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Risk avoidance in sympatric large carnivores: reactive or predictive?
Femke Broekhuis1, Gabriele Cozzi, Marion Valeix
1Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney, OX13 5QL, UK; Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, Private Bag 13, Maun, Botswana.
The Journal of Animal Ecology
|May 23, 2013
Summary
Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) avoid immediate threats from lions and spotted hyaenas by maintaining distance, indicating a reactive, not predictive, response to predator risk. This spatial strategy fine-tunes their distribution after resource needs are met.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Behavioral Ecology
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Species distribution is significantly influenced by predation and interference competition.
- Animal responses to risk can be reactive (immediate) or predictive (based on past experiences).
- Understanding risk response is crucial for interspecies avoidance and coexistence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) exhibit reactive or predictive responses to risks posed by lions (Panthera leo) and spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta).
- To analyze cheetahs' spatial and habitat use in relation to the presence of larger carnivores.
Main Methods:
- Utilized simultaneous spatial data from Global Positioning System (GPS) radiocollars on cheetahs, lions, and spotted hyaenas in a 2700 km² study area in Botswana.
- Assessed risk response on three levels: immediate (distance to nearest predator), long-term (cumulative distribution likelihood), and habitat-associated risk.
- Compared spatial and habitat use patterns among the three carnivore species.
Main Results:
- Cheetahs' space and habitat use showed similarities to lions and, to a lesser extent, spotted hyaenas.
- Cheetahs actively avoided immediate risks by maintaining greater distances from lions and spotted hyaenas than random distribution would predict.
- Cheetah spatial distribution appears to be a hierarchical process, prioritizing resource acquisition before predator avoidance.
Conclusions:
- Cheetahs demonstrate a reactive, rather than predictive, response to the immediate risks posed by lions and spotted hyaenas.
- Predator avoidance fine-tunes cheetah spatial distribution, highlighting the importance of risk assessment in their ecological niche.
- Findings contribute to understanding interspecific interactions and coexistence dynamics in predator-rich environments.
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