Spatiotemporal patterns of lion (Panthera leo) space use in a human–wildlife system
Abstract Conserving large carnivores requires protecting landscape spaces that encompass all spatiotemporal scales of their movement. Large carnivores normally roam widely, but habitat loss and fragmentation can constrain their movement in ways that restrict access to resources and increase encounte...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Ecological Solutions and Evidence |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12276 |
| _version_ | 1827804333856522240 |
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| author | Mary K. Burak Femke Broekhuis Amy Dickman Steven Ekwanga Nicholas Elliot Laurence Frank Alayne Oriol‐Cotterill Terrie M. Williams Christopher C. Wilmers Oswald Schmitz |
| author_facet | Mary K. Burak Femke Broekhuis Amy Dickman Steven Ekwanga Nicholas Elliot Laurence Frank Alayne Oriol‐Cotterill Terrie M. Williams Christopher C. Wilmers Oswald Schmitz |
| author_sort | Mary K. Burak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Conserving large carnivores requires protecting landscape spaces that encompass all spatiotemporal scales of their movement. Large carnivores normally roam widely, but habitat loss and fragmentation can constrain their movement in ways that restrict access to resources and increase encounters with humans and potential conflict. Facilitating carnivore population coexistence with humans across landscapes requires conservation plans informed by patterns of carnivore space use, particularly at the human–wildlife interface. We sought to understand lion space use in Laikipia, Kenya. We conducted a path‐selection function analysis using GPS collar data from 16 lions to assess patterns of space use across a range of spatial scales (sedentary to home range expanses; 0, 12.5, 25 and 50 km) and temporal scales (day, dusk, night and dawn). Path‐selection results were then incorporated into space use maps. We found that most landscape features influenced path‐selection at the broadest spatial scale (50 km), representative of home range‐wide movement, thereby demonstrating a landscape‐wide human impact on lion space use. We also detected sub‐diurnal variation in lion path‐selection which revealed limited space use during daylight hours and increased space use overnight. Our results highlight that optimal support for human–lion coexistence should be temporally adaptive at sub‐diurnal scales. Furthermore, spatial approaches to lion conservation may be better generalized at broad spatial scales so that land management plans can account for home range patterns in lion space use. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:09:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f9fef9126d074036b5b42772fd9a1f1c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2688-8319 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:09:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Solutions and Evidence |
| spelling | doaj.art-f9fef9126d074036b5b42772fd9a1f1c2023-09-29T07:58:32ZengWileyEcological Solutions and Evidence2688-83192023-07-0143n/an/a10.1002/2688-8319.12276Spatiotemporal patterns of lion (Panthera leo) space use in a human–wildlife systemMary K. Burak0Femke Broekhuis1Amy Dickman2Steven Ekwanga3Nicholas Elliot4Laurence Frank5Alayne Oriol‐Cotterill6Terrie M. Williams7Christopher C. Wilmers8Oswald Schmitz9School of the Environment Yale University New Haven Connecticut USAWildlife Ecology and Conservation Group Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The NetherlandsWildlife Conservation Research Unit, Recanati‐Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UKLiving With Lions Nanyuki KenyaWildlife Counts Nairobi KenyaLiving With Lions Nanyuki KenyaWildlife Conservation Research Unit, Recanati‐Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UKEcology and Evolutionary Biology Department University of California Santa Cruz California USACenter for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department University of California Santa Cruz California USASchool of the Environment Yale University New Haven Connecticut USAAbstract Conserving large carnivores requires protecting landscape spaces that encompass all spatiotemporal scales of their movement. Large carnivores normally roam widely, but habitat loss and fragmentation can constrain their movement in ways that restrict access to resources and increase encounters with humans and potential conflict. Facilitating carnivore population coexistence with humans across landscapes requires conservation plans informed by patterns of carnivore space use, particularly at the human–wildlife interface. We sought to understand lion space use in Laikipia, Kenya. We conducted a path‐selection function analysis using GPS collar data from 16 lions to assess patterns of space use across a range of spatial scales (sedentary to home range expanses; 0, 12.5, 25 and 50 km) and temporal scales (day, dusk, night and dawn). Path‐selection results were then incorporated into space use maps. We found that most landscape features influenced path‐selection at the broadest spatial scale (50 km), representative of home range‐wide movement, thereby demonstrating a landscape‐wide human impact on lion space use. We also detected sub‐diurnal variation in lion path‐selection which revealed limited space use during daylight hours and increased space use overnight. Our results highlight that optimal support for human–lion coexistence should be temporally adaptive at sub‐diurnal scales. Furthermore, spatial approaches to lion conservation may be better generalized at broad spatial scales so that land management plans can account for home range patterns in lion space use.https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12276carnivoreconservationKenyaLaikipialand managementlarge carnivore |
| spellingShingle | Mary K. Burak Femke Broekhuis Amy Dickman Steven Ekwanga Nicholas Elliot Laurence Frank Alayne Oriol‐Cotterill Terrie M. Williams Christopher C. Wilmers Oswald Schmitz Spatiotemporal patterns of lion (Panthera leo) space use in a human–wildlife system Ecological Solutions and Evidence carnivore conservation Kenya Laikipia land management large carnivore |
| title | Spatiotemporal patterns of lion (Panthera leo) space use in a human–wildlife system |
| title_full | Spatiotemporal patterns of lion (Panthera leo) space use in a human–wildlife system |
| title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal patterns of lion (Panthera leo) space use in a human–wildlife system |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal patterns of lion (Panthera leo) space use in a human–wildlife system |
| title_short | Spatiotemporal patterns of lion (Panthera leo) space use in a human–wildlife system |
| title_sort | spatiotemporal patterns of lion panthera leo space use in a human wildlife system |
| topic | carnivore conservation Kenya Laikipia land management large carnivore |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12276 |
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