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Top predator restricts the niche breadth of prey: effects of assisted colonization of Tasmanian devils on a widespread omnivorous prey

Few landscape-scale experiments test the effects of predators on the abundance and distribution of prey across habitat gradients. We use the assisted colonization of a top predator, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), to test the impacts of predation on the abundance, habitat use and tempora...

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Autores principales: Scoleri, Vincent P., Ingram, Janeane, Johnson, Christopher N., Jones, Menna E.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Royal Society 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10015323/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36919429
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2113
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author Scoleri, Vincent P.
Ingram, Janeane
Johnson, Christopher N.
Jones, Menna E.
author_facet Scoleri, Vincent P.
Ingram, Janeane
Johnson, Christopher N.
Jones, Menna E.
author_sort Scoleri, Vincent P.
collection PubMed
description Few landscape-scale experiments test the effects of predators on the abundance and distribution of prey across habitat gradients. We use the assisted colonization of a top predator, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), to test the impacts of predation on the abundance, habitat use and temporal activity of a widespread prey species, the omnivorous common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). Before introduction of devils to Maria Island, Tasmania, Australia, in 2012, possums were abundant in open grasslands as well as forests. Predation by devils caused high mortality of possums in grasslands, but individuals with access to trees had a higher survival probability. Possum abundance declined across the whole island from 2012–2016, as possums disappeared almost completely from grasslands and declined in drier forests with more open understorey. Abundance remained stable in wet forests, which are not preferred habitat for possums but provide better refuge from devils. Abundance and habitat use of possums remained unchanged at a control site on the adjacent Tasmanian mainland, where the devil population was low and stable. This study demonstrates how spatial variation in predator-caused mortality can limit both abundance and habitat breadth in generalist prey species, excluding them entirely from certain habitats.
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spelling pubmed-100153232023-03-16 Top predator restricts the niche breadth of prey: effects of assisted colonization of Tasmanian devils on a widespread omnivorous prey Scoleri, Vincent P. Ingram, Janeane Johnson, Christopher N. Jones, Menna E. Proc Biol Sci Ecology Few landscape-scale experiments test the effects of predators on the abundance and distribution of prey across habitat gradients. We use the assisted colonization of a top predator, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), to test the impacts of predation on the abundance, habitat use and temporal activity of a widespread prey species, the omnivorous common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). Before introduction of devils to Maria Island, Tasmania, Australia, in 2012, possums were abundant in open grasslands as well as forests. Predation by devils caused high mortality of possums in grasslands, but individuals with access to trees had a higher survival probability. Possum abundance declined across the whole island from 2012–2016, as possums disappeared almost completely from grasslands and declined in drier forests with more open understorey. Abundance remained stable in wet forests, which are not preferred habitat for possums but provide better refuge from devils. Abundance and habitat use of possums remained unchanged at a control site on the adjacent Tasmanian mainland, where the devil population was low and stable. This study demonstrates how spatial variation in predator-caused mortality can limit both abundance and habitat breadth in generalist prey species, excluding them entirely from certain habitats. The Royal Society 2023-03-29 2023-03-15 /pmc/articles/PMC10015323/ /pubmed/36919429 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2113 Text en © 2023 The Authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Ecology
Scoleri, Vincent P.
Ingram, Janeane
Johnson, Christopher N.
Jones, Menna E.
Top predator restricts the niche breadth of prey: effects of assisted colonization of Tasmanian devils on a widespread omnivorous prey
title Top predator restricts the niche breadth of prey: effects of assisted colonization of Tasmanian devils on a widespread omnivorous prey
title_full Top predator restricts the niche breadth of prey: effects of assisted colonization of Tasmanian devils on a widespread omnivorous prey
title_fullStr Top predator restricts the niche breadth of prey: effects of assisted colonization of Tasmanian devils on a widespread omnivorous prey
title_full_unstemmed Top predator restricts the niche breadth of prey: effects of assisted colonization of Tasmanian devils on a widespread omnivorous prey
title_short Top predator restricts the niche breadth of prey: effects of assisted colonization of Tasmanian devils on a widespread omnivorous prey
title_sort top predator restricts the niche breadth of prey: effects of assisted colonization of tasmanian devils on a widespread omnivorous prey
topic Ecology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10015323/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36919429
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2113
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