Den site selection, pack composition, and reproductive success in endangered African wild dogs

Habitat quality is often assumed to be directly related to increased consumer density, but such assumptions cannot be made without supporting demographic data that indicate improved fitness. Habitat selection might be especially important for denning species, where vulnerable offspring are confined to a single location for extended periods, but the effect of den choice on the reproductive success of denning species is poorly understood. By combining airborne high-resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) measurements with data on pack composition, we investigated den site selection by endangered African wild dogs in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa, examining whether habitat selection based on ecological factors resulted in increased litter sizes and thus reproductive success compared with social factors known to be important. Although there was selection for den sites in areas of increased terrain ruggedness and vegetation density, only vegetation density was associated with l...

栖息地质量常被认为与更高的消费者种群密度直接相关，但若无能够证明适合度提升的种群统计数据支撑，此类假设难以成立。栖息地选择对穴居物种而言或许尤为关键——这类物种的脆弱幼崽会长时间被局限于单一巢穴地点，但学界对巢穴选择对穴居物种繁殖成功率的影响仍知之甚少。本研究结合机载高分辨率激光雷达（Light Detection and Ranging, LiDAR）测量数据与犬群组成数据，对南非赫卢赫卢韦-因弗洛齐公园内的濒危非洲野犬巢穴选址行为展开调查，对比已知具有重要影响的社会因素，探究基于生态因素的栖息地选择是否能提升窝仔数，进而提高繁殖成功率。尽管研究对象会在地形崎岖度更高、植被更茂密的区域选择巢穴，但仅有植被密度与...