Prey depletion as a threat to the world's large carnivores.

Christopher Wolf,William J Ripple

doi:10.1098/rsos.160252

Abstract

Large terrestrial carnivores are an ecologically important, charismatic and highly endangered group of species. Here, we assess the importance of prey depletion as a driver of large carnivore endangerment globally using lists of prey species for each large carnivore compiled from the literature. We consider spatial variation in prey endangerment, changes in endangerment over time and the causes of prey depletion, finding considerable evidence that loss of prey base is a major and wide-ranging threat among large carnivore species. In particular, the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi), tiger (Panthera tigris), dhole (Cuon alpinus) and Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) all have at least 40% of their prey classified as threatened on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and, along with the leopard (Panethra pardus), all of these species except the Ethiopian wolf have at least 50% of their prey classified as declining. Of the 494 prey species in our analysis, an average of just 6.9% of their ranges overlap protected areas. Together these results show the importance of a holistic approach to conservation that involves protecting both large carnivores directly and the prey upon which they depend.

Highlights

Large terrestrial carnivores are an ecologically important group of species
Prey endangerment rates were highest in Asia, South America and Africa, where large carnivores had an average of 33%, 22% and 18% of their prey threatened, respectively
Our results show that prey endangerment leading to loss of prey base is a common threat faced by many large carnivores

Summary

Introduction

Large terrestrial carnivores are an ecologically important group of species. Many of these species have significant direct effects on their prey, which can lead to additional indirect effects. Wolves (Canis lupus) may reduce elk (Cervus canadensis) numbers directly or may change their behaviour, leading to changes in plant species diversity, plant species abundance and songbird communities [1]. In Australia, dingoes (Canis dingo) can limit fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations, indirectly benefiting numerous small mammals, many of which are endangered [2]. In West Africa, lion (Panthera leo) and leopard (Panthera pardus) declines coincided with an increase in the abundances of olive baboons (Papio anubis)—a species that can pose a threat to agricultural crops—and declines in the abundances of small

Methods

Results

Conclusion