence. should begin by agreeing enhance aggregate while minimizing collective incur interacting wolves. also view species, ourselves, integrated ecosystems subject long‐term dynamics. If co‐existence is goal, need persevere compatible interests. Our interests, however, inclusive fairly value all entail intrinsic value. Shifts attitudes cultural learning already occurring will reshape

Язык: Английский

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Resolving Food-Web Structure

Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 51(1), С. 55 - 80

Опубликована: Июль 31, 2020

Food webs are a major focus and organizing theme of ecology, but the data used to assemble them deficient. Early debates over food-web focused on taxonomic resolution completeness, lack which had produced spurious inferences. Recent widely believed be much better extensively in theoretical meta-analytic research network ecology. Confidence these rests assumptions ( a) that empiricists correctly identified consumers their foods b) sampling methods were adequate detect near-comprehensive fraction trophic interactions between species. Abundant evidence indicates often invalid, suggesting most topological may remain unreliable for inferences about structure underlying ecological evolutionary processes. Morphologically cryptic species ubiquitous across taxa regions, many routinely evade detection by conventional methods. Molecular have diagnosed severity problems necessary part cure.

Язык: Английский

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Trophic rewilding revives biotic resistance to shrub invasion

Nature Ecology & Evolution, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 4(5), С. 712 - 724

Опубликована: Янв. 13, 2020

Язык: Английский

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The generality of cryptic dietary niche differences in diverse large-herbivore assemblages

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 119(35)

Опубликована: Авг. 22, 2022

Ecological niche differences are necessary for stable species coexistence but often difficult to discern. Models of dietary differentiation in large mammalian herbivores invoke the quality, quantity, and spatiotemporal distribution plant tissues growth forms agnostic toward food identity. Empirical support these models is variable, suggesting that additional mechanisms resource partitioning may be important sustaining large-herbivore diversity African savannas. We used DNA metabarcoding conduct a taxonomically explicit analysis diets across southeastern Africa, analyzing ∼4,000 fecal samples 30 from 10 sites seven countries over 6 y. detected 893 taxa 124 families, just two families—grasses legumes—accounted majority herbivore diets. Nonetheless, almost invariably partitioned taxa; diet composition differed significantly 97% pairwise comparisons between sympatric species, dissimilarity was pronounced even strictest grazers (grass eaters), browsers (nongrass closest relatives at each site. Niche weakest an ecosystem recovering catastrophic defaunation, indicating driven by interactions, stronger low rainfall, as expected if interspecific competition predominant driver. Diets more than grazers, which predictably shaped community organization: Grazer-dominated trophic networks had higher nestedness lower modularity. That structured along taxonomic lines complements prior work on how partition parts patches suggests common govern assembly

Язык: Английский

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