DOI: 10.5061/dryad.tb2rbp0c7
title: Data from: Large carnivore feeding is resilient to human disturbance

description: Impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on wild populations have the
 potential to alter natural systems. Humans are a main source of mortality
 for terrestrial carnivores that far exceeds natural mortality, which may
 lead to commensurate antipredator responses of carnivores toward humans.
 These behavioural changes have been implicated in trophic cascades,
 resulting in ecological alterations due to changes in space use or altered
 kill rates by predators to offset resource losses. These implications
 highlight the importance of evaluating behavioural responses of carnivores
 to human disturbance. While studies have implemented both correlative
 analyses and experimental proxies for human disturbance to assess these
 questions, here we leveraged an approach using direct human encounters at
 feeding sites of mountain lions in central Wyoming, USA. Counter to
 previous studies, mountain lions responded to disturbances through
 extended time budgets dedicated to feeding sites, &gt;80% return rates
 after disturbances, and ultimately a marked reduction in feeding rate
 estimates. Additionally, we found evidence of behavioural flexibility, as
 the probability of mountain lions returning to feeding sites positively
 correlated with the cumulative disturbances they incurred. We discuss
 factors likely to influence state-dependent antipredator responses to
 disturbance, potential discrepancies across studies, and question the
 ramifications of behavioural responses to carnivore fitness due to human
 disturbance via encounters in natural systems.
description: # Data from: Large carnivore feeding is resilient to human disturbance
 Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.tb2rbp0c7](10.5061/dryad.tb2rbp0c7) ##
 Description of the data and file structure ### Files and variables ####
 File: Clus_Summary.csv **Description:** Complete summary output from
 GPSeqClus clustering algorithm ##### Variables * AID: animal
 identification * clus_ID3: cluster identification number * clus_start:
 timestamp of cluster start * clus_end: timestamp of cluster end *
 clus_dur_hr: cluster duration in hours (clus_end – clus_start) *
 n_clus_locs: number of locations in the cluster * visits: number of times
 (bouts) the cluster was visited * fix_succ_clus_dur: the fix success
 during the cluster duration (total / successful attempts) *
 adj_clus_locs: locations adjusted for fix success (n_clus_locs /
 fix_succ_clus_dur) * Fid: fidelity to the cluster (m) (n_clus_locs –
 locations away from cluster) * max_foray: maximum foray from cluster
 centroid (m) * clus_radius: maximum cluster radius (m) *
 avg_clus_dist: average distance of cluster locations from the centroid (m)
 * n_24_per: unique 24 hr periods with at least one cluster location *
 bin_24hr: binary variable whether the cluster duration exceeded 24 hr (0 =
 less than or equal to 24 hr, 1 = greater than 24 hr) * season: 0 = 15 Nov
 - 14 May , 1 = 15 May - 14 Nov * season2: 0 = 1 Nov - 30 April, 1 = 1 May
 - 31 Oct * night_pts: number of night locations * night_prop: proportion
 of night locations (night_pts / n_clus_locs) #### File: Joined_All.csv
 **Description:** merged and aligned data from all model-predicted feeding
 events from cluster summary and other investigations. Represents unique
 investigations of each prey item (includes rows for multiple kills at a
 single site). Includes investigations where the cluster shifted from
 predicted kill to no kill with added data, but was already investigated,
 also includes 1 investigation where we captured the animal off a kill
 (reported as cluster number 0). The dataset includes variables from
 Clus_Summary.csv with additional data columns described below. #####
 Variables * Lion.Sex: mountain lion sex * Ch_Date: investigation timestamp
 * Ch_by: investigator * clus_shift: timestamp of cluster shifts or
 multiple carcasses at a site * Mod_pred: identifies if the cluster was
 ultimately predicted to be a feeding event * DetectionTime: time
 difference from the first cluster location until model prediction of
 feeding event (hrs) * Check_FirstLoc: time difference from the first
 cluster location until an investigation occurred (hrs) * Check_Detected:
 time difference from model prediction until an investigation occurred
 (hrs) * Check_LastLoc: time difference from the investigation until the
