PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
UNASSIGNED: Large carnivores play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Successful conservation initiatives have often led to a huge increase in predators which has often led to negative interactions with humans. Without the knowledge of the carrying capacity of the top predator, such decisions become challenging. Here, we have derived a new equation to estimate the carrying capacity of tigers based on the individual prey species density.
UNASSIGNED: We used tiger densities and respective prey densities of different protected areas. Relative prey abundance was used instead of absolute prey density as this could be a better surrogate of the prey preference. We used a regression approach to derive the species-wise equation. We have also scaled these coefficients accordingly to control the variation in the standard error (heteroscedasticity) of the tiger density. Furthermore, we have extended this regression equation for different species to different weight classes for more generalized application of the method.
UNASSIGNED: The new equations performed considerably better compared to the earlier existing carrying capacity equations. Incorporating the species-wise approach in the equation also reflected the preference of the prey species for the tiger. This is the first carrying capacity equation where the individual prey densities are used to estimate the carnivore population density. The coefficient estimates of the model with the comparison with prey-predator power laws also reflect the differential effect of tigers on different prey species. The carrying capacity estimates will aid in a better understanding of the predator-prey interaction and will advance better management of the top predator.
UNASSIGNED: We used tiger densities and respective prey densities of different protected areas. Relative prey abundance was used instead of absolute prey density as this could be a better surrogate of the prey preference. We used a regression approach to derive the species-wise equation. We have also scaled these coefficients accordingly to control the variation in the standard error (heteroscedasticity) of the tiger density. Furthermore, we have extended this regression equation for different species to different weight classes for more generalized application of the method.
UNASSIGNED: The new equations performed considerably better compared to the earlier existing carrying capacity equations. Incorporating the species-wise approach in the equation also reflected the preference of the prey species for the tiger. This is the first carrying capacity equation where the individual prey densities are used to estimate the carnivore population density. The coefficient estimates of the model with the comparison with prey-predator power laws also reflect the differential effect of tigers on different prey species. The carrying capacity estimates will aid in a better understanding of the predator-prey interaction and will advance better management of the top predator.
摘要：
■大型食肉动物在维持生态系统平衡方面起着至关重要的作用。成功的保护措施通常会导致捕食者的大量增加，这通常会导致与人类的负面互动。如果不知道顶级捕食者的承载能力，这样的决定变得具有挑战性。这里,我们推导出了一个新的方程，根据单个猎物物种密度来估计老虎的承载能力。
■我们使用了不同保护区的老虎密度和各自的猎物密度。使用相对猎物丰度代替绝对猎物密度，因为这可能是猎物偏好的更好替代。我们使用回归方法推导了物种方程。我们还相应地缩放了这些系数，以控制老虎密度的标准误差（异方差）的变化。此外，为了更广泛地应用该方法，我们将不同物种的回归方程扩展到不同的权重类别。
■与早期的现有承载能力方程相比，新方程的性能要好得多。在方程式中加入物种明智的方法也反映了猎物物种对老虎的偏好。这是第一个使用单个猎物密度来估计食肉动物种群密度的承载能力方程。模型的系数估计与食饵-捕食者幂律的比较也反映了老虎对不同食饵物种的差异效应。承载能力估计将有助于更好地了解捕食者与猎物的相互作用，并将促进对顶级捕食者的更好管理。
■我们使用了不同保护区的老虎密度和各自的猎物密度。使用相对猎物丰度代替绝对猎物密度，因为这可能是猎物偏好的更好替代。我们使用回归方法推导了物种方程。我们还相应地缩放了这些系数，以控制老虎密度的标准误差（异方差）的变化。此外，为了更广泛地应用该方法，我们将不同物种的回归方程扩展到不同的权重类别。
■与早期的现有承载能力方程相比，新方程的性能要好得多。在方程式中加入物种明智的方法也反映了猎物物种对老虎的偏好。这是第一个使用单个猎物密度来估计食肉动物种群密度的承载能力方程。模型的系数估计与食饵-捕食者幂律的比较也反映了老虎对不同食饵物种的差异效应。承载能力估计将有助于更好地了解捕食者与猎物的相互作用，并将促进对顶级捕食者的更好管理。
