Wildlife Communities Research Articles

Frequent prescribed burns reduce mammalian species richness and occurrence in longleaf pine sandhills

Prescribed fire is a critical forest management tool, the frequency and size of which can alter the composition of wildlife communities. In the longleaf pine ecosystem of the southeastern United States, frequent prescribed fire (1–3 year fire interval) is used to replicate natural processes that prevent woody encroachment and transition to alternate states. However, we have little understanding of how different scales and frequencies of fire influence medium and large mammals. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed the homogenizing influence of prescribed fire on mammal community composition at different fire frequencies and scales. We set 110 camera trap grids containing 990 individual camera points across conservation lands in north Florida and the Florida panhandle. We used a Bayesian multi-species occupancy modeling approach to assess the relationship between fire frequency and the occurrence of 11 mammal species across three spatial scales (0.2 ha, 12.57 ha, and 176.71 ha). Species richness was negatively associated with increased burn frequency at all scales and community occurrence was negatively associated with increased burn frequency at the two largest scales. Non-native nine-banded armadillos were negatively associated with increased burn frequency at all scales and non-native feral hogs were negatively associated with increased burn frequency at the two largest scales. Raccoons and opossums, both known nest predators, were negatively associated with increased burn frequency at the two largest scales. Our results indicate that prescribed fire applied at 1–3 year intervals could be used to reduce the occurrence of most non-native mammals and several prolific nest predators in longleaf pine sandhills, particularly at larger scales. However, these perceived benefits must be weighed against the concurrent loss of the ecosystem services and functions native generalist species provide.

Effects of landcover on mesocarnivore density and detection rate along an urban to rural gradient

Human development has major implications for wildlife populations. Urban-exploiter species can benefit from human subsidized resources, whereas urban-avoider species can vanish from wildlife communities in highly developed areas. Therefore, understanding how the density of different species varies in response to landcover changes associated with human development can provide important insight into how wildlife communities are likely to change and provide a starting point for predicting the consequences of those changes. Here, we estimated the population density of five common mesocarnivore species (coyote (Canis latrans), bobcat (Lynx rufus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), raccoon (Procyon lotor), and Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)) at 12 study sites along an urban to rural gradient in the greater Fayetteville Area, Northwest Arkansas, USA between November 2021, and March 2022. At each study site, we applied the Random Encounter Model (REM) to data from camera traps to calculate the density of five focal species. Coyote density ranged from 0.5 to 0.93 individuals/km2. Raccoon density ranged from 0.19 to 20.25 individuals/km2. Bobcat density ranged from 0 to 1.06 individuals/km2. Opossum density ranged from 0 to 3.43 individuals/km2. Red fox density ranged from 0 to 0.10 individuals/km2. Coyote and raccoon density showed a positive relationship with anthropogenic noise. Opossum density increased with HUD. Red Fox and bobcat density showed a negative relationship with forest area and a positive relationship with distance to water respectively, however confidence intervals for both species overlapped zero. The density estimates we report based on camera trap data of unmarked animals were consistent with reports from the literature for these same species derived from traditional methods, providing additional support to the REM as a viable, non-invasive method to calculate density of unmarked species. Our second analysis consisted of taking camera level density estimates and treating them as detection rates corrected for camera viewshed and animal movement. Coyote and raccoon detection rate showed a positive relationship with anthropogenic noise. Red Fox detection rate was positively related to developed open space, and negatively related to distance to water. Similarly to red fox, opossums detection rate was higher in areas with more developed open space. We found no evidence that bobcat density or detection rate varied with any of the landcover or anthropogenic variables we measured.

