IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library
   

 

View printer friendly
Dyck, M.A.; Iosif, R.; Promberger-Frrpass, B.; Popescu, V.D.
Dracula's m‚nagerie: A multispecies occupancy analysis of lynx, wildcat, and wolf in the Romanian Carpathians
2022  Ecology and Evolution (12): e8921

The recovery of terrestrial carnivores in Europe is a conservation success story. Initiatives focused on restoring top predators require information on how resident species may interact with the re-introduced species as their interactions have the potential to alter food webs, yet such data are scarce for Europe. In this study, we assessed patterns of occupancy and interactions between three carnivore species in the Romanian Carpathians. Romania houses one of the few intact carnivore guilds in Europe, making it an ideal system to assess intraguild interactions and serve as a guide for reintroductions elsewhere. We used camera trap data from two seasons in Transylvanian forests to assess occupancy and co-occurrence of carnivores using multispecies occupancy models. Mean occupancy in the study area was highest for lynx (winter=0.76 95% CI: 0.42-0.92; autumn=0.71 CI: 0.38-0.84) and wolf (winter=0.60 CI: 0.34-0.78; autumn=0.81 CI: 0.25-0.95) and lowest for wildcat (winter=0.40 CI: 0.19-0.63; autumn=0.52 CI: 0.17-0.78) We found that marginal occupancy predictors for carnivores varied between seasons. We also found differences in predictors of co-occurrence between seasons for both lynx-wolf and wildcat-wolf co-occurrence. For both seasons, we found that conditional occupancy probabilities of all three species were higher when another species was present. Our results indicate that while there are seasonal differences in predictors of occupancy and co-occurrence of the three species, co-occurrence in our study area is high. Terrestrial carnivore recovery efforts are ongoing worldwide. Insights into interspecific relations between carnivore species are critical when considering the depauperate communities they are introduced in. Our work showcases that apex carnivore coexistence is possible, but dependent on protection afforded to forest habitats and their prey base.

PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here

 

(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union)