Paws without claws? Ecological effects of large carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes

Large carnivores are frequently presented as saviours of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning through their creation of trophic cascades, an idea largely based on studies coming primarily out of relatively natural landscapes. However, in large parts of the world, particularly in Europe, large carn...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2016-10, Vol.283 (1841), p.1-9
Main Authors: Kuijper, D. P. J., Sahlèn, E., Elmhagen, B., Chamaillé-Jammes, S., Sand, H., Lone, K., Cromsigt, J. P. G. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carnivores
Homo sapiens
Human ecology
Humans
Landscape ecology
Landscapes
Moose hunting
Predators
Review
Ungulates
Wolves
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
cited_by
cites
container_end_page 9
container_issue 1841
container_start_page 1
container_title Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences
container_volume 283
creator Kuijper, D. P. J.
Sahlèn, E.
Elmhagen, B.
Chamaillé-Jammes, S.
Sand, H.
Lone, K.
Cromsigt, J. P. G. M.
description Large carnivores are frequently presented as saviours of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning through their creation of trophic cascades, an idea largely based on studies coming primarily out of relatively natural landscapes. However, in large parts of the world, particularly in Europe, large carnivores live in and are returning to strongly human-modified ecosystems. At present, we lack a coherent framework to predict the effects of large carnivores in these anthropogenic landscapes. We review how human actions influence the ecological roles of large carnivores by affecting their density or behaviour or those of mesopredators or prey species. We argue that the potential for density-mediated trophic cascades in anthropogenic landscapes is limited to unproductive areas where even low carnivore numbers may impact prey densities or to the limited parts of the landscape where carnivores are allowed to reach ecologically functional densities. The potential for behaviourally mediated trophic cascades may be larger and more widespread, because even low carnivore densities affect prey behaviour. We conclude that predator–prey interactions in anthropogenic landscapes will be highly context-dependent and human actions will often attenuate the ecological effects of large carnivores. We highlight the knowledge gaps and outline a new research avenue to study the role of carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes.
format article
fullrecord <record><control><sourceid>jstor</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_jstor_primary_26159077</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><jstor_id>26159077</jstor_id><sourcerecordid>26159077</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-jstor_primary_261590773</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNqFir0KwjAYAIMoWH8eQfheoJDGpm0mB6k4OohrCTFtU2JS8kWLb6-Du9Nx3M1IkuVlljLB8zlJqChYWuWcLckKcaCUCl7xhNwuckKYTOz9M4KyXztArbz1nVHSgm5brSKCb8HK0GlQMjjz8kEjGAfSxT740XfaGfU93B2VHDVuyKKVFvX2xzXZnerr8ZwOGH1oxmAeMrwbVmRc0LLc_-sfNkw-zw</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Publisher</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype></control><display><type>article</type><title>Paws without claws? Ecological effects of large carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes</title><source>JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection</source><source>PubMed Central</source><creator>Kuijper, D. P. J. ; Sahlèn, E. ; Elmhagen, B. ; Chamaillé-Jammes, S. ; Sand, H. ; Lone, K. ; Cromsigt, J. P. G. M.</creator><creatorcontrib>Kuijper, D. P. J. ; Sahlèn, E. ; Elmhagen, B. ; Chamaillé-Jammes, S. ; Sand, H. ; Lone, K. ; Cromsigt, J. P. G. M.</creatorcontrib><description>Large carnivores are frequently presented as saviours of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning through their creation of trophic cascades, an idea largely based on studies coming primarily out of relatively natural landscapes. However, in large parts of the world, particularly in Europe, large carnivores live in and are returning to strongly human-modified ecosystems. At present, we lack a coherent framework to predict the effects of large carnivores in these anthropogenic landscapes. We review how human actions influence the ecological roles of large carnivores by affecting their density or behaviour or those of mesopredators or prey species. We argue that the potential for density-mediated trophic cascades in anthropogenic landscapes is limited to unproductive areas where even low carnivore numbers may impact prey densities or to the limited parts of the landscape where carnivores are allowed to reach ecologically functional densities. The potential for behaviourally mediated trophic cascades may be larger and more widespread, because even low carnivore densities affect prey behaviour. We conclude that predator–prey interactions in anthropogenic landscapes will be highly context-dependent and human actions will often attenuate the ecological effects of large carnivores. We highlight the knowledge gaps and outline a new research avenue to study the role of carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes.