Predator Foraging Plasticity and Its Role in Top-Down Control Within Human-Modified Landscapes Using High-Resolution Biologging

Abstract

The anthropogenic alters scenery such as urban and agricultural environments, which pose special predator challenges and require them to adapt the foraging activities according to the changing environmental conditions. The paper conducts a study based on the importance of predator foraging plasticity in top-down control in these landscapes, where high-resolution biologging technologies are used to trace predator movement and foraging patterns. After 2 years of monitoring GPS-collared predators, fox, coyotes, and hawks, in fragmented urban and rural environments, the predators were observed. The foraging behavior, movement patterns, and prey choices were examined to determine the effect of the landscape structure on predator prey interactions in these altered conditions. The findings revealed a significant distinction in foraging behavior between urban and rural predators. There was 25% greater foraging efficiency in urban predators (p < 0.05), as the predators spent less time foraging, possibly because there is anthropogenic food like garbage and domestic animals. Conversely, the foraging patterns of rural predators were less diverse and depended on wild fauna more indicating poorer foraging success. The range of urban predators was also wider in terms of territory, which is related to the increased availability of resources in human landscapes. Also, the research discovered that urban predators had a much more intense overall top-down influence on prey populations with a 30 % decrease in prey abundance (F = 4.78, p < 0.01) than 15 % decrease in rural settings. This shows the increased regulatory effect of predators in urban ecosystems, where anthropogenic resources favor higher predator densities and foraging success. These results indicate the significance of predator foraging plasticity in the ecological balance in anthropogenic landscapes. Predators can also help regulate prey populations through top-down control, adapting to conditions across varied environments, to avoid ecological disruption. The study indicates that predator foraging behavior is significant in the management and conservation of wildlife in anthropogenic habitats. The future studies need to focus on the effects of long-term predator plasticity on trophic cascades and ecosystem services, especially in quickly urbanizing regions.