Question

Ungulate, Livestock, & Predator Interactions: Throughout this week we are learning about the order Carnivora (e.g., wolves, bears, mountain lions, foxes, coyotes, etc.), as well as, the orders Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla (e.g., deer, elk, mountain goats, antelope, cows, sheep, etc.) In many ecosystems species from these groups interact in the form of predator-prey interactions and/or interspecific competition. These interactions are often affected by human interactions and choices such as hunting, development, livestock management, and predator re-introduction.

Choose one of the following issues and locate at least two scientifically reputable reference sources to support your position:

• Wolf (or other predator) re-introduction
• Deer, elk, and/or livestock competition
• Livestock depredation (killing of livestock by wild predators)
• Hunting and/or bounty of species of order Carnivora (i.e., coyotes, bobcats, bears, mountain lions)

Include a brief overview of the conflict, explain the ecological interactions at work (i.e., predation, competition) and give your opinion about what you think the “best” solutions are.

Answer 1

Competition in the broadest sense refers to the interaction of two organisms striving for the same resource. It may be both intraspecific. i.e between organisms of the same species and interspecific i.e between organisms of different species.

Livestock competition:- This type of competition may be both intraspecific or interspecific.

(a) The interspecific competition occurs when organisms of different species belonging to same trophic level or having similar feeding habit. e.g in grassland, severe competition occurs between herbivores like rabbits, deer, bisons etc as all feed upon grass. Competition for zooplanktons between visiting flamingoes and resident fishes in South American lakes.

(b) Introduction of goats resulted in exclusion of Abingdon tortoise from Galapagos islands because goats are better browsers.

Overview:-It may be emphasized that competition occurs only when required commodity is in short supply. If grass is in plenty and fulfill the needs of all herbivores of that area, there will be no competition or only little. Resource need not to be the limiting factor as the presence of superior competitor will inhibit the less superior species.

Predation:-It is a type of interaction in which member of species capture, kill & eat up the member of other species. The species that captures is called predator and the other that is captured is called prey. Prey-predator relationship is often used by man in biological control of pests. e.g Mosquito larvae are eaten by larvicidal fish such as Gambusia. Another example is camouflage shown by different insects & other animals like a grasshopper resembles a green leaf.

Mutualism:- It is an obligate association of two organisms in which each derives benefit from the other.e.g Lichen( association between alga & fungus).

Solutions:- Species facing competition might evolve mechanism to live in the same ecological niche by changing the feeding time or foraging patterns.i.e resource partitioning.e.g Habitat diversification can also reduce competition( Tribolium and Oryzaephilum); Five closely species of warblers avoid competition by changing foraging pattern.

Human interference like hunting, poaching, habitat destruction by cutting down trees should be penalised so that we could avoid the grim situation & survive our ecology and environment to the best possible way.