</description><identifier>ISSN: 0962-8452</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1471-2954</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>THE ROYAL SOCIETY</publisher><subject>Carnivores ; Homo sapiens ; Human ecology ; Humans ; Landscape ecology ; Landscapes ; Moose hunting ; Predators ; Review ; Ungulates ; Wolves</subject><ispartof>Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, 2016-10, Vol.283 (1841), p.1-9</ispartof><rights>The Royal Society, 2016</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktopdf>$$Uhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26159077$$EPDF$$P50$$Gjstor$$H</linktopdf><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/26159077$$EHTML$$P50$$Gjstor$$H</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>315,786,790,58593,58826</link.rule.ids></links><search><creatorcontrib>Kuijper, D. P. J.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sahlèn, E.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Elmhagen, B.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Chamaillé-Jammes, S.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sand, H.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Lone, K.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Cromsigt, J. P. G. M.</creatorcontrib><title>Paws without claws? Ecological effects of large carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes</title><title>Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences</title><description>Large carnivores are frequently presented as saviours of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning through their creation of trophic cascades, an idea largely based on studies coming primarily out of relatively natural landscapes. However, in large parts of the world, particularly in Europe, large carnivores live in and are returning to strongly human-modified ecosystems. At present, we lack a coherent framework to predict the effects of large carnivores in these anthropogenic landscapes. We review how human actions influence the ecological roles of large carnivores by affecting their density or behaviour or those of mesopredators or prey species. We argue that the potential for density-mediated trophic cascades in anthropogenic landscapes is limited to unproductive areas where even low carnivore numbers may impact prey densities or to the limited parts of the landscape where carnivores are allowed to reach ecologically functional densities. The potential for behaviourally mediated trophic cascades may be larger and more widespread, because even low carnivore densities affect prey behaviour. We conclude that predator–prey interactions in anthropogenic landscapes will be highly context-dependent and human actions will often attenuate the ecological effects of large carnivores. We highlight the knowledge gaps and outline a new research avenue to study the role of carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes.</description><subject>Carnivores</subject><subject>Homo sapiens</subject><subject>Human ecology</subject><subject>Humans</subject><subject>Landscape ecology</subject><subject>Landscapes</subject><subject>Moose hunting</subject><subject>Predators</subject><subject>Review</subject><subject>Ungulates</subject><subject>Wolves</subject><issn>0962-8452</issn><issn>1471-2954</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2016</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><sourceid/><recordid>eNqFir0KwjAYAIMoWH8eQfheoJDGpm0mB6k4OohrCTFtU2JS8kWLb6-Du9Nx3M1IkuVlljLB8zlJqChYWuWcLckKcaCUCl7xhNwuckKYTOz9M4KyXztArbz1nVHSgm5brSKCb8HK0GlQMjjz8kEjGAfSxT740XfaGfU93B2VHDVuyKKVFvX2xzXZnerr8ZwOGH1oxmAeMrwbVmRc0LLc_-sfNkw-zw</recordid><startdate>20161026</startdate><enddate>20161026</enddate><creator>Kuijper, D. P. J.</creator><creator>Sahlèn, E.</creator><creator>Elmhagen, B.</creator><creator>Chamaillé-Jammes, S.</creator><creator>Sand, H.</creator><creator>Lone, K.</creator><creator>Cromsigt, J. P. G. M.