Tolerance of wolves shapes desert canid communities in the Middle East
The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is recovering globally due to increasing human acceptance, which can drive trophic cascades. An endangered subspecies, the Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs), inhabits arid regions of the southern Levant and Arabian Peninsula where it remains widely persecuted, and little i...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:88689561663f4e5896718c72b9264aa8 2023-05-15T15:49:48+02:00 Tolerance of wolves shapes desert canid communities in the Middle East Gavin T. Bonsen Arian D. Wallach Dror Ben-Ami Oded Keynan Anton Khalilieh Uri Shanas Eamonn I.F. Wooster Daniel Ramp 2022-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02139 https://doaj.org/article/88689561663f4e5896718c72b9264aa8 EN eng Elsevier http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235198942200141X https://doaj.org/toc/2351-9894 2351-9894 doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02139 https://doaj.org/article/88689561663f4e5896718c72b9264aa8 Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 36, Iss , Pp e02139- (2022) Apex predator Human attitudes Human-wildlife conflict Mesopredator Predator interactions Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02139 2022-12-30T23:55:10Z The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is recovering globally due to increasing human acceptance, which can drive trophic cascades. An endangered subspecies, the Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs), inhabits arid regions of the southern Levant and Arabian Peninsula where it remains widely persecuted, and little is known about its ecology. Most of the Arabian wolf’s range is dominated by pastoralism, where tolerance of wolves is low. We assessed how acceptance of Arabian wolves, relative to human land-use and density, has cascading effects on other canids by comparing spatial and temporal interactions, and relative abundance of canids across a hyper-arid desert crossing the Israel-Jordan border. Canids responded by adjusting their spatial and temporal activity patterns in relation to human activity. Wolves were recorded significantly less in pastoralist landscapes, leading to cascading effects. We found that jackals (Canis aureus) and foxes (Vulpes spp.) are both suppressed by larger canids. Wolves and jackals both suppressed foxes, but wolves also facilitated foxes by reducing pressure from jackals. Representing the first documentation of the role of an apex predator in the Middle East, our findings highlight the strong ecological effects that Arabian wolves have on desert ecosystems. Conservation efforts should focus on increasing tolerance and working towards coexistence in pastoralist landscapes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Global Ecology and Conservation 36 e02139 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Apex predator Human attitudes Human-wildlife conflict Mesopredator Predator interactions Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
Apex predator Human attitudes Human-wildlife conflict Mesopredator Predator interactions Ecology QH540-549.5 Gavin T. Bonsen Arian D. Wallach Dror Ben-Ami Oded Keynan Anton Khalilieh Uri Shanas Eamonn I.F. Wooster Daniel Ramp Tolerance of wolves shapes desert canid communities in the Middle East |
topic_facet |
Apex predator Human attitudes Human-wildlife conflict Mesopredator Predator interactions Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is recovering globally due to increasing human acceptance, which can drive trophic cascades. An endangered subspecies, the Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs), inhabits arid regions of the southern Levant and Arabian Peninsula where it remains widely persecuted, and little is known about its ecology. Most of the Arabian wolf’s range is dominated by pastoralism, where tolerance of wolves is low. We assessed how acceptance of Arabian wolves, relative to human land-use and density, has cascading effects on other canids by comparing spatial and temporal interactions, and relative abundance of canids across a hyper-arid desert crossing the Israel-Jordan border. Canids responded by adjusting their spatial and temporal activity patterns in relation to human activity. Wolves were recorded significantly less in pastoralist landscapes, leading to cascading effects. We found that jackals (Canis aureus) and foxes (Vulpes spp.) are both suppressed by larger canids. Wolves and jackals both suppressed foxes, but wolves also facilitated foxes by reducing pressure from jackals. Representing the first documentation of the role of an apex predator in the Middle East, our findings highlight the strong ecological effects that Arabian wolves have on desert ecosystems. Conservation efforts should focus on increasing tolerance and working towards coexistence in pastoralist landscapes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gavin T. Bonsen Arian D. Wallach Dror Ben-Ami Oded Keynan Anton Khalilieh Uri Shanas Eamonn I.F. Wooster Daniel Ramp |
author_facet |
Gavin T. Bonsen Arian D. Wallach Dror Ben-Ami Oded Keynan Anton Khalilieh Uri Shanas Eamonn I.F. Wooster Daniel Ramp |
author_sort |
Gavin T. Bonsen |
title |
Tolerance of wolves shapes desert canid communities in the Middle East |
title_short |
Tolerance of wolves shapes desert canid communities in the Middle East |
title_full |
Tolerance of wolves shapes desert canid communities in the Middle East |
title_fullStr |
Tolerance of wolves shapes desert canid communities in the Middle East |
title_full_unstemmed |
Tolerance of wolves shapes desert canid communities in the Middle East |
title_sort |
tolerance of wolves shapes desert canid communities in the middle east |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02139 https://doaj.org/article/88689561663f4e5896718c72b9264aa8 |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 36, Iss , Pp e02139- (2022) |
op_relation |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235198942200141X https://doaj.org/toc/2351-9894 2351-9894 doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02139 https://doaj.org/article/88689561663f4e5896718c72b9264aa8 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02139 |
container_title |
Global Ecology and Conservation |
container_volume |
36 |
container_start_page |
e02139 |
_version_ |
1766384819305971712 |