Effects of human‐induced prey depletion on large carnivores in protected areas: Lessons from modeling tiger populations in stylized spatial scenarios. Issue 19 (8th September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Carter, Neil H.; Levin, Simon A.; Grimm, Volker
• Is Part Of: Ecology and evolution. Volume 9:Issue 19(2019)
• Page Start: 11298
• Page End: 11313
• Publication Date: 2019-09-08
• Subjects: agent‐based model -- carnivore -- conservation -- prey depletion -- protected areas -- spatial heterogeneity -- territoriality; Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577.05
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5632
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2045-7758

Abstract

Abstract: Prey depletion is a major threat to the conservation of large carnivore species globally. However, at the policy‐relevant scale of protected areas, we know little about how the spatial distribution of prey depletion affects carnivore space use and population persistence. We developed a spatially explicit, agent‐based model to investigate the effects of different human‐induced prey depletion experiments on the globally endangered tiger ( Panthera tigris ) in isolated protected areas—a situation that prevails throughout the tiger's range. Specifically, we generated 120 experiments that varied the spatial extent and intensity of prey depletion across a stylized (circle) landscape (1, 000 km 2 ) and Nepal's Chitwan National Park (~1, 239 km 2 ). Experiments that created more spatially homogenous prey distributions (i.e., less prey removed per cell but over larger areas) resulted in larger tiger territories and smaller population sizes over time. Counterintuitively, we found that depleting prey along the edge of Chitwan National Park, while decreasing tiger numbers overall, also decreased female competition for those areas, leading to lower rates of female starvation. Overall our results suggest that subtle differences in the spatial distributions of prey densities created by various human activities, such as natural resource‐use patterns, urban growth and infrastructure development, or conservation spatial zoning might have unintended, detrimental effects on carnivore populations. Our model is a useful planning tool as it incorporates information on animal behavioral ecology, resource spatial distribution, and the drivers of change to those resources, such as human activities. Abstract : We know little about how the spatial distribution of prey depletion affects tiger space use and population persistence. Using agent‐based simulation, we found that the spatial patchiness of prey resources, independent of total prey, strongly influences female tiger territory sizes, which in turn alters the carrying capacity of the landscape for tigers. Our model is a useful planning tool as it incorporates information on animal behavioral ecology, resource spatial distribution, and the drivers of change to those resources, such as human activities.