Tooth fracture frequency in gray wolves reflects prey availability.
Isle Royale
Yellowstone
carnivore competition
ecology
evolutionary biology
gray wolves
predator:prey ratio
tooth fracture
Journal
eLife
ISSN: 2050-084X
Titre abrégé: Elife
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101579614
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
24 09 2019
24 09 2019
Historique:
received:
21
05
2019
accepted:
21
08
2019
entrez:
25
9
2019
pubmed:
25
9
2019
medline:
6
2
2020
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Exceptionally high rates of tooth fracture in large Pleistocene carnivorans imply intensified interspecific competition, given that tooth fracture rises with increased bone consumption, a behavior that likely occurs when prey are difficult to acquire. To assess the link between prey availability and dental attrition, we documented dental fracture rates over decades among three well-studied populations of extant gray wolves that differed in prey:predator ratio and levels of carcass utilization. When prey:predator ratios declined, kills were more fully consumed, and rates of tooth fracture more than doubled. This supports tooth fracture frequency as a relative measure of the difficulty of acquiring prey, and reveals a rapid response to diminished food levels in large carnivores despite risks of infection and reduced fitness due to dental injuries. More broadly, large carnivore tooth fracture frequency likely reflects energetic stress, an aspect of predator success that is challenging to quantify in wild populations.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31549963
doi: 10.7554/eLife.48628
pii: 48628
pmc: PMC6759352
doi:
pii:
Banques de données
Dryad
['10.5061/dryad.fc8j47n']
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Subventions
Organisme : National Science Foundation
ID : SGP-1237928
Pays : International
Organisme : Isle Royale National Park
ID : P16AC00004
Pays : International
Organisme : U.S. Department of Agriculture
ID : NIFA-1014575
Pays : International
Organisme : National Science Foundation
ID : DEB-1245373
Pays : International
Organisme : National Science Foundation
ID : DEB-1453041
Pays : International
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
BV, RP, DS, DS, JV No competing interests declared
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