Landscapes of fear in the Anthropocene: Linking predation risk and human disturbance to animal behavior and ecological outcomes

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Predators play a key role in structuring ecosystems through the consumption of prey. Recently, theoretical and experimental evidence have demonstrated that the non-consumptive effects of predators on prey can potentially exceed the effects of prey removal, suggesting that the threat of predation may be even more ecologically important than predation itself. Prey animals are constantly navigating landscapes of fear, or perceived spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the risk of predator encounter and capture. Avoidance of risky areas can reduce available habitat, and the modulation of activities like foraging and vigilance in areas of high perceived risk can have significant physiological and opportunity costs. These predator-induced shifts in prey behavior can thus compromise survival and reproduction and shape prey interactions with other species in the ecosystem. Despite the potential importance of predation risk effects, there remains debate about the role of non-consumptive effects of predation in free-ranging, large mammal populations and ecosystems. Human disturbance may reshape animals' landscapes of fear along multiple pathways: management actions contribute to the loss and recovery of predators, human activity and infrastructure present novel perceived sources of risk for wild animals, and land use and global change alter the playing field of predation risk. To anticipate and mitigate the impacts of the expanding global human footprint on biodiversity, we must understand the ecological mechanisms that underpin animal responses to human disturbance. My long-term research program aims to deepen our understanding of these mechanisms, with a focus on how risk trade-offs shape the behavior of large-bodied, terrestrial mammals. Over the next five years, my research group will work towards this long-term goal through data synthesis and fieldwork in Africa and North America. Our short-term objectives are to: (1) Examine how the return of apex carnivores to Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, has reshaped landscapes of fear for antelope prey; (2) Synthesize global camera trap datasets to quantify the influence of human disturbance on species interactions worldwide; and (3) Explore how different types of human activity, attitudes, and behaviors shape socio-ecological landscapes of fear in North America. Integral to this research will be the training of three PhD, three MSc, and six BSc students in field ecology and data science. Through this work, I aim to advance our understanding of the role of predation risk in terrestrial ecosystems, ultimately informing strategies for biodiversity conservation and human-wildlife coexistence on an increasingly crowded planet.