PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The \'landscape of fear\' concept offers valuable insights into wildlife behaviour, yet its practical integration into habitat management for conservation remains underexplored. In this study, conducted in the subtropical monsoon grasslands of Bardia National Park, Nepal, we aimed to bridge this gap through a multi-year, landscape-scale experimental investigation in Bardia National Park, Nepal. The park has the highest density of tigers (with an estimated density of ~7 individuals per 100 km2) in Nepal, allowing us to understand the effect of habitat management on predation risk and resource availability especially for three cervid species: chital (Axis axis), swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) and hog deer (Axis porcinus). We used plots with varying mowing frequency (0-4 times per year), size (ranging from small: 49 m2 to large: 3600 m2) and artificial fertilisation type (none, phosphorus, nitrogen) to assess the trade-offs between probable predation risk and resources for these cervid species, which constitute primary prey for tigers in Nepal. Our results showed distinct responses of these deer to perceived predation risk within grassland habitats. Notably, these deer exhibited heightened use of larger plots, indicative of a perceived sense of safety, as evidenced by the higher occurrence of pellet groups in the larger plots (mean = 0.1 pellet groups m-2 in 3600 m2 plots vs. 0.07 in 400 m2 and 0.05 in 49 m2 plots). Furthermore, the level of use by the deer was significantly higher in larger plots that received mowing and fertilisation treatments compared to smaller plots subjected to similar treatments. Of particular interest is the observation that chital and swamp deer exhibited greater utilisation of the centre (core) areas within the larger plots (mean = 0.21 pellet groups m-2 at the centre vs. 0.13 at the edge) despite the edge (periphery) also provided attractive resources to these deer. In contrast, hog deer did not display any discernible reaction to the experimental treatments, suggesting potential species-specific variations in response to perceived predation risk arising from management interventions. Our findings emphasise the importance of a sense of security as a primary determinant of habitat selection for medium-sized deer within managed grassland environments. These insights carry practical implications for park managers, providing a nuanced understanding of integrating the \'landscape of fear\' into habitat management strategies. This study emphasises that the \'landscape of fear\' concept can and should be integrated into habitat management to maintain delicate predator-prey dynamics within ecosystems.
摘要：
“恐惧景观”概念为野生动物行为提供了宝贵的见解，然而，它在栖息地管理中的实际整合仍未得到充分探索。在这项研究中,在巴迪亚国家公园的亚热带季风草原进行，尼泊尔,我们的目标是通过多年来弥合这一差距，巴迪亚国家公园的景观尺度实验调查，尼泊尔。该公园在尼泊尔的老虎密度最高（估计密度约为每100平方公里7个人），使我们能够了解栖息地管理对捕食风险和资源可用性的影响，特别是对于三种子宫颈物种：chital（轴），沼泽鹿（Rucervusduvaucelii）和猪鹿（Axisporcinus）。我们使用了不同割草频率的地块(每年0-4次)，大小(从小：49平方米到大：3600平方米)和人工施肥类型(无，磷，氮)来评估这些子宫颈物种可能的捕食风险和资源之间的权衡，它们是尼泊尔老虎的主要猎物。我们的结果表明，这些鹿对草地栖息地内感知到的捕食风险有不同的反应。值得注意的是,这些鹿表现出更多使用更大的地块，表示一种感知的安全感，在较大的地块中，颗粒组的发生率较高（3600平方米地块中的平均值=0.1颗粒组m-2与400平方米中的0.07和49平方米中的0.05）。此外，与接受类似处理的较小地块相比，接受割草和施肥处理的较大地块的鹿的使用水平明显更高。特别令人感兴趣的是观察到，在较大的地块内，小鹿和沼泽鹿表现出对中心（核心）区域的更大利用（平均=0.21颗粒组m-2在中心与0.13的边缘）尽管边缘（外围）也为这些鹿提供了有吸引力的资源。相比之下,猪鹿对实验处理没有任何明显的反应，提示对管理干预措施引起的感知捕食风险的潜在物种特异性变化。我们的发现强调了安全感作为管理草地环境中中型鹿栖息地选择的主要决定因素的重要性。这些见解对公园管理者具有实际意义，提供了将“恐惧景观”融入栖息地管理策略的细微差别的理解。这项研究强调，“恐惧景观”概念可以而且应该整合到栖息地管理中，以维持生态系统中微妙的捕食者-猎物动态。
