Non-exploitative human disturbance provides shelter for prey from predator

Human activities can influence behaviors of predators and prey, as well as
predator-prey interactions. Using camera trap data, we investigated
whether or to what extent human activities influenced behaviors of
predators (tigers and leopards) and prey (sambar deer, spotted deer, wild
boar, barking deer), and predator-prey interactions in the Barandabhar
Corridor Forest (BCF), Chitwan District, Nepal. A multispecies occupancy
model revealed that the presence of humans altered the conditional
occupancy of both prey and predator species. Specifically, the conditional
occupancy probability of prey was substantially higher (ψ = 0.91, CI =
0.89–0.92) when humans were present than when humans were absent (ψ =
0.68, CI = 0.54–0.79). The diel activity pattern of most prey species
overlapped strongly with humans, whereas predators were generally more
active when humans were absent. Finally, the spatio-temporal overlap
analysis revealed that human-prey interactions (i.e., the probability that
both humans and prey species being present on the same grid at the same
hourly period) was ~3 times higher (10.5%, CI = 10.4%–10.6%) compared to
spatio-temporal overlap between humans-predators (3.1%, CI = 3.0%–3.2%).
Our findings are consistent with the human-shield hypothesis and suggest
that ungulate prey species may reduce predation risk by using areas with
high human activities.

人类活动可影响捕食者与猎物的行为，以及二者间的捕食者-猎物互作关系。本研究利用相机诱捕数据（camera trap data），针对尼泊尔奇特旺县巴拉恩达巴尔廊道森林（Barandabhar Corridor Forest, BCF）开展调查，旨在明确人类活动是否以及在多大程度上影响捕食者（虎、豹）、猎物（水鹿、斑鹿、野猪、赤麂）的行为，以及该地的捕食者-猎物互作情况。多物种占用模型（multispecies occupancy model）分析结果显示，人类的存在改变了猎物与捕食者物种的条件占用概率。具体而言，当存在人类活动时，猎物的条件占用概率（ψ = 0.91，置信区间CI = 0.89–0.92）显著高于人类活动缺失时（ψ = 0.68，CI = 0.54–0.79）。多数猎物物种的昼夜活动模式与人类高度重叠，而捕食者则通常在人类活动缺失的时段更为活跃。最后，时空重叠分析（spatio-temporal overlap analysis）结果显示，人类-猎物互作（即人类与猎物物种在同一监测网格、同一小时时段内同时出现的概率）约为人类-捕食者互作概率的3倍（人类-猎物互作概率为10.5%，CI = 10.4%–10.6%；人类-捕食者互作概率为3.1%，CI = 3.0%–3.2%）。本研究结果与人类庇护假说（human-shield hypothesis）一致，表明有蹄类猎物可通过利用人类活动密集的区域来降低自身被捕食的风险。