Grassland intactness outcompetes species as a more efficient surrogate in conservation design

AbstractMapped representations of species−habitat relationships often underlie approaches to prioritize area‐based conservation strategies to meet conservation goals for biodiversity. Generally a single surrogate species is used to inform conservation design, with the assumption that conservation actions for an appropriately selected species will confer benefits to a broader community of organisms. Emerging conservation frameworks across western North America are now relying on derived measures of intactness from remotely sensed vegetation data, wholly independent from species data. Understanding the efficacy of species‐agnostic planning approaches is a critical step to ensuring the robustness of emerging conservation designs. We developed an approach to quantify ‘strength of surrogacy’, by applying prioritization algorithms to previously developed species models, and measuring their coverage provided to a broader wildlife community. We used this inference to test the relative surrogacy among a suite of species models used for conservation targeting in the endangered grasslands of the Northern Sagebrush Steppe, where careful planning can help stem the loss of private grazing lands to cultivation. In this test, we also derived a simpler surrogate of intact rangelands without species data for conservation targeting, along with a measure of combined migration representative of key areas for connectivity. Our measure of intactness vastly outperformed any species model as a surrogate for conservation, followed by that of combined migration, highlighting the efficacy of strategies that target large and intact rangeland cores for wildlife conservation and restoration efforts.

Social-ecological drivers of metropolitan residents’ comfort living with wildlife

IntroductionHuman-wildlife coexistence in cities depends on how residents perceive and interact with wildlife in their neighborhoods. An individual’s attitudes toward and responses to wildlife are primarily shaped by their subjective cognitive judgments, including multi-faceted environmental values and perceptions of risks or safety. However, experiences with wildlife could also positively or negatively affect an individual’s environmental attitudes, including their comfort living near wildlife. Previous work on human-wildlife coexistence has commonly focused on rural environments and on conflicts with individual problem species, while positive interactions with diverse wildlife communities have been understudied. MethodsGiven this research gap, we surveyed wildlife attitudes of residents across twelve neighborhoods in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, AZ to ask: how do the environments in which residents live, as well as their values, identities, and personal characteristics, explain the degree to which they are comfortable living near different wildlife groups (coyotes, foxes, and rabbits)? ResultsWe found that residents who were more comfortable living near wildlife commonly held pro-wildlife value orientations, reflecting the expectation that attitudes toward wildlife are primarily driven be an individual’s value-based judgements. However, attitudes were further influenced by sociodemographic factors (e.g., pet ownership, gender identity), as well as environmental factors that influence the presence of and familiarity with wildlife. Specifically, residents living closer to desert parks and preserves were more likely to have positive attitudes toward both coyotes and foxes, species generally regarded by residents as riskier to humans and domestic animals. DiscussionBy improving understanding of people’s attitudes toward urban wildlife, these results can help managers effectively evaluate the potential for human-wildlife coexistence through strategies to mitigate risk and facilitate stewardship.

Assessing the impacts of recreation on the spatial and temporal activity of mammals in an isolated alpine protected area.

The management objectives of many protected areas must meet the dual mandates of protecting biodiversity while providing recreational opportunities. It is difficult to balance these mandates because it takes considerable effort to monitor both the status of biodiversity and impacts of recreation. Using detections from 45 camera traps deployed between July 2019 and September 2021, we assessed the potential impacts of recreation on spatial and temporal activity for 8 medium- and large-bodied terrestrial mammals in an isolated alpine protected area: Cathedral Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. We hypothesised that some wildlife perceive a level of threat from people, such that they avoid 'risky times' or 'risky places' associated with human activity. Other species may benefit from associating with people, be it through access to anthropogenic resource subsidies or filtering of competitors/predators that are more human-averse (i.e., human shield hypothesis). Specifically, we predicted that large carnivores would show the greatest segregation from people while mesocarnivores and ungulates would associate spatially with people. We found spatial co-occurrence between ungulates and recreation, consistent with the human shield hypothesis, but did not see the predicted negative relationship between larger carnivores and humans, except for coyotes (Canis latrans). Temporally, all species other than cougars (Puma concolor) had diel activity patterns significantly different from that of recreationists, suggesting potential displacement in the temporal niche. Wolves (Canis lupus) and mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) showed shifts in temporal activity away from people on recreation trails relative to off-trail areas, providing further evidence of potential displacement. Our results highlight the importance of monitoring spatial and temporal interactions between recreation activities and wildlife communities, in order to ensure the effectiveness of protected areas in an era of increasing human impacts.

