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Potential Interaction between predation risk, food limitation and disease Food Limitation Disease predation Risk Prey limitation One affects the other Disease Food limitation Predation Risk • Introduction Recent studies in predation risk and antipredator response Group size Forage / movement pattern fGC Vigilance and fitness Research seeks to quantify these responses • • • • Approach Pertinent Questions Second Third Final – i. – ii. – iii. – iv. – V. – Vi. Pertinent questions • Can predator risk lead to prey anti-predator response resulting in interaction involving food limitation and disease? • If so in what way can we quantify the response to predation either directly or indirectly? To address these questions the research is designed to take inventory of wildlife numbers in perceived large carnivore ranges by taking transects from previous animal census counts. • Assess the response to predation by the frequency with which prey is found within the home ranges of the selected carnivores • changes in the diet of both wild carnivores and their prey to be investigated through assessment of fecal and grass chlorophyll concentration and analysis of isotopes of stable carbon (12C, 13C, 14C) • mortalities will be collated with accompanying GPS coordinates By analyzing the Predator home range, Chlorophyll concentration, Carbon isotopes , fecal GC metabolites, mortalities due to prey vs other non- preyed mortalities • When prey is most abundant within the carnivore home range and why • The frequency with which they are preyed upon in the three seasons and carnivore home range. • Why prey have to balance between risk of predation and survival (food and water availability). • How and why some disease outbreak is possibly precipitated by predation risk. • Synchrony variation in carnivore home range size with the seasonal change. • Why there might be need for translocation and reintroduction of some species in some National Parks. • Evaluation of fGC as stress indicator in high predation risk versus the low risk. • Type of design for the study • • • • • • Retrospective data Random Transects Selection of area for predator home range Satellite collaring of predators Transects to narrow to predator ranges Selection of control group Data to be collected • • • • • • Predator density. Predator area home range and fluctuation over time. Prey density. Prey species hunted by carnivores. Prey fecal Glucocorticoides. Prey fecal glucocorticoids from game ranch species where predation risk is absent. • Fecal and grass chlorophyll trends in the parks and game ranches where the control groups will be selected. • Alteration in foraging pattern. • Mortality record and possible causes Statistical Analysis
