scholarly journals Tooth fracture frequency in gray wolves reflects prey availability

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaire Van Valkenburgh ◽  
Rolf O Peterson ◽  
Douglas W Smith ◽  
Daniel R Stahler ◽  
John A Vucetich
Keyword(s):  
Prey Availability ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Large Carnivore ◽  
Fracture Frequency ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Dental Attrition ◽  
Energetic Stress ◽  
Tooth Fracture ◽  
Dental Injuries

Exceptionally high rates of tooth fracture in large Pleistocene carnivorans imply intensified interspecific competition, given that tooth fracture rises with increased bone consumption, a behavior that likely occurs when prey are difficult to acquire. To assess the link between prey availability and dental attrition, we documented dental fracture rates over decades among three well-studied populations of extant gray wolves that differed in prey:predator ratio and levels of carcass utilization. When prey:predator ratios declined, kills were more fully consumed, and rates of tooth fracture more than doubled. This supports tooth fracture frequency as a relative measure of the difficulty of acquiring prey, and reveals a rapid response to diminished food levels in large carnivores despite risks of infection and reduced fitness due to dental injuries. More broadly, large carnivore tooth fracture frequency likely reflects energetic stress, an aspect of predator success that is challenging to quantify in wild populations.

scholarly journals Tooth Fracture Frequency in Gray Wolves Reflects Prey Availability

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaire Van Valkenburgh ◽  
Rolf O. Peterson ◽  
Douglas W. Smith ◽  
Daniel R. Stahler ◽  
John A. Vucetich
Keyword(s):  
Prey Availability ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Large Carnivore ◽  
Fracture Frequency ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Dental Attrition ◽  
Energetic Stress ◽  
Tooth Fracture ◽  
Dental Injuries

AbstractExceptionally high rates of tooth fracture in large Pleistocene carnivorans imply intensified interspecific competition, given that tooth fracture rises with increased bone consumption, a behavior that likely occurs when prey are difficult to acquire. To assess the link between prey availability and dental attrition, we documented dental fracture rates over decades among three well-studied populations of extant gray wolves that differed in prey:predator ratio and levels of carcass utilization. When prey:predator ratios declined, kills were more fully consumed, and rates of tooth fracture more than doubled. This supports tooth fracture frequency as a relative measure of the difficulty of acquiring prey, and reveals a rapid response to diminished food levels in large carnivores despite risks of infection and reduced fitness due to dental injuries. More broadly, large carnivore tooth fracture frequency likely reflects energetic stress, an aspect of predator success that is challenging to quantify in wild populations.

scholarly journals Estimating and forecasting spatial population dynamics of apex predators using transnational genetic monitoring

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (48) ◽  
pp. 30531-30538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bischof ◽  
Cyril Milleret ◽  
Pierre Dupont ◽  
Joseph Chipperfield ◽  
Mahdieh Tourani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Large Carnivore ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Fundamental Information ◽  
National Boundaries

The ongoing recovery of terrestrial large carnivores in North America and Europe is accompanied by intense controversy. On the one hand, reestablishment of large carnivores entails a recovery of their most important ecological role, predation. On the other hand, societies are struggling to relearn how to live with apex predators that kill livestock, compete for game species, and occasionally injure or kill people. Those responsible for managing these species and mitigating conflict often lack fundamental information due to a long-standing challenge in ecology: How do we draw robust population-level inferences for elusive animals spread over immense areas? Here we showcase the application of an effective tool for spatially explicit tracking and forecasting of wildlife population dynamics at scales that are relevant to management and conservation. We analyzed the world’s largest dataset on carnivores comprising more than 35,000 noninvasively obtained DNA samples from over 6,000 individual brown bears (Ursus arctos), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and wolverines (Gulo gulo). Our analyses took into account that not all individuals are detected and, even if detected, their fates are not always known. We show unequivocal quantitative evidence of large carnivore recovery in northern Europe, juxtaposed with the finding that humans are the single-most important factor driving the dynamics of these apex predators. We present maps and forecasts of the spatiotemporal dynamics of large carnivore populations, transcending national boundaries and management regimes.

