Franchini Marcello, Atzeni Luciano, Lovari Sandro, Nasanbat Battogtokh, Ravchig Samiya, Herrador Francisco Ceacero, Bombieri Giovanni, Augugliaro Claudio
Department of Research and Conservation, Wildlife Initiative Italia, Via Rovigo, 12, 31040 Pederobba (TV), Italy.
Department of Agri-Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via Sondrio 2/A, 33100, Udine, Italy.
Curr Zool. 2022 Dec 5;69(6):670-681. doi: 10.1093/cz/zoac093. eCollection 2023 Dec.
The mechanisms of interactions between apex and smaller carnivores may range from competition to facilitation. Conversely, interactions between predators and prey are mainly driven by the prey reducing the likelihood of encounters with predators. In this study, we investigated (1) the spatiotemporal interactions between an apex (the snow leopard) and a meso-predator (the red fox), and (2) the temporal interactions between the snow leopard and its potential prey (Siberian ibex, argali, Asian wild ass, Tolai hare) through camera trapping in the Mongolian Great Gobi-A. The probability of occurrence for the red fox was higher in the presence of the snow leopard than in its absence. Moreover, the red fox activity pattern matched that of the snow leopard, with both species mostly active at sunset. This positive spatiotemporal interaction suggests that the presence of the snow leopard may be beneficial for the red fox in terms of scavenging opportunities. However, other explanations may also be possible. Amongst prey, the Siberian ibex and the argali were mainly active during the day, whereas the Asian wild ass and the Tolai hare were more nocturnal. These findings suggest that potential prey (especially the Siberian ibex and the argali) may shape their behavior to decrease the opportunity for encounters with the snow leopard. Our results have revealed complex interactions between apex and smaller predators and between apex predator and its potential prey.
顶级食肉动物与小型食肉动物之间的相互作用机制可能从竞争到促进不等。相反，捕食者与猎物之间的相互作用主要是由猎物减少与捕食者相遇的可能性所驱动。在本研究中，我们通过在蒙古大戈壁A地区设置相机陷阱，调查了（1）一种顶级食肉动物（雪豹）与一种中型食肉动物（赤狐）之间的时空相互作用，以及（2）雪豹与其潜在猎物（西伯利亚北山羊、盘羊、亚洲野驴、蒙古兔）之间的时间相互作用。雪豹出现时赤狐的出现概率高于雪豹不出现时。此外，赤狐的活动模式与雪豹的相匹配，两种动物大多在日落时活跃。这种积极的时空相互作用表明，就觅食机会而言，雪豹的存在可能对赤狐有益。然而，也可能有其他解释。在猎物中，西伯利亚北山羊和盘羊主要在白天活动，而亚洲野驴和蒙古兔则更多在夜间活动。这些发现表明，潜在猎物（尤其是西伯利亚北山羊和盘羊）可能会调整它们的行为，以减少与雪豹相遇的机会。我们的结果揭示了顶级食肉动物与小型食肉动物之间以及顶级食肉动物与其潜在猎物之间复杂的相互作用。
