Spatial Ecology of Predator-Prey Relationships in East Africa

东非捕食者与被捕食者关系的空间生态学

• 批准号: 1266389
• 负责人: Lynne Isbell
• 金额: $ 30.35万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-15 至 2016-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1266389&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Spatial; Ecology; Predator; Prey; Relationships

Active predation has been considered a powerful selective pressure for at least 500 million years, ever since animals evolved eyes, teeth, and jaws. Traits which have been proposed to be evolved adaptations to predation pressure in primates and early human ancestors include alarm calls, large body size, large group size, group-living itself, increased vigilance, avoidance of high-risk habitats, and greater cognitive abilities. Empirical evidence to both document actual predation pressure on primates and to then assess evolved and co-evolved traits in the context of predator-prey relationships, however, has been extremely difficult to acquire. A number of significant predators for primates are active at night, limiting data acquisition, and the presence of human observers studying primates in the wild likely discourages predation during other times.Recent advances in remote sensing technologies, such as the use of GPS-tracking collars, now provide a mechanism to systematically and more fully document the interactions between predators and prey. This research will utilize these technological innovations to assess predator-prey behavior and interactions between two primates, baboons and vervet monkeys, and their likely major predator, leopards, in East Africa. These primate species are terrestrial and occupy savannah-woodland habitats, conditions relevant to much of the developed theory on adaptations to predation, and they are frequently utilized in reconstructions of early human ancestral lifeways. Spatial data from the GPS collars on individuals of all three species, along with data from voice-activated recorders that document nocturnal attacks at primate sleeping sites, will generate unprecedented and detailed records of the frequency of predator-prey interactions, predation rates, prey vulnerability, and prey responses. Because baboons and vervets differ in body size, group size, habitat use, ranging behavior, and types of alarm calls, these data will enable us to test long-standing but heretofore untested hypotheses about these presumed, evolved adaptations to predators.This project provides research and training opportunities for a US postdoctoral researcher and a Kenyan graduate student. Its broader impacts are further expanded by being based at Mpala Research Centre, a facility jointly maintained by US and Kenyan organizations. It strengthens collaborative relationships between US and Kenyan organizations and aids local community conservation and education efforts through its contributions to Mpala. Finally, the data from this project will inform conservation efforts to better protect carnivore and primate species.

自从动物进化出眼睛、牙齿和下巴以来，主动捕食至少5亿年来一直被认为是一种强大的选择压力。灵长类和早期人类祖先的特征被认为是对捕食压力的进化适应，包括警报叫声、体型庞大、群体规模大、群体生活本身、提高警觉性、避免高风险栖息地以及更强的认知能力。然而，在捕食者-猎物关系的背景下，既记录对灵长类动物的实际捕食压力，然后评估进化和共同进化的特征的经验证据，一直是极其困难的。许多重要的灵长类捕食者在夜间活动，限制了数据获取，而在野外研究灵长类动物的人类观察员的存在可能会阻止其他时间的捕食。最近遥感技术的进步，如GPS跟踪项圈的使用，现在提供了一种机制，可以系统地和更全面地记录捕食者和猎物之间的相互作用。这项研究将利用这些技术创新来评估捕食者-猎物行为以及东非两种灵长类动物--狒狒和斑尾猴，以及它们可能的主要捕食者--豹子之间的相互作用。这些灵长类物种是陆生的，占据着热带草原-林地的栖息地，这一条件与许多已发展的捕食适应理论有关，它们经常被用于重建早期人类祖先的生活方式。来自GPS项圈的所有三个物种个体的空间数据，以及来自记录灵长类睡眠地点夜间攻击的声控记录器的数据，将产生关于捕食者-猎物相互作用频率、捕食率、猎物脆弱性和猎物反应的史无前例的详细记录。因为在个体大小、群体大小、栖息地利用、活动范围行为和警报呼叫类型上存在差异，这些数据将使我们能够测试关于这些假定的、进化的对捕食者的适应的长期存在但迄今未经检验的假设。该项目为一名美国博士后研究人员和一名肯尼亚研究生提供了研究和培训机会。它的更广泛的影响进一步扩大，总部设在姆帕拉研究中心，这是一个由美国和肯尼亚组织共同维护的设施。它加强了美国和肯尼亚组织之间的合作关系，并通过对姆帕拉的贡献帮助当地社区保护和教育工作。最后，该项目的数据将为保护工作提供信息，以更好地保护食肉动物和灵长类物种。