Consumption of Carnivores by Wolves: A Worldwide Analysis of Patterns and Drivers
The occurrence of carnivore species in wolf diet has been overlooked and poorly studied despite the potential implications for wolf ecology and wildlife management. We conducted an extensive literature review, focusing on 120 wolf diet studies worldwide to assess global patterns of carnivore consump...
Published in: | Diversity |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2020
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/d12120470 https://doaj.org/article/2a8072cc032e4163943ae435dd5af02c |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:2a8072cc032e4163943ae435dd5af02c |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:2a8072cc032e4163943ae435dd5af02c 2023-05-15T15:50:46+02:00 Consumption of Carnivores by Wolves: A Worldwide Analysis of Patterns and Drivers Inês Martins Miha Krofel Paulo G. Mota Francisco Álvares 2020-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/d12120470 https://doaj.org/article/2a8072cc032e4163943ae435dd5af02c EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/12/470 https://doaj.org/toc/1424-2818 doi:10.3390/d12120470 1424-2818 https://doaj.org/article/2a8072cc032e4163943ae435dd5af02c Diversity, Vol 12, Iss 470, p 470 (2020) Canis lupus competition domestic dog interspecific killing mesopredators worldwide review Biology (General) QH301-705.5 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/d12120470 2022-12-30T23:34:45Z The occurrence of carnivore species in wolf diet has been overlooked and poorly studied despite the potential implications for wolf ecology and wildlife management. We conducted an extensive literature review, focusing on 120 wolf diet studies worldwide to assess global patterns of carnivore consumption by wolves and their ecological and human-related determinants. We used a total of 143 sampling sites with data on the consumption of carnivores by wolves. In total, 35 carnivore species were reported to be consumed by wolves, comprising members of all taxonomic carnivore families represented within the gray wolf range. The carnivores were mostly limited to occasional consumption (<5% of wolf diet) but could account for as much as 25% in some study areas. The most frequently consumed carnivore species were those with reported scavenging behavior, belonging to medium-sized generalist canids. Generalized linear model (GLM) analysis revealed that higher magnitudes of carnivore consumption were related to nonprotected areas as well as lower occurrences of wild ungulates, domestic ungulates, and small mammals in wolf diet, while higher numbers of consumed carnivore species were related to nonprotected areas with low vegetation productivity and lower occurrences of domestic ungulates and small mammals in wolf diet. Our results suggest that carnivore consumption by wolves is driven by altered ecosystems and human-dominated landscapes, where mesopredator densities are often increased and prey densities decreased, which intensify competition and the need for alternative food sources. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus gray wolf Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Diversity 12 12 470 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Canis lupus competition domestic dog interspecific killing mesopredators worldwide review Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
spellingShingle |
Canis lupus competition domestic dog interspecific killing mesopredators worldwide review Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Inês Martins Miha Krofel Paulo G. Mota Francisco Álvares Consumption of Carnivores by Wolves: A Worldwide Analysis of Patterns and Drivers |
topic_facet |
Canis lupus competition domestic dog interspecific killing mesopredators worldwide review Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
description |
The occurrence of carnivore species in wolf diet has been overlooked and poorly studied despite the potential implications for wolf ecology and wildlife management. We conducted an extensive literature review, focusing on 120 wolf diet studies worldwide to assess global patterns of carnivore consumption by wolves and their ecological and human-related determinants. We used a total of 143 sampling sites with data on the consumption of carnivores by wolves. In total, 35 carnivore species were reported to be consumed by wolves, comprising members of all taxonomic carnivore families represented within the gray wolf range. The carnivores were mostly limited to occasional consumption (<5% of wolf diet) but could account for as much as 25% in some study areas. The most frequently consumed carnivore species were those with reported scavenging behavior, belonging to medium-sized generalist canids. Generalized linear model (GLM) analysis revealed that higher magnitudes of carnivore consumption were related to nonprotected areas as well as lower occurrences of wild ungulates, domestic ungulates, and small mammals in wolf diet, while higher numbers of consumed carnivore species were related to nonprotected areas with low vegetation productivity and lower occurrences of domestic ungulates and small mammals in wolf diet. Our results suggest that carnivore consumption by wolves is driven by altered ecosystems and human-dominated landscapes, where mesopredator densities are often increased and prey densities decreased, which intensify competition and the need for alternative food sources. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Inês Martins Miha Krofel Paulo G. Mota Francisco Álvares |
author_facet |
Inês Martins Miha Krofel Paulo G. Mota Francisco Álvares |
author_sort |
Inês Martins |
title |
Consumption of Carnivores by Wolves: A Worldwide Analysis of Patterns and Drivers |
title_short |
Consumption of Carnivores by Wolves: A Worldwide Analysis of Patterns and Drivers |
title_full |
Consumption of Carnivores by Wolves: A Worldwide Analysis of Patterns and Drivers |
title_fullStr |
Consumption of Carnivores by Wolves: A Worldwide Analysis of Patterns and Drivers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Consumption of Carnivores by Wolves: A Worldwide Analysis of Patterns and Drivers |
title_sort |
consumption of carnivores by wolves: a worldwide analysis of patterns and drivers |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/d12120470 https://doaj.org/article/2a8072cc032e4163943ae435dd5af02c |
genre |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
op_source |
Diversity, Vol 12, Iss 470, p 470 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/12/470 https://doaj.org/toc/1424-2818 doi:10.3390/d12120470 1424-2818 https://doaj.org/article/2a8072cc032e4163943ae435dd5af02c |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/d12120470 |
container_title |
Diversity |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
470 |
_version_ |
1766385781992062976 |