Prey-mediated avoidance of an intraguild predator by its intraguild prey |
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Authors: | Ryan R. Wilson Terry L. Blankenship Mevin B. Hooten John A. Shivik |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA;(2) Welder Wildlife Foundation, P.O. Box 1400, Sinton, TX 78387, USA;(3) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA;(4) USDA Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA;(5) Present address: The Wilderness Society, 705 Christensen Dr., Anchorage, AK 99501, USA;(6) Present address: USGS Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 201 JVK Wagar Bldg, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA |
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Abstract: | Intraguild (IG) predation is an important factor influencing community structure, yet factors allowing coexistence of IG predator and IG prey are not well understood. The existence of spatial refuges for IG prey has recently been noted for their importance in allowing coexistence. However, reduction in basal prey availability might lead IG prey to leave spatial refuges for greater access to prey, leading to increased IG predation and fewer opportunities for coexistence. We determined how the availability of prey affected space-use patterns of bobcats (Lynx rufus, IG prey) in relation to coyote space-use patterns (Canis latrans, IG predators). We located animals from fall 2007 to spring 2009 and estimated bobcat home ranges and core areas seasonally. For each bobcat relocation, we determined intensity of coyote use, distance to water, small mammal biomass, and mean small mammal biomass of the home range during the season the location was collected. We built generalized linear mixed models and used Akaike Information Criteria to determine which factors best predicted bobcat space use. Coyote intensity was a primary determinant of bobcat core area location. In bobcat home ranges with abundant prey, core areas occurred where coyote use was low, but shifted to areas intensively used by coyotes when prey declined. High spatial variability in basal prey abundance allowed some bobcats to avoid coyotes while at the same time others were forced into more risky areas. Our results suggest that multiple behavioral strategies associated with spatial variation in basal prey abundance likely allow IG prey and IG predators to coexist. |
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