Data from: Urbanization alters predator avoidance behaviors

1. Urbanization is considered the fastest growing form of global land use
change and can dramatically modify habitat structure and ecosystem
function. While ecological processes continue to operate within cities,
urban ecosystems are profoundly different from their more natural
counterparts. Thus, ecological predictions derived from more natural
ecosystems are rarely generalizable to urban environments. 2. In this
study we used data from a large-scale and long-term camera trapping
project in Chicago IL, USA to determine whether urbanization alters
predator avoidance behavior of urban prey species. 3. We studied three
behavioral mechanisms often induced by the fear of predation (spatial
distribution, daily activity patterns, and vigilance) of white-tailed deer
(Odocoileus virginianus) and eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
when coyote (Canis latrans) – an urban apex predator – was present in the
same habitat patch. 4. We found no evidence of spatial segregation between
coyote and either prey species. Furthermore, neither white-tailed deer nor
eastern cottontail changed their daily activity or increased vigilance in
urban areas when coyotes were present. Eastern cottontail, however, had
their uppermost level of vigilance in highly urban sites when coyotes were
absent. 5. Our study demonstrates that predator-prey dynamics might be
modified in urban ecosystems – moving from what is traditionally thought
of as a two-player system (predator and prey) to a three-player system
(predator, prey, and people).