A simple framework for maximizing camera trap detections using experimental trials

Camera trap data are biased when an animal passes through a camera’s field of view but is not recorded. Cameras that operate using passive infrared sensors rely on their ability to detect thermal energy from the surface of an object. Optimal camera deployment consequently depends on the relationship between a sensor array and an animal. Here, we describe a general, experimental approach to evaluate detection errors that arise from the interaction between cameras and animals. We adapted distance sampling models and estimated the combined effects of distance, camera model, lens height, and vertical angle on the probability of detecting three different body sizes representing mammals that inhabit temperate, boreal, and arctic ecosystems. Detection probabilities were best explained by a half-normal-logistic mixture and were influenced by all experimental covariates. Detection monotonically declined when proxies were ≥6 m from the camera; however, models show that body size and camera model mediated the effect of distance on detection. Although not a focus of our study, we found that unmodeled heterogeneity arising from solar position has the potential to bias inferences where animal movements vary over time. Understanding heterogeneous detection probabilities is valuable when designing and analyzing camera trap studies. We provide a general experimental and analytical framework that ecologists, citizen scientists, and others can use and adapt to optimize camera protocols for various wildlife species and communities. Applying our framework can help ecologists assess trade-offs that arise from interactions among distance, cameras, and body sizes before committing resources to field data collection.

The Minimal Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbances on the Spatial Activities of Leopard Cats in Xinlong, China.

The habitat plays a crucial role in ensuring the survival of wildlife. However, the increasing disturbances caused by human activities present a substantial threat to habitats, especially for species such as the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), which is a significant small predator. Currently, research on leopard cats predominantly focuses on low-altitude regions within its distribution range, leaving plateau areas understudied. To enhance our understanding of the impact of human disturbances on leopard cat habitats, we undertook a study employing infrared camera trappings to monitor leopard cats' activity in Xinlong of southwestern China between 2015 and 2023. We analyzed the spatial distribution and habitat suitability of the leopard cats by utilizing ensemble species distribution models (ESDMs). Moreover, we employed two-species occupancy models to investigate the spatial interaction between leopard cats and human disturbances. The results indicated that (1) the potential suitable habitat area for leopard cats encompassed approximately 1324.93 km2 (14.3%), primarily located along the banks of Yalong river. (2) The distribution of suitable habitat was predominantly influenced by competitors, specifically the yellow-throated marten (YTM), accounting for 52.4% of the influence, as well as environmental factors such as distance to water (DTW) at 12.0% and terrain roughness index (TRI) at 10.0%. Human interference, including cattle presence (4.6%), distance to road (DTD, 4.9%), and distance to settlement (DTS, 3.5%), had a limited impact on the habitat distribution. (3) Within a 5 km radius, habitat suitability increased with proximity to human settlements. (4) Leopard cats exhibited spatial independence from humans and domestic cattle (species interaction factor (SIF) = 1.00) while avoiding domestic horses (SIF = 0.76 ± 0.03). The relatively minor impact of human disturbances in Xinlong could be attributed to traditional cultural practices safeguarding wildlife and the leopard cat's environmental adaptability. We recommend establishing a novel conservation paradigm based on the living dynamics of wildlife communities in Xinlong, thereby offering a more targeted approach to biodiversity preservation in the future.

Extinction risks and mitigation for a megaherbivore, the giraffe, in a human-influenced landscape under climate change.

