Under the direction of Leanne Nash, Ms. Laura Bidner will investigate the predator-prey interactions between leopards and chacma baboons at Loskop Dam Nature Reserve, South Africa.. Field research will involve simultaneously monitoring the behavior and movement patterns of a baboon troop habituated to the presence of human observers and the radio-collared leopards within the troop's home range. This will allow patterns of predation and predation risk faced by primates to be studied in greater detail than it has been to date.
The risk of being killed by a predator is considered to be a critical factor affecting the behavior and ecology of primates in their natural environments. However, despite the vast amount of behavioral and ecological research conducted on wild, non-human primates, very little is known about the accuracy of most primates' perception of predation risk in their environment. This is largely due to the elusive nature of many predators which discourages primate researchers from gaining accurate information on predator activity. Leopards, notoriously stealthy predators, pose serious risk to many primate species in Africa and Asia. Leopards have been identified as the primary predator of baboons, which travel widely through leopard-occupied areas during daily ranging. Studies of leopard movement patterns show core areas of intense utilization within relatively large ranges which should cause variation in the risk faced by prey species. Baboons are ideal subjects for investigating such perception of variation in risk posed by leopards within their environment. This project is designed to test hypotheses regarding (1) how well baboons' perceived risk, measured by risk-aversion or antipredatory behaviors, corresponds with leopard presence, (2) the effect of nocturnal encounters between leopards and baboons on baboon behavior, and (3) the effect of baboon behaviors on leopard behavior.
Field data collected for this project will show how well primate antipredatory behaviors reflect detection risk posed by actual predators as well as how well environmental factors such as habitat type serve as good proxies for actual predation risk. Field research will also provide data on how predators respond to complex prey behavior. Thus, the results of the study will expand our understanding of current predator-prey interactions as well as how this dynamic relationship may have affected both primate and predator evolution.
This project has broader implications for paleoanthropology, conservation in South Africa, and science education. As early hominins were preyed upon by leopards in habitats similar to that of this study, the results will be useful in interpreting strategies hominin ancestors may have used to avoid predation and even compete with predators. Studies of current predator-prey interactions are crucial in order to understand how such interactions may have shaped human origins. Today, both leopards and baboons are persecuted in many areas of South Africa. Inclusion of both species in this project will increase local awareness of the patterns of behavior and ranging for these animals which are considered pests and often misunderstood. The findings of this study will be used directly by park managers in creating animal management plans and will add to the body of knowledge currently being compiled by the newly-formed South African Leopard Forum. Finally, both US and South African students will be involved in the project directly in the field and gain valuable experience toward their own careers in science.
