Coyote use of prairie dog colonies is most frequent in areas used by American Badgers: Dataset

AbstractThe consequences of intraguild predation on vulnerable subordinate species are an important consideration in the recovery of endangered species. In prairie ecosystems, Coyotes (Canis latrans) are the primary predator of endangered Black-footed Ferrets (Mustela nigripes; hereafter, ferrets) and presumably compete for prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) prey. Coyote predation of ferrets is thought to occur at night when ferrets are active above-ground; however, the apparent source of competition, diurnal prairie dogs, are below-ground and inaccessible to Coyotes at this time, presenting a perplexing temporal mismatch between actual and expected times that Coyotes and ferrets come into conflict. Our study used remote wildlife cameras, occupancy models, and overlap of circadian activity patterns to investigate how landscape features, prairie dog colony attributes, and attraction to sympatric species, i.e., American Badgers (Taxidea taxus; hereafter, badgers) and lagomorphs (cottontail rabbits and jackrabbits) influence Coyote use of prairie dog colonies and potential Coyote-ferret interactions. We first evaluated Coyote use (i.e., occupancy) between prairie dog colonies and surrounding available grasslands, finding that Coyotes whose home ranges include prairie dog colonies used colonies nearly twice as much as surrounding grasslands. Next, we investigated biotic and abiotic factors that may influence Coyote use and frequency of use (i.e., detection probability) on prairie dog colonies. We found high Coyote use across all areas on prairie dog colonies; however, their frequency of use increased in areas that were also used by badgers. High overlap between Coyote and badger activity patterns (81%) further supports the spatial use patterns revealed by our occupancy analysis, and badgers and Coyotes are known to form hunting associations. Interspecific competition and overlapping patterns of resource use between badgers and ferrets have been documented in previous studies; our study supports these findings and suggests that Coyote attraction to badger activity may influence Coyote-ferret interactions.摘要 集团内捕食（intraguild predation）对弱势从属物种的影响，是濒危物种恢复工作中亟需重点考量的核心议题。在草原生态系统中，郊狼（Coyotes, Canis latrans）是濒危物种黑足雪貂（Black-footed Ferrets, Mustela nigripes；下文简称雪貂）的主要捕食者，且被认为会与雪貂竞争草原犬鼠（Cynomys spp.）这一共同猎物。 现有研究认为，郊狼对雪貂的捕食多发生在雪貂于地面活动的夜间时段；但作为二者潜在竞争对象的昼行性草原犬鼠，此时正处于地下洞穴内，郊狼无法对其进行捕食，这便在郊狼与雪貂的实际冲突时段与预期冲突时段之间，形成了一处令人费解的时间错配。 本研究借助远程野生动物相机、占用模型（occupancy models）以及昼夜活动模式重叠分析，探究了景观特征、草原犬鼠集群属性，以及对同域分布物种——美洲獾（American Badgers, Taxidea taxus；下文简称獾）和兔形目动物（棉尾兔、长耳大野兔）的吸引力，如何影响郊狼对草原犬鼠集群的利用，以及郊狼与雪貂之间的潜在互动。 我们首先对比了草原犬鼠集群与周边可利用草原的郊狼利用（即占用）情况，结果发现，家域范围包含草原犬鼠集群的郊狼，对集群的利用程度几乎是周边草原的两倍。 随后，我们分析了可能影响郊狼对草原犬鼠集群利用情况及利用频率（即检测概率）的生物与非生物因素。研究结果显示，郊狼在草原犬鼠集群的所有区域均有较高的利用度；但在同时被獾利用的区域，郊狼的利用频率有所提升。郊狼与獾的活动模式重叠度高达81%，这进一步佐证了占用分析揭示的空间利用模式，且已有研究证实獾与郊狼会形成狩猎合作关系。 已有研究证实，獾与雪貂之间存在种间竞争以及资源利用模式重叠的情况；本研究对上述结论予以支持，并表明郊狼对獾活动的吸引力，可能会对郊狼与雪貂的互动产生影响。