Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Predator-prey interactions between leopards (Panthera pardus) and chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) in South Africa

在Leanne Nash的指导下，Laura Bidner女士将在南非Loskop Dam自然保护区调查豹子和chacma狒狒之间的捕食者-猎物相互作用。实地研究将包括同时监测狒狒群的行为和运动模式，这些狒狒群习惯了人类观察者的存在，而狒狒群的活动范围内则有无线电项圈的豹子。这将使灵长类动物的捕食模式和面临的捕食风险得到比以往更详细的研究。被捕食者杀死的风险被认为是影响灵长类动物在自然环境中的行为和生态的关键因素。然而，尽管对野生非人类灵长类动物进行了大量的行为和生态学研究，但对于大多数灵长类动物对其环境中捕食风险感知的准确性知之甚少。这在很大程度上是由于许多捕食者难以捉摸的性质，这阻碍了灵长类动物研究人员获得关于捕食者活动的准确信息。豹子是出了名的隐秘的掠食者，对非洲和亚洲的许多灵长类动物构成了严重的威胁。豹子被认为是狒狒的主要捕食者，狒狒在日常活动中广泛地穿过豹子占据的区域。对豹子运动模式的研究表明，在相对较大的范围内，核心区域的利用程度较高，这将导致猎物物种面临的风险发生变化。狒狒是研究豹在其环境中对风险变化的感知的理想对象。该项目旨在测试以下假设：(1)狒狒的感知风险（通过风险厌恶或反掠食行为来衡量）与豹子存在的对应程度；(2)豹子和狒狒夜间相遇对狒狒行为的影响；(3)狒狒行为对豹子行为的影响。本项目收集的野外数据将显示灵长类动物的反掠食性行为在多大程度上反映了实际捕食者所构成的检测风险，以及栖息地类型等环境因素在多大程度上代表了实际捕食风险。实地研究还将提供关于捕食者如何对复杂的猎物行为作出反应的数据。因此，这项研究的结果将扩大我们对当前捕食者-猎物相互作用的理解，以及这种动态关系如何影响灵长类动物和捕食者的进化。该项目对古人类学、南非自然保护和科学教育具有更广泛的意义。由于早期古人类在与本研究相似的栖息地被豹子捕食，研究结果将有助于解释古人类祖先可能使用的躲避捕食者甚至与捕食者竞争的策略。为了了解这种相互作用是如何塑造人类起源的，对当前捕食者-猎物相互作用的研究至关重要。今天，在南非的许多地区，豹子和狒狒都受到迫害。将这两个物种纳入该项目将提高当地对这些被认为是有害动物且经常被误解的动物的行为模式和活动范围的认识。这项研究的结果将直接用于公园管理人员制定动物管理计划，并将增加新成立的南非豹论坛目前正在编制的知识体系。最后，美国和南非的学生都将直接参与该领域的项目，并为他们自己的科学事业获得宝贵的经验。

Under the direction of Leanne Nash, Ms. Laura Bidner will investigate the predator-prey interactions between leopards and chacma baboons at Loskop Dam Nature Reserve, South Africa.. Field research will involve simultaneously monitoring the behavior and movement patterns of a baboon troop habituated to the presence of human observers and the radio-collared leopards within the troop's home range. This will allow patterns of predation and predation risk faced by primates to be studied in greater detail than it has been to date.The risk of being killed by a predator is considered to be a critical factor affecting the behavior and ecology of primates in their natural environments. However, despite the vast amount of behavioral and ecological research conducted on wild, non-human primates, very little is known about the accuracy of most primates' perception of predation risk in their environment. This is largely due to the elusive nature of many predators which discourages primate researchers from gaining accurate information on predator activity. Leopards, notoriously stealthy predators, pose serious risk to many primate species in Africa and Asia. Leopards have been identified as the primary predator of baboons, which travel widely through leopard-occupied areas during daily ranging. Studies of leopard movement patterns show core areas of intense utilization within relatively large ranges which should cause variation in the risk faced by prey species. Baboons are ideal subjects for investigating such perception of variation in risk posed by leopards within their environment. This project is designed to test hypotheses regarding (1) how well baboons' perceived risk, measured by risk-aversion or antipredatory behaviors, corresponds with leopard presence, (2) the effect of nocturnal encounters between leopards and baboons on baboon behavior, and (3) the effect of baboon behaviors on leopard behavior. Field data collected for this project will show how well primate antipredatory behaviors reflect detection risk posed by actual predators as well as how well environmental factors such as habitat type serve as good proxies for actual predation risk. Field research will also provide data on how predators respond to complex prey behavior. Thus, the results of the study will expand our understanding of current predator-prey interactions as well as how this dynamic relationship may have affected both primate and predator evolution.This project has broader implications for paleoanthropology, conservation in South Africa, and science education. As early hominins were preyed upon by leopards in habitats similar to that of this study, the results will be useful in interpreting strategies hominin ancestors may have used to avoid predation and even compete with predators. Studies of current predator-prey interactions are crucial in order to understand how such interactions may have shaped human origins. Today, both leopards and baboons are persecuted in many areas of South Africa. Inclusion of both species in this project will increase local awareness of the patterns of behavior and ranging for these animals which are considered pests and often misunderstood. The findings of this study will be used directly by park managers in creating animal management plans and will add to the body of knowledge currently being compiled by the newly-formed South African Leopard Forum. Finally, both US and South African students will be involved in the project directly in the field and gain valuable experience toward their own careers in science.