PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Conservation havens free of invasive predators are increasingly relied upon for fauna conservation, although havened populations can lose anti-predator traits, likely making them less suitable for life \'beyond the fence\'. Sustaining low levels of mammalian predator pressure inside havens may prevent the loss of anti-predator traits from havened populations. We opportunistically compared behavioural and morphological anti-predator traits between four woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) populations- one haven isolated from all mammalian predators, one haven containing a native mammalian predator (chuditch; Dasyurus geoffroii), and their respective non-havened counterparts (each containing both chuditch and invasive predators). Havened woylies existing without mammalian predators were smaller (shorter hindfeet, smaller body weight) and less reactive (consumed more food from fox-treated and control feeding stations, less agitated during human handling) than a non-havened reference population. However, in the haven containing chuditch, we found no difference in behaviour or morphology compared to the adjacent non-havened population. Across populations, anti-predator responses tended to appear stronger at sites with higher predator activity, suggestive of an adaptive response across a gradient of predation pressure. Our findings suggest that maintaining mammalian predation pressure in conservation havens could be effective for preventing or slowing the loss of anti-predator traits from these populations.
摘要：
动物区系保护越来越依赖于没有侵入性捕食者的保护区，虽然有种群会失去抗捕食者的特征，可能使它们不太适合“超越栅栏”的生活。在避风港内维持低水平的哺乳动物捕食者压力可能会阻止种群中的抗捕食者性状的丧失。我们机会主义地比较了四个woylie（Bettongiapenicillataogilbyi）种群之间的行为和形态上的反捕食者特征-一个从所有哺乳动物捕食者中分离出来的避风港，一个含有天然哺乳动物捕食者的避风港(chuditch;Dasyurusgeoffroii)，以及它们各自的非同源对应物（每个都包含chuditch和侵入性捕食者）。没有哺乳动物掠食者的情况下存在的被庇护的woylies较小（后脚较短，较小的体重)和较低的反应性(从狐狸处理和控制喂养站消耗更多的食物，在人类处理期间不那么激动)比非参考人群。然而,在包含chuditch的避风港，我们发现，与邻近的非人口相比，在行为或形态上没有差异。在人群中，在捕食者活动较高的地点，反捕食者反应倾向于显得更强，暗示在捕食压力梯度上的适应性反应。我们的发现表明，在保护区中保持哺乳动物的捕食压力可以有效地防止或减缓这些种群中抗捕食者性状的丧失。
