Lehmann Monika B, Funston Paul J, Owen Cailey R, Slotow Rob
Department of Nature Conservation, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa.
PLoS One. 2008;3(12):e3998. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003998. Epub 2008 Dec 22.
Interventionist conservation management of territorial large carnivores has increased in recent years, especially in South Africa. Understanding of spatial ecology is an important component of predator conservation and management. Spatial patterns are influenced by many, often interacting, factors making elucidation of key drivers difficult. We had the opportunity to study a simplified system, a single pride of lions (Panthera leo) after reintroduction onto the 85 km(2) Karongwe Game Reserve, from 1999-2005, using radio-telemetry. In 2002 one male was removed from the paired coalition which had been present for the first three years. A second pride and male were in a fenced reserve adjacent of them to the east. This made it possible to separate social and resource factors in both a coalition and single male scenario, and the driving factors these seem to have on spatial ecology. Male ranging behaviour was not affected by coalition size, being driven more by resource rather than social factors. The females responded to the lions on the adjacent reserve by avoiding the area closest to them, therefore females may be more driven by social factors. Home range size and the resource response to water are important factors to consider when reintroducing lions to a small reserve, and it is hoped that these findings lead to other similar studies which will contribute to sound decisions regarding the management of lions on small reserves.
近年来，对大型食肉动物领地的干预性保护管理有所增加，尤其是在南非。对空间生态学的理解是捕食者保护与管理的重要组成部分。空间格局受到许多因素（通常相互作用）的影响，这使得阐明关键驱动因素变得困难。1999年至2005年期间，我们有机会在面积为85平方公里的卡隆圭禁猎区重新引入狮子后，利用无线电遥测技术对一个简化系统，即一个狮群（非洲狮）进行研究。2002年，将在最初三年一直存在的一对雄狮联盟中的一只雄性移除。在其东侧相邻的围栏保护区内有另一个狮群和一只雄性狮子。这使得在联盟和单只雄性的情况下，能够区分社会因素和资源因素，以及它们对空间生态学的驱动因素。雄性的活动范围行为不受联盟规模的影响，更多地是由资源而非社会因素驱动。雌性通过避开最靠近相邻保护区狮子的区域做出反应，因此雌性可能更多地受社会因素驱动。当将狮子重新引入小型保护区时，家域大小和对水源的资源反应是需要考虑的重要因素，希望这些发现能引发其他类似研究，为小型保护区狮子管理的合理决策做出贡献。
