10.5061/DRYAD.4DK44
Elbroch, L. Mark
University of California, Davis
Wittmer, Heiko U.
Victoria University of Wellington
Data from: Table scraps: inter-trophic food provisioning by pumas
Dryad
dataset
2012
keystone species
Puma concolor
Inter-trophic food provisioning
Andean condor
Holocene
2012-10-15T19:24:02Z
2012-10-15T19:24:02Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0423
88064 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Large carnivores perform keystone ecological functions through direct
predation, or indirectly, through food subsidies to scavengers or trophic
cascades driven by their influence on the distributions of their prey.
Pumas (Puma concolor) are an elusive, cryptic species difficult to study,
and little is known about their inter-trophic level interactions in
natural communities. Using new GPS technology, we discovered that pumas in
Patagonia provided 232 ± 31 kg of edible meat/month/100 km2 to
near-threatened Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) and other members of a
diverse scavenger community. This is up to 3.1 times the contributions by
wolves (Canis lupus) to communities in Yellowstone National Park, USA, and
highlights the keystone role large, solitary felids play in natural
systems. These findings are more pertinent than ever, for managers
increasingly advocate controlling pumas and other large felids to bolster
prey populations and mitigate concerns over human and livestock safety,
without a full understanding of the potential ecological consequences of
their actions.
Elbroch_BiolLetters_DataData about puma kill sites used in this analysis.
Patagonia