Megaherbivores play "outsized" roles in ecosystem functioning but are vulnerable to human impacts such as overhunting, land-use changes, and climate extremes. However, such impacts-and combinations of these impacts-on population dynamics are rarely examined using empirical data. To guide effective conservation actions under increasing global-change pressures, we developed a socially structured individual-based model (IBM) using long-term demographic data from female giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in a human-influenced landscape in northern Tanzania, the Tarangire Ecosystem. This unfenced system includes savanna habitats with a wide gradient of anthropogenic pressures, from national parks, a wildlife ranch and community conservation areas, to unprotected village lands. We then simulated and projected over 50 years how realistic environmental and land-use management changes might affect this metapopulation of female giraffes. Scenarios included: (1) anthropogenic land-use changes including roads and agricultural/urban expansion; (2) reduction or improvement in wildlife law enforcement measures; (3) changes in populations of natural predators and migratory alternative prey; and (4) increases in rainfall as predicted for East Africa. The factor causing the greatest risk of rapid declines in female giraffe abundance in our simulations was a reduction in law enforcement leading to more poaching. Other threats decreased abundances of giraffes, but improving law enforcement in both of the study area's protected areas mitigated these impacts: a 0.01 increase in giraffe survival probability from improved law enforcement mitigated a 25% rise in heavy rainfall events by increasing abundance 19%, and mitigated the expansion of towns and blockage of dispersal movements by increasing abundance 22%. Our IBM enabled us to further quantify fine-scale abundance changes among female giraffe social communities, revealing potential source-sink interactions within the metapopulation. This flexible methodology can be adapted to test additional ecological questions in this landscape, or to model populations of giraffes or other species in different ecosystems.

Positive but un-sustained wildlife community responses to reserve expansion and mammal reintroductions in South Africa

The creation and expansion of protected areas, coupled with wildlife reintroductions, are increasingly used as conservation measures to combat wildlife declines worldwide. Although these types of restoration efforts are expected be beneficial to wildlife populations, variable species management and interactions among species within complex food webs have the potential to lead to unintended species-specific responses to reserve expansion which can counteract the anticipated positive effects. We used a multi-season camera trap study to investigate community-wide responses of wildlife to a reserve expansion and associated wildlife releases in South Africa. We analyzed the camera trap data using community occupancy and N-mixture models to assess how the occupancy and intensity of use of individual species changed in the four seasons following reserve expansion. We found species-specific responses to reserve expansion, although responses were generally positive in occupancy and intensity of use but un-sustained. The apex predator, the lion (Panthera leo) and the majority of managed herbivores exhibited sustained or delayed positive responses, whereas most subordinate predators and unmanaged herbivores had short-lived, fluctuating, or neutral responses. Interactive effects of top-down suppression, competitive pressure, and increased space and food resources likely resulted in the temporally-variable responses of most species. Although no species responded negatively to reserve expansion and mammal reintroductions, the lack of sustained positive responses for most species indicates the complexities of implementing conservation actions to benefit multiple wildlife species. Our results highlight the importance of monitoring the entire wildlife community following management actions such as reserve expansion or wildlife reintroductions.

Distribution Pattern and Activities of Felidae and Prey in Bukit Rimbang Bukit Baling Wildlife Reserve, Riau

The interaction between predators and prey has resulted in population dynamics and played a crucial role in maintaining species' populations within ecosystems. This research aimed to identify distribution and activity patterns to understand prey-predator interactions and the effect of environment and prey density on Felidae presence at Bukit Rimbang Bukit Baling Wildlife Reserve (BRBB WR), as an essential area for maintaining large mammal habitats in Sumatra. The camera traps were systematically placed in the Northeastern part of BRBB WR to collect presence data. The prey-predator interaction analysis used kernel density in RStudio. The effect of environment and prey density on Felidae presence was analyzed using a generalized linear model (GLM). The results indicated that Felidae and prey exhibited a dispersed distribution pattern, showing high activity at night and day, respectively. The Sumatran tiger, clouded leopard, leopard cat, and mouse deer had the highest overlap time (>0.50). However, the environmental and prey density had statistically non-significant effects on the presence of Felidae. Human activities in the area potentially disrupted wildlife community dynamics, although this aspect was beyond the scope of this research. This research suggested further investigation of the effects of human activities on wildlife communities in BRBB WR.

