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Vigilance response of a key prey species to anthropogenic and natural threats in Detroit

Samantha Lima, Siria Gámez, Nathaniel Arringdale, View ORCID ProfileNyeema C. Harris
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.09.142992
Samantha Lima
1Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 48106, USA
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Siria Gámez
1Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 48106, USA
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Nathaniel Arringdale
1Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 48106, USA
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Nyeema C. Harris
1Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 48106, USA
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  • ORCID record for Nyeema C. Harris
  • For correspondence: nyeema@umich.edu
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Abstract

Rapid urbanization coupled with increased human activity induces pressures that affect predator-prey relations through a suite of behavioral mechanisms, including alteration of avoidance and coexistence dynamics. Synergisms of natural and anthropogenic threats existing within urban environments exacerbate the necessity for species to differentially modify behavior to each risk. Here, we explore the behavioral response of a key prey species, cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus), to pressures from humans, domestic dogs, and a natural predator, coyotes (Canis latrans) in a human-dominated landscape. We conducted the first camera survey in urban parks throughout Detroit, Michigan in 2017-2020 to assess vigilance response corresponding to a heterogeneous landscape created from variation in the occupancy of threats. We predicted a scaled response where cottontail rabbits would be most vigilant in areas with high coyote activity, moderately vigilant in areas with high domestic dog activity, and the least vigilant in areas of high human activity. From 8,165 independent cottontail rabbit detections in Detroit across 11,616 trap nights, one-third were classified as vigilant. We found vigilance behavior increased with coyote occupancy and in locations with significantly high domestic dog activity, but found no significant impact of human occupancy or their spatial hotspots. We also found little spatial overlap between rabbits and threats, suggesting rabbits invest more in spatial avoidance; thus, less effort is required for vigilance. Our results elucidate strategies of a prey species coping with various risks to advance our understanding of the adaptability of wildlife in urban environments. In order to promote coexistence between people and wildlife in urban greenspaces, we must understand and anticipate the ecological implications of human-induced behavioral modifications.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Footnotes

  • We reanalyzed data to incorporate occupancy modeling to correct for imperfect detection of threats. RESULTS changed to reveal that natural predator-prey relationships are likely maintained in Detroit, as rabbit vigilance was most influenced by coyotes (opposed to humans or domestic dogs).

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted January 05, 2021.
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Vigilance response of a key prey species to anthropogenic and natural threats in Detroit
Samantha Lima, Siria Gámez, Nathaniel Arringdale, Nyeema C. Harris
bioRxiv 2020.06.09.142992; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.09.142992
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Vigilance response of a key prey species to anthropogenic and natural threats in Detroit
Samantha Lima, Siria Gámez, Nathaniel Arringdale, Nyeema C. Harris
bioRxiv 2020.06.09.142992; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.09.142992

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