大型肉食動物に対する恐怖は,人間による肉食動物の死亡率を高めている
Laura R Prugh1, Calum X Cunningham1, Rebecca M Windell1
1School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 18, 2023
まとめ
大型肉食動物は 生態系の健康に不可欠です 人間が主宰する地域では 肉食動物を避けますが 人間による死亡率は高く 肉食動物への抑制が強まります
科学分野:
- エコロジー
- 野生生物保護
- 人間 と 野生 動物 の 相互作用
背景:
- 大型肉食動物は,メソプレダター抑制を含む生態系機能を維持する上で重要な役割を果たします.
- 自然生息地への人間の侵入は 大型肉食動物の共存と生態学的役割に 課題を投げかけています
- 人間の影響を受けた地域における 捕食者-獲物のダイナミクスを理解することは 保護活動に不可欠です
研究 の 目的:
- 人間が支配する田舎の環境で 肉食動物と肉食動物の移動パターンを調べる
- 捕食者と獲物の相互作用と 死亡リスクに 人間の存在がどう影響するかを評価する.
- 大型肉食動物が 保護区の外で 肉食動物を効果的に 抑制するかどうかを調べるため
主な方法:
- GPS技術を使って 肉食動物の動きを追跡する
- 動物の移動と人間の影響のレベルを相関させるための空間データを分析する.
- 大型肉食動物と人間による死亡を区別する.
主要な成果:
- 肉食動物が多くいる地域へ 移動することが判明しました
- 人間の活動によるメソプレダーターの死亡率は,大型肉食動物による死亡率より大幅に高かった (約3倍).
- 大型肉食動物への恐怖が 意図せず 肉食動物を 人間による危険性の高い 地域へと追い込んだのです
結論:
- 大型の肉食動物によるメソプレダターの抑制は,人間が支配する風景では減少せず,増幅される可能性があります.
- これらの環境では 肉食動物の大量捕食よりも 人間の活動がメソプレダターにとって 大きな脅威です
- 保護戦略は,大型肉食動物,肉食動物,人間の影響の複雑な相互作用を考慮して,効果的な生態系管理を行う必要があります.
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