| Abstract: | It is well established that ageing handicaps the ability of prey to escape predators, yet surprisingly little is known about how ageing affects the ability of predators to catch prey. Research into long-lived predators has assumed that adults have uniform impacts on prey regardless of age. Here we use longitudinal data from repeated observations of individually-known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to demonstrate that adult predatory performance declines with age and that an increasing ratio of senescent individuals in the wolf population depresses the rate of prey offtake. Because this ratio fluctuates independently of population size, predatory senescence may cause wolf populations of equal size but different age structure to have different impacts on prey populations. These findings suggest that predatory senescence is an important, though overlooked, factor affecting predator-prey dynamics. ?? 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70037274 |
| Citation Author: | MacNulty, D. R.; Smith, D. W.; Vucetich, J. A.; Mech, L. D.; Stahler, D. R.; Packer, C. |
| Citation Contributing Office: | |
| Citation Datum: | |
| Citation Day: | |
| Citation Edition: | |
| Citation Editor: | |
| Citation End Page: | 1356 |
| Citation Issue: | 12 |
| Citation Keywords: | |
| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Ecology Letters |
| Citation LatN: | |
| Citation LatS: | |
| Citation LonE: | |
| Citation LonW: | |
| Citation Month: | |
| Citation No Pagination: | |
| Citation Number Of Pages: | 10 |
| Citation Online Only Flag: | |
| Citation Phsyical Description: | |
| Citation Projection: | |
| Citation Public Comments: | |
| Citation Publisher: | |
| Citation Series: | |
| Citation Series Code: | |
| Citation Series Number: | |
| Citation Search Results Text: | Predatory senescence in ageing wolves; 2009; Article; Journal; Ecology Letters; MacNulty, D. R.; Smith, D. W.; Vucetich, J. A.; Mech, L. D.; Stahler, D. R.; Packer, C. |
| Citation Start Page: | 1347 |
| Citation Volume: | 12 |
| Citation Year: | 2009 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Predatory senescence in ageing wolves; 2009; Article; Journal; Ecology Letters; MacNulty, D. R.; Smith, D. W.; Vucetich, J. A.; Mech, L. D.; Stahler, D. R.; Packer, C. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01385.x |
| Date Other: | Thu, 1 Jan 2009 00:00 -0600 |
| Publisher: | |
