Rain, recreation, and risk: Human activity and ecological disturbance create seasonal risk landscapes for the prey of an ambush predator

Predation risk and prey responses exhibit fluctuations in space and time. Seasonal ecological disturbances can alter landscape structure and permeability to influence predator activity and efficacy, creating predictable patterns of risk for prey (seasonal risk landscapes). This may create corresponding seasonal shifts in antipredator behavior, mediated by species ecology and trade-offs between risk and resources. Yet, how human recreation interacts with seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator behavior remains understudied.
Goals – In South Florida, we investigated the impact of a seasonal ecological disturbance, specifically flooding, which is inversely related to human activity, on interactions between Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We hypothesized that human activity and ecological disturbances would interact with panther-deer ecology, resulting in the emergence of two distinct seasonal landscapes of predation risk and the corr..., Study Site
We conducted our study in the Big Cypress Swamp physiographic region of southwestern Florida, encompassing the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge (FPNWR) and Big Cypress National Preserve, including Bear Island (BI) and the Addition Lands (AL; Fig 1, Supporting Information 1). This region served as the primary restoration zone for Florida panthers (US Fish and Wildlife 2008). It experienced distinct flooded and dry seasons (Fig 1), along with seasonal storms and hurricanes (Duever et al. 1994; Abernathy et al. 2019). The regional topography exhibited minimal relief, characterized by slight ridges separating flat basins interspersed with depressions that could retain standing water throughout the dry season.
Public access varied across FPNWR, BI, and AL, with hiking trails being present in all areas and experiencing human site use. BI allowed off-road vehicle (ORV) access and hunting, while AL permitted public recreational access and limited hunting but prohibited ORV us..., R version 4.2.2Â