</creator><general>THE ROYAL SOCIETY</general><scope/></search><sort><creationdate>20161026</creationdate><title>Paws without claws? Ecological effects of large carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes</title><author>Kuijper, D. P. J. ; Sahlèn, E. ; Elmhagen, B. ; Chamaillé-Jammes, S. ; Sand, H. ; Lone, K. ; Cromsigt, J. P. G. M.</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-jstor_primary_261590773</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2016</creationdate><topic>Carnivores</topic><topic>Homo sapiens</topic><topic>Human ecology</topic><topic>Humans</topic><topic>Landscape ecology</topic><topic>Landscapes</topic><topic>Moose hunting</topic><topic>Predators</topic><topic>Review</topic><topic>Ungulates</topic><topic>Wolves</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Kuijper, D. P. J.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sahlèn, E.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Elmhagen, B.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Chamaillé-Jammes, S.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sand, H.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Lone, K.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Cromsigt, J. P. G. M.</creatorcontrib><jtitle>Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Kuijper, D. P. J.</au><au>Sahlèn, E.</au><au>Elmhagen, B.</au><au>Chamaillé-Jammes, S.</au><au>Sand, H.</au><au>Lone, K.</au><au>Cromsigt, J. P. G. M.</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Paws without claws? Ecological effects of large carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes</atitle><jtitle>Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences</jtitle><date>2016-10-26</date><risdate>2016</risdate><volume>283</volume><issue>1841</issue><spage>1</spage><epage>9</epage><pages>1-9</pages><issn>0962-8452</issn><eissn>1471-2954</eissn><abstract>Large carnivores are frequently presented as saviours of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning through their creation of trophic cascades, an idea largely based on studies coming primarily out of relatively natural landscapes. However, in large parts of the world, particularly in Europe, large carnivores live in and are returning to strongly human-modified ecosystems. At present, we lack a coherent framework to predict the effects of large carnivores in these anthropogenic landscapes. We review how human actions influence the ecological roles of large carnivores by affecting their density or behaviour or those of mesopredators or prey species. We argue that the potential for density-mediated trophic cascades in anthropogenic landscapes is limited to unproductive areas where even low carnivore numbers may impact prey densities or to the limited parts of the landscape where carnivores are allowed to reach ecologically functional densities. The potential for behaviourally mediated trophic cascades may be larger and more widespread, because even low carnivore densities affect prey behaviour. We conclude that predator–prey interactions in anthropogenic landscapes will be highly context-dependent and human actions will often attenuate the ecological effects of large carnivores. We highlight the knowledge gaps and outline a new research avenue to study the role of carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes.</abstract><pub>THE ROYAL SOCIETY</pub></addata></record>
fulltext fulltext
identifier ISSN: 0962-8452
ispartof Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, 2016-10, Vol.283 (1841), p.1-9
issn 0962-8452
1471-2954
language eng
recordid cdi_jstor_primary_26159077
source JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection; PubMed Central
subjects Carnivores
Homo sapiens
Human ecology
Humans
Landscape ecology
Landscapes
Moose hunting
Predators
Review
Ungulates
Wolves
title Paws without claws? Ecological effects of large carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes
url http://sfxeu10.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/loughborough?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2024-09-21T12%3A49%3A07IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-jstor&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Paws%20without%20claws?%20Ecological%20effects%20of%20large%20carnivores%20in%20anthropogenic%20landscapes&rft.jtitle=Proceedings%20of%20the%20Royal%20Society.%20B,%20Biological%20sciences&rft.au=Kuijper,%20D.%20P.%20J.&rft.date=2016-10-26&rft.volume=283&rft.issue=1841&rft.spage=1&rft.epage=9&rft.pages=1-9&rft.issn=0962-8452&rft.eissn=1471-2954&rft_id=info:doi/&rft_dat=%3Cjstor%3E26159077%3C/jstor%3E%3Cgrp_id%3Ecdi_FETCH-jstor_primary_261590773%3C/grp_id%3E%3Coa%3E%3C/oa%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_jstor_id=26159077&rfr_iscdi=true