scholarly journals The Return of Large Carnivores and Extensive Farming Systems: A Review of Stakeholders’ Perception at an EU Level

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1735
Author(s):  
Marcello Franchini ◽  
Mirco Corazzin ◽  
Stefano Bovolenta ◽  
Stefano Filacorda
Keyword(s):  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Direct Experience ◽  
Large Carnivore ◽  
Degree Of Acceptance ◽  
Extensive Farming ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Eu

Conflicts between large carnivores and human activities undermine both the maintenance of livestock practices as well as the conservation of carnivores across Europe. Because large carnivore management is driven by a common EU policy, the purpose of this research was to assess stakeholders’ perception towards bears and wolves at an EU level. We conducted a systematic search and subsequent analysis of 40 peer-reviewed studies collected from 1990 to September 2020 within Member States of the EU. Rural inhabitants and hunters exhibited the most negative attitude compared to urban inhabitants and conservationists, whose attitude was more positive. We showed that direct experience with predators as a consequence of ongoing re-colonization may have affected the degree of acceptance of certain categories and that the long-term coexistence between humans and carnivores does not necessarily imply increased tolerance. To encourage coexistence, we recommend monitoring changes in attitudes over time relative to carnivore population dynamics.

scholarly journals Individual Variation in Predatory Behavior, Scavenging and Seasonal Prey Availability as Potential Drivers of Coexistence between Wolves and Bears

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 356
Author(s):  
Andrés Ordiz ◽  
Cyril Milleret ◽  
Antonio Uzal ◽  
Barbara Zimmermann ◽  
Petter Wabakken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prey Availability ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Predatory Behavior ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Main Prey ◽  
Large Carnivore ◽  
Age Class

Several large carnivore populations are recovering former ranges, and it is important to understand interspecific interactions between overlapping species. In Scandinavia, recent research has reported that brown bear presence influences gray wolf habitat selection and kill rates. Here, we characterized the temporal use of a common prey resource by sympatric wolves and bears and described individual and seasonal variation in their direct and/or indirect interactions. Most bear–wolf interactions were indirect, via bear scavenging of wolf kills. Bears used >50% of wolf kills, whereas we did not record any wolf visit at bear kills. Adult and subadult bears visited wolf kills, but female bears with cubs of the year, the most vulnerable age class to conspecifics and other predators, did not. Wolf and bear kill rates peaked in early summer, when both targeted neonate moose calves, which coincided with a reduction in bear scavenging rate. Some bears were highly predatory and some did not kill any calf. Individual and age-class variation (in bear predation and scavenging patterns) and seasonality (in bear scavenging patterns and main prey availability of both wolves and bears) could mediate coexistence of these apex predators. Similar processes likely occur in other ecosystems with varying carnivore assemblages.

scholarly journals Do conservation strategies that increase tiger populations have consequences for other wild carnivores like leopards?

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ujjwal Kumar ◽  
Neha Awasthi ◽  
Qamar Qureshi ◽  
Yadvendradev Jhala
Keyword(s):  
Species Conservation ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Large Carnivore ◽  
Positive Growth ◽  
Capture Recapture ◽  
Very High

Abstract Most large carnivore populations are declining across their global range except in some well managed protected areas (PA’s). Investments for conserving charismatic apex carnivores are often justified due to their umbrella effect on biodiversity. We evaluate population trends of two large sympatric carnivores, the tiger and leopard through spatially-explicit-capture-recapture models from camera trap data in Kanha PA, India, from 2011 to 2016. Our results show that the overall density (100 km−2) of tigers ranged between 4.82 ± 0.33 to 5.21 ± 0.55SE and of leopards between 6.63 ± 0.71 to 8.64 ± 0.75SE, with no detectable trends at the PA scale. When evaluated at the catchment scale, Banjar catchment that had higher prey density and higher conservation investments, recorded significant growth of both carnivores. While Halon catchment, that had lower prey and conservation investments, populations of both carnivores remained stable. Sex ratio of both carnivores was female biased. As is typical with large carnivores, movement parameter sigma (an index for range size), was larger for males than for females. However, sigma was surprisingly similar for the same genders in both carnivores. At home-range scale, leopards achieved high densities and positive growth rates in areas that had low, medium or declining tiger density. Our results suggest that umbrella-species conservation value of tigers is likely to be compromised at very high densities and therefore should not be artificially inflated through targeted management.

