DOI: 10.5061/dryad.779qv
title: Data from: Hot dogs: high ambient temperatures impact reproductive success in a tropical carnivore

description: Climate change imposes an urgent need to recognise and conserve the
 species likely to be worst affected. However, while ecologists have mostly
 explored indirect effects of rising ambient temperatures on temperate and
 polar species, physiologists have predicted direct impacts on tropical
 species. The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), a tropical species,
 exhibits few of the traits typically used to predict climate change
 vulnerability. Nevertheless, we predicted that wild dog populations might
 be sensitive to weather conditions, because the species shows strongly
 seasonal reproduction across most of its geographical range. We explored
 associations between weather conditions, reproductive costs, and
 reproductive success, drawing on long-term wild dog monitoring data from
 sites in Botswana (20°S, 24 years), Kenya (0°N, 12 years), and Zimbabwe
 (20°S, 6 years). High ambient temperatures were associated with reduced
 foraging time, especially during the energetically costly pup-rearing
 period. Across all three sites, packs which reared pups at high ambient
 temperatures produced fewer recruits than did those rearing pups in cooler
 weather; at the non-seasonal Kenya site such packs also had longer
 inter-birth intervals. Over time, rising ambient temperatures at the
 (longest-monitored) Botswana site coincided with falling wild dog
 recruitment. Our findings suggest a direct impact of high ambient
 temperatures on African wild dog demography, indicating that this species,
 which is already globally endangered, may be highly vulnerable to climate
 change. This vulnerability would have been missed by simplistic
 trait-based assessments, highlighting the limitations of such assessments.
 Seasonal reproduction, which is less common at low latitudes than at
 higher latitudes, might be a useful indicator of climate change
 vulnerability among tropical species.
description: Biomass ratio of wild
 dog packs in KenyaThe file presents, for
 each day before, during, and after the denning period, the ratio between
 the total biomass of wild dogs in each pack, and the biomass of wild dogs
 able to feed directly from kills (i.e. excluding pups and babysitters
 confined to the den). Data are from our Kenya study
 site.biomass_ratio_Kenya.xlsxActivity every 24hrs for wild dogs in KenyaSummed activity over 24hr periods (sunrise-sunrise) from 10 GPS-collared African wild dogs during denning and non-denning periods in Kenyaactivity_Kenya.xlsxHome range size of wild dogs in Kenya before, during, and after denningHome range size (in sq km) of GPS-collared wild dogs, for 10-day periods before, during, and after denning in Kenya. Home range size was measured using Minimum Convex Polygons. Wild dog WDM123 was tracked through two denning periods.home_range_size_Kenya.xlsxDaily distances travelled by wild dogs in KenyaDaily distances travelled (in m) by GPS-collared African wild dogs before, during, and after denning in Kenyadaily_distance_travelled_Kenya.xlsxPeriods of occupying successive dens in KenyaThe file shows, for each GPS-collared wild dog, the number of days spent using each den and the distance moved to the next den. Dat are from our Kenya study site.den_moves_Kenya.xlsxInter-birth intervals for wild dog packs in KenyaFile shows the period (in days) between successive births for African wild dog packs in Kenya, along with potential covariatesinterbirth_interval_Kenya.xlsxActivity every 5mins for wild dogs in KenyaFile shows, for 10 GPS-collared African wild dogs in Kenya, activity every 5 mins measured relative to the mean activity for that time point smoothed over a 20min period. Concurrent data on temperature measured by the collar are also provided.relative_5min_activity_Kenya.xlsxNumber of den moves vs ambient temperature in KenyaThe file shows the number of times packs of wild dogs in Kenya shifted den during each denning period, and mean daily maximum ambient temperature during the same period. Data are limited to the GPS-collared wild dogs monitored over an entire denning period. Only data from GPS-collared packs were used because monitoring using VHF collars was necessarily less intensive and may have failed to detect some den moves.den_shifts_vs_temp_Kenya.xlsxAnnual reproductive success and population density at all 3 sitesThe file shows, for each calendar year of monitoring in all three study sites, the estimated density (adults and yearlings per 100 sq km), and mean litter size per pack and mean pup survival to 12 months for the previous year.reproductive_success_vs_density_all_sites.xlsxWild dog reproductive success at our Botswana study siteThis file shows, for our Botswana study area, the number of pups raised to three months of age in each breeding attempt, the number that survived to 12 months, and various potential covariates.reproductive_success_Botswana.xlsxWild dog reproductive success at our Zimbabwe study siteThis file shows, for our Zimbabwe study area, the number of pups raised to three months of age in each breeding attempt, the number that survived to 12 months, and various potential covariates.reproductive_success_Zimbabwe.xlsxWild dog reproductive success at our Kenya study siteThis file shows, for our Kenya study area, the number of pups raised to three months of age in each breeding attempt, the number that survived to 12 months, and various potential covariates.reproductive_success_Kenya.xlsxTrend in denning-season ambient temperature at our Botswana siteThe files shows, for each year of monitoring at our Botswana site, mean daily maximum ambient temperature for the dates 20 May-10 Sep. The year 1994 was conservatively excluded due to unusually low reported temperature and hence high leverage; including this year strengthened rather than weakened the observed warming trend.Botswana_temperature_by_year.xlsx