Data from: Zooming in on mechanistic predator-prey ecology: integrating camera traps with experimental methods to reveal the drivers of ecological interactions

1. Camera trap technology has galvanized the study of predator-prey ecology in wild animal communities by expanding the scale and diversity of predator-prey interactions that can be analyzed. While observational data from systematic camera arrays have informed inferences on the spatiotemporal outcomes of predator-prey interactions, the capacity for observational studies to identify mechanistic drivers of species interactions is limited. 2. Experimental study designs that utilize camera traps uniquely allow for testing hypothesized mechanisms that drive predator and prey behavior, incorporating environmental realism not possible in the lab while benefiting from the distinct capacity of camera traps to generate large data sets from multiple species with minimal observer interference. However, such pairings of camera traps with experimental methods remain underutilized. 3. We review recent advances in the experimental application of camera traps to investigate fundamental mechanisms underlying predator-prey ecology and present a conceptual guide for designing experimental camera trap studies. 4. Only 9% of camera trap studies on predator-prey ecology in our review mention experimental methods, but the application of experimental approaches is increasing. To illustrate the utility of camera trap-based experiments using a case study, we propose a study design that integrates observational and experimental techniques to test a perennial question in predator-prey ecology: how prey balance foraging and safety, as formalized by the risk allocation hypothesis. We discuss applications of camera trap-based experiments to evaluate the diversity of anthropogenic influences on wildlife communities globally. Finally, we review challenges to conducting experimental camera trap studies. 5. Experimental camera trap studies have already begun to play an important role in understanding the predator-prey ecology of free-living animals, and such methods will become increasingly critical to quantifying drivers of community interactions in a rapidly changing world. We recommend increased application of experimental methods in the study of predator and prey responses to humans, synanthropic and invasive species, and other anthropogenic disturbances.

1. 相机陷阱（camera trap）技术通过拓展可分析的捕食者-猎物相互作用的规模与多样性，极大推动了野生动物群落中捕食者-猎物生态学的研究。尽管基于标准化相机阵列的观测数据，已为解析捕食者-猎物相互作用的时空动态结果提供了推断依据，但观测研究在识别物种种间相互作用的机制性驱动因素方面仍存在局限。
2. 利用相机陷阱的实验研究设计，可针对性检验驱动捕食者与猎物行为的假说性机制：这类设计既保留了实验室条件无法实现的环境真实性，又兼具相机陷阱的独特优势——可在最小观察者干扰的前提下，获取多物种的大规模数据集。然而，相机陷阱与实验方法的这类结合应用仍未得到充分开发。
3. 本综述梳理了相机陷阱在实验应用领域的最新进展，旨在探究捕食者-猎物生态学背后的核心机制，并为实验性相机陷阱研究的设计提供概念性指南。
4. 本次综述收录的捕食者-猎物生态学相关相机陷阱研究中，仅9%提及了实验方法，但实验性研究方法的应用正逐年增长。为通过案例研究阐明基于相机陷阱的实验的应用价值，我们提出了一套整合观测与实验技术的研究设计，用于检验捕食者-猎物生态学领域的一项长期核心问题：猎物如何平衡觅食需求与生存安全——这一问题已由风险分配假说（risk allocation hypothesis）予以正式阐述。此外，我们还讨论了基于相机陷阱的实验在全球范围内评估人为因素对野生动物群落产生的多样影响时的应用场景。最后，本文梳理了开展实验性相机陷阱研究所面临的各项挑战。
5. 实验性相机陷阱研究已在解析自由活动野生动物的捕食者-猎物生态学方面发挥了重要作用，而在快速变化的全球环境中，这类方法对于量化群落相互作用的驱动因素将愈发关键。我们建议，在探究捕食者与猎物对人类、伴人生物、入侵物种及其他人为干扰的响应相关研究中，应进一步推广实验方法的应用。