scholarly journals Severe Maxillary Osteomyelitis in a Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)

2013 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Barber-Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Dental Injuries

Whereas dental injuries and abnormalities have been documented in Gray Wolves (Canis lupus), severe maxillary necrosis has not previously been implicated in a Gray Wolf fatality. Here I report maxillary osteomyelitis in a wild Gray Wolf from northeastern Minnesota of such severity that I hypothesize it ultimately led to death by starvation.

scholarly journals Range contractions of the world's large carnivores

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 170052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Wolf ◽  
William J. Ripple
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Panthera Tigris ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Canis Rufus ◽  
Large Carnivore ◽  
Red Wolf ◽  
Historical Times ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Contraction Maps

The majority of the world's terrestrial large carnivores have undergone substantial range contractions and many of these species are currently threatened with extinction. However, there has been little effort to fully quantify the extent of large carnivore range contractions, which hinders our ability to understand the roles and relative drivers of such trends. Here we present and analyse a newly constructed and comprehensive set of large carnivore range contraction maps. We reveal the extent to which ranges have contracted since historical times and identify regions and biomes where range contractions have been particularly large. In summary, large carnivores that have experienced the greatest range contractions include the red wolf ( Canis rufus ) (greater than 99%), Ethiopian wolf ( Canis simensis ) (99%), tiger ( Panthera tigris ) (95%) and lion ( Panthera leo ) (94%). In general, the greatest range contractions occurred in Southeastern Asia and Africa. Motivated by the ecological importance of intact large carnivore guilds, we also examined the spatial extent of intact large carnivore guilds both for the entire world and regionally. We found that intact carnivore guilds occupy just 34% of the world's land area. This compares to 96% in historic times. Spatial modelling of range contractions showed that contractions were significantly more likely in regions with high rural human population density, cattle density or cropland. Our results offer new insights into how best to prevent further range contractions for the world's largest carnivores, which will assist efforts to conserve these species and their important ecological effects.

scholarly journals Carnivore ecology and conservation : implications for tiger conservation and management in Nepal

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hemanta Kafley
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Prey Abundance ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Conservation Programs ◽  
Intraguild Interactions ◽  
Formidable Challenge ◽  
Tiger Conservation ◽  
Conservation And Management

In human-dominated landscapes, conservation and management of large carnivores has been a formidable challenge due to habitat fragmentation, degradation and loss, wildlife persecution, and poaching. Consequently, wide-ranging species like tigers are now relegated to small protected areas. I evaluated factors influencing occupancy of tiger at a fine spatial-scale, developed a novel model to estimate prey abundance, assessed intraguild interaction between tigers and leopards in response to prey and disturbance factors, and evaluated sustainable financing mechanisms for tiger conservation programs. The success of carnivore conservation relies on better understanding their habitat use and prey availability, the community structure of competing species, and the financial ability to sustain monitoring and conservation programs. I collected field data through camera trap survey in Chitwan National Park and found that tiger occurrence was influenced by fine-scale habitat factors including prey availability. I concluded that in small protected areas wide-ranging carnivores may persist at high population densities by intensively focusing their activity on small portions of their home ranges. Furthermore, prey abundance, key to carnivore persistence, can be reliably estimated from camera trapping data using binomial mixture models. Further, prey abundances in conjunction with human and livestock presence in the park modulate intraguild interactions between tigers and leopards. Collectively, these findings should provide useful information for biologists, conservationists, and managers on how to successfully conserve and manage large carnivores.

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