Integrating Positive and Negative Interactions in Carnivore Community Ecology

Dr. Laura Prugh

Professor, University of Washington

Abstract

Large carnivores are increasingly viewed as integral components of terrestrial ecosystems due to their strong cascading effects on other species, including mesopredators. Interactions among carnivores have been examined largely within the context of intraguild predation theory, in which large carnivores suppress mesopredators. However, emerging research highlights the importance of positive interactions, such as facilitation, in structuring communities. Large terrestrial carnivores provide substantial food subsidies to mesopredators in the form of carrion. In my talk, I will summarize evidence suggesting that large carnivore kills may be a “fatal attraction” leading to landscape-scale suppression of mesopredators. This facilitation-suppression framework highlights the importance of scavenging in structuring terrestrial carnivore communities and may improve predictions of the cascading effects of large carnivores in the face of rapid global change.