Nicholas Chancey
Cellular Processes, University of South Florida, 140 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Submitted September 20, 2016
Behavioral Ecology (2007) 18 (1): 204-214. doi: 10.1093/beheco/arl075
First published online: November 28, 2006
Interference Competition Between Coyotes (Canis latrans) and Raccoons (Procyon lotor): a Test of the Mesopredator Release Hypothesis Observations: The authors, Stanley D. Gehrt and Suzanne Prange noted that raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations were growing in areas where there was a lack of a dominant carnivore. Coyotes (Canis latrans) play a role as a top predator by controlling smaller to medium sized mammals that share the same home range (where an animal regularly travels for food) as they …show more content…
To determine whether smaller species strictly avoid areas where larger predatory species are present.
How carnivore species interact can have important implications for other species in addition to carnivores
Hypothesis/Question: (this study had two testable predictions)
H1: Coyote predation is an important cause of mortality in raccoon populations.
H2: Raccoons avoid areas used by …show more content…
The mesopredator release hypothesis seems to be more exclusive to members of the canid community, as the relationship between coyotes and raccoons appeared a bit more complex in this study. There was not one recorded raccoon death due to predatory behavior of a coyote across this entire study. While this study aimed to determine if coyotes acted as a biocontrol for overpopulated “mesopredators” such as raccoons, the results put into question such an assertion and prove the first hypothesis of this study to not be supported since not one raccoon was recorded as being killed by a coyote. The second hypothesis was also not supported as there was no recorded data to represent raccoons avoiding areas specifically because there was a coyote population present
Cellular Processes, University of South Florida, 140 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Submitted September 20, 2016
Behavioral Ecology (2007) 18 (1): 204-214. doi: 10.1093/beheco/arl075
First published online: November 28, 2006
Interference Competition Between Coyotes (Canis latrans) and Raccoons (Procyon lotor): a Test of the Mesopredator Release Hypothesis Observations: The authors, Stanley D. Gehrt and Suzanne Prange noted that raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations were growing in areas where there was a lack of a dominant carnivore. Coyotes (Canis latrans) play a role as a top predator by controlling smaller to medium sized mammals that share the same home range (where an animal regularly travels for food) as they …show more content…
To determine whether smaller species strictly avoid areas where larger predatory species are present.
How carnivore species interact can have important implications for other species in addition to carnivores
Hypothesis/Question: (this study had two testable predictions)
H1: Coyote predation is an important cause of mortality in raccoon populations.
H2: Raccoons avoid areas used by …show more content…
The mesopredator release hypothesis seems to be more exclusive to members of the canid community, as the relationship between coyotes and raccoons appeared a bit more complex in this study. There was not one recorded raccoon death due to predatory behavior of a coyote across this entire study. While this study aimed to determine if coyotes acted as a biocontrol for overpopulated “mesopredators” such as raccoons, the results put into question such an assertion and prove the first hypothesis of this study to not be supported since not one raccoon was recorded as being killed by a coyote. The second hypothesis was also not supported as there was no recorded data to represent raccoons avoiding areas specifically because there was a coyote population present