Tarugara Allan, Clegg Bruce W, Gandiwa Edson, Muposhi Victor K
Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve Chiredzi Zimbabwe.
School of Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Chinhoyi University of Technology Chinhoyi Zimbabwe.
Ecol Evol. 2021 May 11;11(12):7743-7753. doi: 10.1002/ece3.7608. eCollection 2021 Jun.
Knowledge of competition dynamics among Africa's large carnivores is important for conservation. However, investigating carnivore behaviour in the field can be challenging especially for species that are difficult to access. Methods that enable remote collection of data provide a means of recording natural behaviour and are therefore useful for studying elusive species such as leopards (). Camera traps and Global Positioning System (GPS) collars are powerful tools often used independently to study animal behaviour but where their data are combined, the interpretation of a species' behaviours is improved. In this study we used data from baited camera trap stations to investigate the feeding habits of leopards at Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Zimbabwe. We investigated the influence of spotted hyenas, lions and other competing leopards on the feeding duration of leopards using Generalized Linear Mixed Effects Modelling. To test the influence of competing predators on resting distances from bait sites, eight leopards were fitted with GPS collars. Results showed that leopards spent the shortest time feeding on the baits in the presence of competing male leopards compared to other predators while lion presence caused animals to rest farthest from bait sites. Interaction analysis indicated that small-bodied leopards spent significantly shorter durations feeding when spotted hyenas were present. Our findings demonstrate that competition from guild carnivores has negative impacts on the food intake of leopards, which may have implications for fitness and survival. This study provides a snapshot of the competition dynamics at bait sites which may give insight to ecosystem level interactions among large carnivores in savanna ecosystems.
了解非洲大型食肉动物之间的竞争动态对于保护工作至关重要。然而，在野外调查食肉动物的行为可能具有挑战性，特别是对于那些难以接近的物种。能够远程收集数据的方法提供了一种记录自然行为的手段，因此对于研究诸如豹等难以捉摸的物种很有用。相机陷阱和全球定位系统（GPS）项圈是经常独立用于研究动物行为的强大工具，但当它们的数据结合起来时，对物种行为的解释会得到改善。在本研究中，我们使用来自诱饵相机陷阱站的数据来调查津巴布韦马利兰韦野生动物保护区豹的觅食习性。我们使用广义线性混合效应模型研究了斑鬣狗、狮子和其他竞争豹对豹进食持续时间的影响。为了测试竞争食肉动物对离诱饵地点休息距离的影响，给八只豹佩戴了GPS项圈。结果表明，与其他捕食者相比，在有竞争雄性豹的情况下，豹在诱饵上进食的时间最短，而狮子的存在导致动物在离诱饵地点最远的地方休息。相互作用分析表明，当斑鬣狗出现时，体型较小的豹进食时间明显缩短。我们的研究结果表明，食肉动物群体的竞争对豹的食物摄入量有负面影响，这可能对其健康和生存产生影响。这项研究提供了诱饵地点竞争动态的快照，可能有助于深入了解稀树草原生态系统中大型食肉动物之间的生态系统层面的相互作用。
