Of wolves and bears: Seasonal drivers of interference and exploitation competition between apex predators ...

Competition between apex predators can alter the strength of top-down forcing, yet we know little about the behavioral mechanisms that drive competition in multipredator ecosystems. Interactions between predators can be synergistic (facilitative) or antagonistic (inhibitive), both of which are wides...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tallian, Aimee, Ordiz, Andrés, Metz, Matthew, Zimmermann, Barbara, Wikenros, Camilla, Smith, Douglas, Stahler, Daniel, Wabakken, Petter, Swenson, Jon, Sand, Håkan, Kindberg, Jonas
Format: Dataset
Language:English
Published: Dryad 2021
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Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dz08kprzb
https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.dz08kprzb
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Summary:Competition between apex predators can alter the strength of top-down forcing, yet we know little about the behavioral mechanisms that drive competition in multipredator ecosystems. Interactions between predators can be synergistic (facilitative) or antagonistic (inhibitive), both of which are widespread in nature, vary in strength between species and across space and time, and affect predation patterns and predator-prey dynamics. Recent research suggests gray wolf (Canis lupus) kill rates decrease where they are sympatric with brown bears (Ursus arctos), however, the mechanisms behind this pattern remain unknown. We used data from two long-term research projects in Scandinavia (Europe) and Yellowstone National Park (North America) to test the role of interference and exploitation competition from bears on wolf predatory behavior, where altered wolf handling and search time of prey in the presence of bears are indicative of interference and exploitation competition, respectively. Our results suggest the ... : This data set was collected by two long-term research projects in Scandinavia and Yellowstone National Park. This data was cleaned and processes for a manuscript accepted into Ecological Monographs. ...