Toward the next angiosperm revolution: Agroecological food production as a driver for biological diversity

Flowering plants once drove a global shift in insect–plant–animal relationships and supported an increase in biodiversity, energy flux, and productivity throughout terrestrial ecosystems. We argue here that angiosperms could once again contribute to biodiversity within landscapes, if agroecosystems, and the plants within them, can be managed for multifunctional benefits. The potential for farmland to support biological diversity is understood and well-argued in the literature. We take this long-standing conversation and frame it within a longer evolutionary context, bringing attention to how modification in 2 key areas of our current food production system could support this goal. First, a move toward crop and grazing landscapes that more closely align with regional food webs can lead to observable improvements in community wildlife abundance. Second, we can re-expand the genetic base of our food, fodder, and cover crops, in particular by using crop wild relatives, through the use of wide crosses, genome-assisted selection, and participatory breeding. Agriculture as it is now widely practiced utilizes a narrow sliver of total angiosperm species diversity and within-species genetic diversity on a large amount of land. Change to this status quo requires coordination across tightly interlinked policy areas. It will also require social change. Farmers should be supported to transition through nudges throughout their social network. This necessitates a significant shift in our collective culture to value growing and consuming the flowering crops that can trigger an angiosperm revolution of the Anthropocene.

Trucks versus treks: The relative influence of motorized versus nonmotorized recreation on a mammal community.

Outdoor recreation is increasing rapidly on public lands, with potential consequences for wildlife communities. Recreation can induce shifts in wildlife activity and habitat use, but responses vary widely even within the same species, suggesting mitigating factors that remain poorly understood. Both the type of recreation-motorized or nonmotorized-and the distance of wildlife from human disturbance may be important in developing a general understanding of recreation impacts on wildlife and making more informed management decisions. We conducted a camera-trapping survey in the Colville National Forest (CNF) of northeastern Washington in the summers of 2019 and 2020. We collected ~11,000 trap nights of spatially extensive data on nine mid-large mammalian species, simultaneously recording the presence and activity patterns of motorized (primarily vehicles on roads) and nonmotorized (primarily hikers on trails) recreation and wildlife both along trails and roads and off trails and off roads (away from most recreation). We used diel overlap analysis, time lag analysis, and single-season single-species occupancy modeling to examine the impact of recreation on the focal species. Species temporally avoided recreationists either by shifting to more nocturnal hours or delaying return to recently used recreation sites. Most species also responded spatially by altering the use or the intensity of use of camera sites due to recreation, although both positive and negative associations with recreation were documented. Species responded to nonmotorized recreation (e.g., hikers on trails) more often than motorized recreation (e.g., vehicles on roads). Most effects of recreation extended off the trail or road, although in three instances the spatiotemporal response of species to recreation along trails/roads disappeared a short distance away from those features. Our work suggests that a better understanding of landscape-scale impacts of recreation, including fitness consequences, will require additional work to disentangle the effects of different types of recreation and estimate the effective distance at which wildlife responds. Moreover, these results suggest that quiet, nonconsumptive recreation may warrant increased attention from land managers given its potential to influence the spatiotemporal ecology of numerous species.

Urbanization, climate and species traits shape mammal communities from local to continental scales.

Human-driven environmental changes shape ecological communities from local to global scales. Within cities, landscape-scale patterns and processes and species characteristics generally drive local-scale wildlife diversity. However, cities differ in their structure, species pools, geographies and histories, calling into question the extent to which these drivers of wildlife diversity are predictive at continental scales. In partnership with the Urban Wildlife Information Network, we used occurrence data from 725 sites located across 20 North American cities and a multi-city, multi-species occupancy modelling approach to evaluate the effects of ecoregional characteristics and mammal species traits on the urbanization-diversity relationship. Among 37 native terrestrial mammal species, regional environmental characteristics and species traits influenced within-city effects of urbanization on species occupancy and community composition. Species occupancy and diversity were most negatively related to urbanization in the warmer, less vegetated cities. Additionally, larger-bodied species were most negatively impacted by urbanization across North America. Our results suggest that shifting climate conditions could worsen the effects of urbanization on native wildlife communities, such that conservation strategies should seek to mitigate the combined effects of a warming and urbanizing world.

