Holt Alison R, Davies Zoe G, Tyler Claire, Staddon Samantha
Catchment Science Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2008 Jun 11;3(6):e2400. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002400.
Controlling vertebrate predators is one of the most widespread forms of wildlife management and it continues to cause conflict between stakeholders worldwide. It is important for managers and policy-makers to make decisions on this issue that are based on the best available scientific evidence. Therefore, it is first important to understand if there is indeed an impact of vertebrate predators on prey, and then to quantify this impact.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using the UK as a case study, we use a meta-analytical approach to review the available evidence to assess the effect of vertebrate predation on animal prey abundance. We find a significant effect of predators on prey abundance across our studies. On average, there is a 1.6 fold increase in prey abundance in the absence of predation. However, we show significant heterogeneity in effect sizes, and discuss how the method of predator control, whether the predator is native or non-native, and aspects of study design, may be potential causes.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results allow some cautious policy recommendations to be made regarding the management of predator and prey populations. Meta-analysis is an important tool for understanding general patterns in the effect of predators on prey abundance across studies. Such an approach is especially valuable where management decisions need to be made in the absence of site-specific information.
控制脊椎动物捕食者是野生动物管理中最普遍的形式之一，并且它继续在全球范围内引发利益相关者之间的冲突。对于管理者和政策制定者而言，基于现有最佳科学证据就这一问题做出决策非常重要。因此，首先要了解脊椎动物捕食者是否真的对猎物有影响，然后对这种影响进行量化。
方法/主要发现：以英国为案例研究，我们采用元分析方法来审查现有证据，以评估脊椎动物捕食对动物猎物数量的影响。我们发现在我们的各项研究中，捕食者对猎物数量有显著影响。平均而言，在没有捕食的情况下，猎物数量会增加1.6倍。然而，我们显示效应大小存在显著异质性，并讨论了捕食者控制方法、捕食者是本地的还是非本地的以及研究设计的各个方面可能是潜在原因。
结论/意义：我们的结果允许就捕食者和猎物种群的管理提出一些谨慎的政策建议。元分析是理解捕食者对猎物数量影响的一般模式的重要工具。在缺乏特定地点信息的情况下需要做出管理决策时，这种方法尤其有价值。
