Mesopredators change temporal activity in response to a recolonizing apex predator

Apex predators can influence ecosystems through density and behaviorally mediated effects on herbivores and mesopredators. In many parts of the world, apex predators live in, or are returning to, landscapes that have been modified by people, so it is important to understand their ecological role in anthropogenic landscapes. We used motion-activated game cameras to compare the activity patterns of humans and two mesopredators, coyotes (Canis latrans) and bobcats (Lynx rufus), in areas with and without an apex predator, the gray wolf (Canis lupus), in a multi-use landscape of the northwestern United States. In areas with wolves there was a significant increase in temporal niche overlap between the mesopredators owing to higher levels of coyote activity at all time periods of the day. Temporal overlap between mesopredators and humans also increased significantly in the presence of wolves. Coyotes exposed to wolves increased their activity during dawn, day, and dusk hours. The increase in c...

顶级捕食者（apex predators）可通过对食草动物及中型捕食者（mesopredators）的密度介导效应与行为介导效应影响生态系统。在全球许多地区，顶级捕食者正生活于或回归至经人类改造的景观中，因此理解其在人为景观（anthropogenic landscapes）中的生态角色至关重要。我们利用运动触发式野外相机（motion-activated game cameras），在美国西北部的多功能景观（multi-use landscape）中，对比了存在与不存在顶级捕食者灰狼（Canis lupus）的区域内，人类与两种中型捕食者——郊狼（Canis latrans）及红猞猁（Lynx rufus）的活动模式。在有灰狼存在的区域，由于郊狼在日间各时段的活动水平均有所提升，中型捕食者间的时间生态位重叠（temporal niche overlap）显著增加。中型捕食者与人类的时间重叠在灰狼存在时亦显著上升。暴露于灰狼环境中的郊狼在黎明、白昼及黄昏时段的活动有所增加。关于c...的增加...