Not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators
Large predators are known to shape the behavior and ecology of sympatric predators via conflict and competition, with mesopredators thought to avoid large predators, while dogs suppress predator activity and act as guardians of human property. However, interspecific communication between predators h...
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2024
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ftunivcam:oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/362859 2024-02-11T10:02:49+01:00 Not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators Root-Gutteridge, Holly Smith, Bethany Kershenbaum, Arik Butkiewicz, Hannah Fontaine, Amy Owens, Jessica Schindler, Loretta Dassow, Angela 2024-01-03T00:32:58Z application/pdf https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/362859 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.104790 eng eng CSIRO Publishing Department of Zoology Wildlife Research https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/362859 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.104790 Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Article 2024 ftunivcam https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.104790 2024-01-25T23:19:19Z Large predators are known to shape the behavior and ecology of sympatric predators via conflict and competition, with mesopredators thought to avoid large predators, while dogs suppress predator activity and act as guardians of human property. However, interspecific communication between predators has not been well-explored and this assumption of avoidance may oversimplify the responses of the species involved. We explored the acoustic activity of three closely related sympatric canids: wolves Canis lupus, coyotes Canis latrans, and dogs Canis familiaris. These species have an unbalanced triangle of risk: coyotes, as mesopredators, are at risk from both apex-predator wolves and human-associated dogs, while wolves fear dogs, and dogs may fear wolves as apex predators or challenge them as intruders into human-allied spaces. We predicted that risk perception would dictate vocal response with wolves and dogs silencing coyotes as well as dogs silencing wolves. Dogs, in their protective role of guarding human property, would respond to both. Eleven passive acoustic monitoring devices were deployed across 13 nights in Central Wisconsin, and we measured the responses of each species to naturally occurring heterospecific vocalizations. Against our expectation, silencing did not occur. Instead, coyotes were not silenced by either species: when hearing wolves, coyotes responded at greater than chance rates and when hearing dogs, coyotes did not produce fewer calls than chance rates. Similarly, wolves responded at above chance rates to coyotes and at chance rates when hearing dogs. Only the dogs followed our prediction and responded at above chance rates in response to both coyotes and wolves. Thus, instead of silencing their competitors, canid vocalizations elicit responses from them suggesting the existence of a complex heterospecific communication network. This study was funded with a Christine Stevens Wildlife Award from the Animal Welfare Institute. Wildlife Acoustics, Inc. provided SM4 equipment upgrades free of ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunivcam |
language |
English |
description |
Large predators are known to shape the behavior and ecology of sympatric predators via conflict and competition, with mesopredators thought to avoid large predators, while dogs suppress predator activity and act as guardians of human property. However, interspecific communication between predators has not been well-explored and this assumption of avoidance may oversimplify the responses of the species involved. We explored the acoustic activity of three closely related sympatric canids: wolves Canis lupus, coyotes Canis latrans, and dogs Canis familiaris. These species have an unbalanced triangle of risk: coyotes, as mesopredators, are at risk from both apex-predator wolves and human-associated dogs, while wolves fear dogs, and dogs may fear wolves as apex predators or challenge them as intruders into human-allied spaces. We predicted that risk perception would dictate vocal response with wolves and dogs silencing coyotes as well as dogs silencing wolves. Dogs, in their protective role of guarding human property, would respond to both. Eleven passive acoustic monitoring devices were deployed across 13 nights in Central Wisconsin, and we measured the responses of each species to naturally occurring heterospecific vocalizations. Against our expectation, silencing did not occur. Instead, coyotes were not silenced by either species: when hearing wolves, coyotes responded at greater than chance rates and when hearing dogs, coyotes did not produce fewer calls than chance rates. Similarly, wolves responded at above chance rates to coyotes and at chance rates when hearing dogs. Only the dogs followed our prediction and responded at above chance rates in response to both coyotes and wolves. Thus, instead of silencing their competitors, canid vocalizations elicit responses from them suggesting the existence of a complex heterospecific communication network. This study was funded with a Christine Stevens Wildlife Award from the Animal Welfare Institute. Wildlife Acoustics, Inc. provided SM4 equipment upgrades free of ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Root-Gutteridge, Holly Smith, Bethany Kershenbaum, Arik Butkiewicz, Hannah Fontaine, Amy Owens, Jessica Schindler, Loretta Dassow, Angela |
spellingShingle |
Root-Gutteridge, Holly Smith, Bethany Kershenbaum, Arik Butkiewicz, Hannah Fontaine, Amy Owens, Jessica Schindler, Loretta Dassow, Angela Not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators |
author_facet |
Root-Gutteridge, Holly Smith, Bethany Kershenbaum, Arik Butkiewicz, Hannah Fontaine, Amy Owens, Jessica Schindler, Loretta Dassow, Angela |
author_sort |
Root-Gutteridge, Holly |
title |
Not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators |
title_short |
Not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators |
title_full |
Not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators |
title_fullStr |
Not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators |
title_full_unstemmed |
Not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators |
title_sort |
not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators |
publisher |
CSIRO Publishing |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/362859 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.104790 |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_relation |
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/362859 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.104790 |
op_rights |
Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.104790 |
_version_ |
1790598872544837632 |