Influence of human development and predators on patterns of Virginia opossum occupancy, abundance, and activity

AbstractAs human development continues to expand, wildlife must relocate or adapt to survive. Many mammalian mesopredators, such as the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), have adapted to living alongside human development. Furthermore, top‐down predation pressure may be altered in nuanced ways within the human environment. Species such as opossums may be shielded from predation by human development or behavioral changes in predators. Understanding how dominant and subordinate mesopredators co‐exist across natural and developed areas will provide insight into how wildlife communities are structured. Our objective was to evaluate how opossum occupancy, abundance, and activity were associated with human development and the relative abundance of their predators. We used data from a nationwide camera trapping study, Snapshot USA, to estimate opossum occupancy, abundance, and activity. We related these measures to the surrounding landscape and urbanization variables. We found that opossum occupancy was positively associated with anthropogenic sound (a surrogate for human activity). Furthermore, opossums in heavily forested areas were more likely to be detected in locations with higher predicted anthropogenic sounds. In areas with a high density of human housing, opossum relative abundance increased when predator abundance increased. We also found opossums were strictly nocturnal and shifted their activity to earlier in the evening in the presence of high predator abundance. Our results suggest that humans and their urban development can have multidimensional impacts on opossum behavior and occurrence, and could facilitate changes in predator–prey dynamics. Future research should evaluate if the association of opossums with urban areas is due to human‐subsidized resources or caused by reduced mortality from altered predator–prey dynamics.

Genomic epidemiology sheds light on the emergence and spread of Mycobacterium bovis Eu2 Clonal Complex in Portugal

ABSTRACT Animal tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious concern for animal and human health. Mycobacterium bovis circulates in multi-host systems, dominated by the European 2 clonal complex (Eu2) in Iberia. In this work, we use genomic epidemiology to infer the emergence, spread, and spatiotemporal patterns of Eu2 in the official epidemiological risk area of animal TB in Portugal. Phylogenetic analysis of 144 M. bovis whole-genome sequences from cattle, wild boar, and red deer, representing the 2002–2021 period, distinguished three Eu2 clades that evolved independently. The major Eu2 clade underwent phylodynamic inferences to estimate the time and location of outbreaks, host transitions, and spatial diffusion as well. The origin of this Eu2 clade was attributed to the red deer population in the Castelo Branco district, near the border with Spain. Most host transitions were intraspecific (80%), while interspecific transmissions between wildlife species (wild boar-red deer), and between wild boar and cattle, were highly supported. Phylogeographic reconstruction evidenced that most transitions (82%) occur within municipalities, highlighting local transmission corridors. Our study indicates that M. bovis continues to spread at the cattle-wildlife interface within the animal TB hotspot area, possibly driven by the foraging behaviour of wild boar near agricultural lands. Red deer seems to be an important driver of TB within wildlife hosts, while the wild boar links the multi-host wildlife community and livestock. This work highlights the value of combining genomic epidemiology with phylodynamic inference to resolve host jumps and spatial patterns of M. bovis, providing real-time clues about points of intervention.

Epidemiological connectivity between humans and animals across an urban landscape.

Urbanization is predicted to be a key driver of disease emergence through human exposure to novel, animal-borne pathogens. However, while we suspect that urban landscapes are primed to expose people to novel animal-borne diseases, evidence for the mechanisms by which this occurs is lacking. To address this, we studied how bacterial genes are shared between wild animals, livestock, and humans (n = 1,428) across Nairobi, Kenya-one of the world's most rapidly developing cities. Applying a multilayer network framework, we show that low biodiversity (of both natural habitat and vertebrate wildlife communities), coupled with livestock management practices and more densely populated urban environments, promotes sharing of Escherichia coli-borne bacterial mobile genetic elements between animals and humans. These results provide empirical support for hypotheses linking resource provision, the biological simplification of urban landscapes, and human and livestock demography to urban dynamics of cross-species pathogen transmission at a landscape scale. Urban areas where high densities of people and livestock live in close association with synanthropes (species such as rodents that are more competent reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens) should be prioritized for disease surveillance and control.