 last cluster location (hrs) * Cluster.Description: what was found during
 cluster investigation (e.g., kill, scavenge, day bed, nothing) *
 Carcass.Present: carcass present at cluster (Y/N) * Species: prey species
 * Sex: prey sex * Final_Class: age classification of prey *
 Observed_lion: was a mountain lion observed during investigation (Y/N) *
 X..Consumed: estimate of how much of the carcass was consumed at the time
 of investigation (1-5) * Cover.Amount: estimate of cover at the carcass
 (1-5) * Cent_to_Carc: distance from the cluster centroid to the carcass
 (m) * checked_during: investigation occurred within the handling duration
 (T/F) * Lion.Age: estimated mountain lion age during the feeding event *
 lion.class: estimated mountain lion age class during feeding event *
 live_weight: estimated weight of prey (kg) * Disturbance: estimated human
 disturbance during feeding event * next_clus_dist: subsequent cluster
 location distance relative to investigation (m) #### File:
 Cluster_Investigations.csv **Description:** subset of Joined_All.csv
 restricted to only investigated sites. The dataset includes variables from
 Joined_All.csv with additional data columns described below. #####
 Variables * Disturbance: estimated human disturbance during the feeding
 event * prev_loc_time: previous location time relative to investigation
 (hrs) * prev_loc_dist: previous location distance relative to
 investigation (m) * prev_clus_time: previous cluster location time
 relative to investigation (hrs) * prev_clus_dist: previous cluster
 location distance relative to investigation (m) *
 next_loc_time: subsequent location time relative to investigation (hrs) *
 next_loc_dist: subsequent location distance relative to investigation (m)
 * next_clus_time: subsequent cluster location time relative to
 investigation (hrs) * next_clus_dist: subsequent cluster location distance
 relative to investigation (m) * nearest_return_to_carcass: nearest
 distance returned to carcass after disturbance (m) *
 Dist_Type: disturbance classification * max_flight_dist: maximum distance
 from carcass before returning to the feeding site (m) *
 n_disturb_feed: cumulative number of disturbances incurred by individuals
 during feeding events * n_disturb_all: cumulative number of disturbances
 incurred by individuals * live_weight: estimated weight of prey (kg) *
 bio_rem: estimated biomass remaining at the time of investigation (kg)
 #### File: FeedRates.csv **Description:** The feeding interval data
 includes rows identifying sequential feeding events by mountain lions.
 ##### Variables * AID: animal identification and cluster number of the
 first event * Lion.Sex: sex of mountain lion * Lion.Age: estimated age of
 mountain lion at time of feeding event * first_kill: prey species of the
 first feeding event * fk_sex: prey sex of first feeding event *
 fk_class: prey age class of first feeding event * fk_type: type of feeding
 identified for the first feeding event * fk_cover: estimated cover of
 carcass at first feeding event * fk_season: 0 = 15 Nov - 14 May , 1 = 15
 May - 14 Nov of first feeding event * fk_live_weight: live weight estimate
 of prey of the first feeding event * fk_Disturb: human disturbance at
 first feeding event * fk_time: first location time of first feeding event
 * fk_end_time: last location time of first feeding event * dur: handling
 duration of first feeding event * second_kill: sequential feeding event
 prey species * nk_time: first location time of sequential feeding event *
 KI: feeding interval estimate (difference between first location times of
 sequential feeding events; hrs) * KI_fix: fix the success rate during the
 feeding interval * IKI: intra feeding interval (difference between the
 last feeding location and the sequential first feeding location; hrs) *
 Satellite: did these feeding events overlap #### File:
 Forays_Undisturbed.csv **Description:** data includes rows identifying
 forays from feeding sites not disturbed by investigators. ##### Variables
 * AID: animal identification * clus_ID: cluster identification number *
 time.diff.hrs: time spent away from the feeding site on the foray (hrs) *
 foray_dist: maximum distance from the carcass during the foray (m) ## Code
 and software #### File: Dryad_Disturbance_Code.R
 **Description:** Associated R script to procure summary metrics, model
 outputs, and figures. Analysis run in R v. 4.0.5.