Interacting effects of surface water and temperature on wild and domestic large herbivore aggregations and contact rates

Abstract

Abstract Earth's climate is rapidly changing, bringing forth questions of how domestic and wild animals will alter their behaviour in response to increasing temperatures and dryland expansion. Dwindling water availability will likely impact animal behaviour and water foraging, potentially increasing animal aggregations and interspecific contacts. These interspecific contacts are especially important for competition, predation and disease transmission among wildlife and domestic animals. In this study, we analysed interspecific wildlife and cattle contacts using two years of camera trap data at an experimental water manipulation site at a conservancy in central Kenya. We found that on average, the hourly probability of any interspecific contact was approximately 3.4 times higher at water sources versus drained water sources and 18 times higher than surrounding matrix areas, and that this relationship was amplified by dry and hot conditions. Species‐specific analyses revealed variation in the magnitude of responses across wildlife and domestic cattle, although all animals had approximately 2–3 times higher interspecific contact probability with other species at water in hot conditions versus other conditions. Notably, we observed the largest behavioural changes for relatively water‐independent species, such as giraffe, which had 3.6 times higher interspecific contact probability at water sources in hot versus other conditions. Synthesis and applications. These findings show how elevated temperatures that will become increasingly common with future climate changes can increase interspecific contacts around critical water resources. In mixed wildlife‐livestock systems, maintaining wildlife‐only water sources may be a practical management tool to mitigate human‐wildlife conflict and disease transmission at this interface, especially during dry and hot conditions.