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Coexistence from a lion's perspective: movements and habitat selection by african lions (Panthera leo) across a multi-use landscape
Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden; Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Arusha, Tanzania.
Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology, Lincoln Park Zoo, IL, Chicago, United States.
Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.
Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology, Lincoln Park Zoo, IL, Chicago, United States.
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2024 (English)In: PLOS ONE, E-ISSN 1932-6203, Vol. 19, no 10, article id e0311178Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Diminishing wild space and population fragmentation are key drivers of large carnivore declines worldwide. The persistence of large carnivores in fragmented landscapes often depends on the ability of individuals to move between separated subpopulations for genetic exchange and recovery from stochastic events. Where separated by anthropogenic landscapes, subpopulations' connectivity hinges on the area's socio-ecological conditions for coexistence and dispersing individuals' behavioral choices. Using GPS-collars and resource- and step-selection functions, we explored African lion (Panthera leo) habitat selection and movement patterns to better understand lions' behavioral adjustments in a landscape shared with pastoralists. We conducted our study in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), Tanzania, a multiuse rangeland, that connects the small, high density lion subpopulation of the Ngorongoro Crater with the extensive Serengeti lion population. Landscape use by pastoralists and their livestock in the NCA varies seasonally, driven by the availability of pasture, water, and disease avoidance. The most important factor for lion habitat selection was the amount of vegetation cover, but its importance varied with the distance to human settlements, season and time of day. Although we noted high levels of individual variation in tolerance for humans, in general lions avoided humans on the landscape and used more cover when closer to humans. Females showed more consistent avoidance of humans and stronger use of cover when near humans than did males. Connectivity of lion subpopulations does not appear to be blocked by sparse pastoralist settlements, and nomadic males, key to subpopulation connectivity, significantly avoided humans during the day, suggesting a behavioral strategy for conflict mitigation. These results are consistent with lions balancing risk from humans with exploitation of livestock by altering their behaviors to reduce potential conflict. Our study lends some optimism for the adaptive capacity of lions to promote coexistence with humans in shared landscapes.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2024. Vol. 19, no 10, article id e0311178
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Ecology
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URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-230834DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311178ISI: 001329427000058PubMedID: 39361578Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85205605721OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-230834DiVA, id: diva2:1906952
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2014-03382Available from: 2024-10-21 Created: 2024-10-21 Last updated: 2024-10-29Bibliographically approved

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Sandström, Camilla

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