Data from: Mesocarnivores affect hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) body mass
Data files
Oct 23, 2019 version files 445.33 KB
-
Morris_Conner_Mesocarnivores_affect_prey_mass_SAS_scripts.txt
23 KB
-
Morris_Conner_Mesocarnivores_affect_prey_massR_script.txt
1.83 KB
-
rmark_input_shis_male_capture_prob.txt
28.14 KB
-
shis_body_mass_dataset_adult_females.xlsx
55.44 KB
-
shis_body_mass_dataset_adult_males.xlsx
45.12 KB
-
shis_body_mass_over_time_dataset_adult_females.xlsx
56.90 KB
-
shis_body_mass_over_time_dataset_adult_males.xlsx
41.93 KB
-
shis_collared_female_survival_through_30_days.xlsx
12.16 KB
-
shis_collared_male_survival_through_30_days.xlsx
15.58 KB
-
shis_female_size_specific_predation.xlsx
8.98 KB
-
shis_growth_rate_adult_females.xlsx
38.23 KB
-
shis_growth_rate_adult_males.xlsx
24.07 KB
-
shis_juv_female_body_mass.xlsx
21.69 KB
-
shis_juv_female_growth.xlsx
14.89 KB
-
shis_juv_male_body_mass.xlsx
15.82 KB
-
shis_juv_male_growth.xlsx
9.84 KB
-
shis_male_size_specific_predation.xlsx
8.94 KB
-
shis_male_trap_patterns.xlsx
22.78 KB
Nov 12, 2019 version files 456.35 KB
-
Morris_Conner_Mesocarnivores_affect_prey_mass_SAS_scripts.txt
23 KB
-
Morris_Conner_Mesocarnivores_affect_prey_massR_script.txt
1.83 KB
-
README.txt
11.02 KB
-
rmark_input_shis_male_capture_prob.txt
28.14 KB
-
shis_body_mass_dataset_adult_females.xlsx
55.44 KB
-
shis_body_mass_dataset_adult_males.xlsx
45.12 KB
-
shis_body_mass_over_time_dataset_adult_females.xlsx
56.90 KB
-
shis_body_mass_over_time_dataset_adult_males.xlsx
41.93 KB
-
shis_collared_female_survival_through_30_days.xlsx
12.16 KB
-
shis_collared_male_survival_through_30_days.xlsx
15.58 KB
-
shis_female_size_specific_predation.xlsx
8.98 KB
-
shis_growth_rate_adult_females.xlsx
38.23 KB
-
shis_growth_rate_adult_males.xlsx
24.07 KB
-
shis_juv_female_body_mass.xlsx
21.69 KB
-
shis_juv_female_growth.xlsx
14.89 KB
-
shis_juv_male_body_mass.xlsx
15.82 KB
-
shis_juv_male_growth.xlsx
9.84 KB
-
shis_male_size_specific_predation.xlsx
8.94 KB
-
shis_male_trap_patterns.xlsx
22.78 KB
Abstract
Predator communities are changing worldwide: large carnivores are declining while mesocarnivores (medium-sized mammalian predators) are increasing in number and ecological influence. Predator choice of prey is not random and different predators select prey with different characteristics. Changes in predator communities can change predation patterns experienced by prey. Little is known about how mesocarnivore communities influence prey morphology. We used 14 years of mark-recapture data to investigate how mesocarnivore exclusion affected body mass of hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus). Finding adult male cotton rats were 9 % heavier with mesocarnivore exclusion, we developed hypotheses to explain this observation. Greater adult male body mass in exclosures resulted from: 1) a non-significant trend of increased survival of large males, 2) faster juvenile male growth during the fall and a similar non-significant trend among adult males, and 3) spatial partitioning by size among males. Taxa-specific predation rates (i.e., rates of predation by snakes, raptors, or mesocarnivores) did not differ among male body mass classes. Mesocarnivores disproportionately preyed on large females while raptors targeted small females, but female body mass was not influenced by mesocarnivore exclusion. Changes in predator communities can result in multiple small effects that collectively result in large differences in prey morphology.