Effects of predator control on behaviour of an apex predator and indirect consequences for mesopredator suppression

By Leila A. Brook, Christopher N. Johnson, Euan G. Ritchie. 2012

252 citations recorded by the source corpus.

1. Apex predators can benefit ecosystems through top–down control of mesopredators and herbivores. However, apex predators are often subject to lethal control aimed at minimizing attacks on livestock. Lethal control can affect both the abundance and behaviour of apex predators. These changes could in turn influence the abundance and behaviour of mesopredators. 2. We used remote camera surveys at nine pairs of large Australian rangeland properties, comparing properties that controlled dingoes Canis lupus dingo with properties that did not, to test the effects of predator control on dingo activity and to evaluate the responses of a mesopredator, the feral cat Felis catus. 3. Indices of dingo abundance were generally reduced on properties that practiced dingo control, in comparison with paired properties that did not, although the effect size of control was variable. Dingoes in uncontrolled populations were crepuscular, similar to major prey. In populations subject to control, dingoes became less active around dusk, and activity was concentrated in the period shortly before dawn. 4. Shifts in feral cat abundance indices between properties with and without dingo control were inversely related to corresponding shifts in indices of dingo abundance. There was also a negative relationship between predator visitation rates at individual camera stations, suggesting cats avoided areas where dingoes were locally common. Reduced activity by dingoes at dusk was associated with higher activity of cats at dusk. 5. Our results suggest that effective dingo control not only leads to higher abundance of feral cats, but allows them to optimize hunting behaviour when dingoes are less active. This double effect could amplify the impacts of dingo control on prey species selected by cats. In areas managed for conservation, stable dingo populations may thus contribute to management objectives by restricting feral cat access to prey populations. 6. Synthesis and applications. Predator control not only reduces indices of apex predator abundance but can also modify their behaviour. Hence, indicators other than abundance, such as behavioural patterns, should be considered when estimating a predator's capacity to effectively interact with lower trophic guilds. Changes to apex predator behaviour may relax limitations on the behaviour of mesopredators, providing enhanced access to resources and prey.

Subfields: Ecology, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7e8d6c453709ad4e4dad51c13470207a40117e61

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Ecology

In Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Citations in the corpus

Stemming the tide: progress towards resolving the causes of decline and implementing management responses for the disappearing mammal fauna of northern Australia (2015, background): “Across northern Australia, cat activity tends to be higher where dingo activity is low (Brook et al. 2012; Kennedy et al. 2011).”
Investigating animal activity patterns and temporal niche partitioning using camera‐trap data: challenges and opportunities (2017, background): “…change (Ramesh and Downs 2013), human activity (Wang et al. 2015; Ngoprasert et al. 2017), hunting (Di Bitetti et al. 2008), predator control (Brook et al. 2012) and presence of invasive competitors or predators (Gerber et al. 2012; Zapata-R ıos and Branch 2016) – may alter species’…”
As clear as mud: A critical review of evidence for the ecological roles of Australian dingoes (2013, background): “…of similar dingo–mesopredator studies that use other types of relative abundance indices (such as camera-trapping rates or scat indices) to sample and contrast dingo populations over multiple seasons and habitats (Allen, 2012c; but see Wallach et al., 2009b or Brook et al., 2012 for examples).”
Mesopredator spatial and temporal responses to large predators and human development in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California (2015, background): “To reduce pseudoreplication, we did not record photos of animals of the same species if they occurred within 30 min of a previous photo (Brook et al., 2012; Lucherini et al., 2009; Monterroso et al., 2013).”
Amplified predation after fire suppresses rodent populations in Australia’s tropical savannas (2016, background): “The role of dingoes in the environment after fire either as major predators of small mammals, or perhaps as protectors of small mammals via mesopredator suppression of feral cats, requires further investigation (Johnson et al. 2007; Woinarski et al. 2011a; Brook et al. 2012).”
Predation by small mammalian carnivores in rural agro-ecosystems: An undervalued ecosystem service? (2017, background): “We provide two possible reasons for this lack of effect; first cats most often include small mammals in their diet (Loss et al., 2013), and as such might impact small carnivores through competitive exclusion (Brook et al., 2012).”
Multiple threats, or multiplying the threats? Interactions between invasive predators and other ecological disturbances (2015, background): “Dingoes can have spatially and temporally suppressive effects on invasive mesopredators (Brawata and Neeman, 2011; Wallach et al., 2010), with cat and fox activity being higher in areas where dingoes are poisoned (Brook et al., 2012; Colman et al., 2014).”