Climbers of Rourkela Forest Division, Odisha, India: Food, Medicinal, Ecological and Economical Aspects

Sunlight is a scarce resource for plants growing on forest floors, yet climbers could scale trees and bushes to reach the light. Climbers are vital because they help to lower temperature and keep the forest cooler on a hot season. They provide food, shelter and many more to the wildlife and local communities. Still, they are not much explored. Therefore, a survey was carried out in Rourkela Forest Division took place during March – April 2023, and enumerated climbers along with uses. Results revealed that about 53 species of climber belonging to 20 families are available in the study areas. They are used by local communities as food, medicine, source of livelihood and have ecological values. Therefore, authors summarised the diversity of climber and documented it in a scientific manner for future restoration and making plant for value addition in study areas.

Bat use of golf courses depends on surrounding landscape context

Understanding how wildlife responds to altered ecosystems is an important conservation objective. Urban green spaces may support wildlife communities, but their internal and external environments vary substantially. Golf course design and management generally follow standardized best practices, and thus frequently contain similar ecological features. However, studies investigating their conservation value have produced discordant conclusions; therefore, we hypothesize that external environmental factors significantly affect their utility for wildlife. We used acoustic detectors to survey bats at eleven golf courses across a gradient of landscapes (urban, agricultural, and forested) over two years. We used generalized linear mixed models to examine how landscape features surrounding golf courses relate to bat activity. For most species, bat activity was greater on golf courses when the surrounding landscape contained fewer open spaces and more developed land. We conclude that golf courses situated in developed landscapes may provide important foraging habitat for bats. Notably, several species of conservation concern were more active on courses with larger patches of nearby forest. Given that management resources are finite, we recommend using the surrounding landscape to assess the conservation potential of golf courses and allocating effort to improve habitat on golf courses that are most likely to benefit bats and other wildlife.

Evolutionary ecology of host competence after a chytrid outbreak in a naive amphibian community.

Naive multi-host communities include species that may differentially maintain, transmit and amplify novel pathogens; therefore, we expect species to fill distinct roles during infectious disease emergence. Characterizing these roles in wildlife communities is challenging because most disease emergence events are unpredictable. Here, we used field-collected data to investigate how species-specific attributes influenced the degree of exposure, probability of infection, and pathogen intensity, during the emergence of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in a highly diverse tropical amphibian community. Our findings confirmed that ecological traits commonly evaluated as correlates of decline were positively associated with infection prevalence and intensity at the species level during the outbreak. We identified key hosts that disproportionally contributed to transmission dynamics in this community and found a signature of phylogenetic history in disease responses associated with increased pathogen exposure via shared life-history traits. Our findings establish a framework that could be applied in conservation efforts to identify key species driving disease dynamics under enzootics before reintroducing amphibians back into their original communities. Reintroductions of supersensitive hosts that are unable to overcome infections will limit the success of conservation programmes by amplifying the disease at the community level. This article is part of the theme issue 'Amphibian immunity: stress, disease and ecoimmunology'.

Species interactions in the Anthropocene.

Research Highlight: Van Scoyoc, A., Smith, J. A., Gaynor, K. M., Barker, K., & Brashares, J. S. (2023) The influence of human activity on predator-prey spatiotemporal overlap. Journal of Animal Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13892. Few corners of the globe remain untouched by humans, and thus nearly all wildlife communities are influenced by human activity. Van Scoyoc et al. (2023) present a framework that places predator-prey interactions explicitly within an anthropogenic context, revealing that predator-prey dyads fall into one of four categories depending on whether predators and prey are attracted to or avoid human activity. These responses can either increase or decrease overlap among species via divergent pathways, which can help to make sense of seemingly conflicting patterns from prior studies. Their framework facilitates hypothesis testing, which they demonstrate with a meta-analysis of 178 predator-prey dyads from 19 camera trap studies. With evidence for each of the four pathways, yet some unexpected outcomes for temporal overlap among dyads, this review generates exciting questions and lays out a productive path forward to improve our understanding of species interactions in the Anthropocene.