The rapid expansion of human activity in the Anthropocene has broadly influenced the distribution and behavior of wildlife. Many studies have found that humans can displace animals in space and time and, alternatively, that animals can habituate or be attracted to humans in space and time. However, fewer studies have examined the consequences of human activity on the temporal overlap of predators and prey. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies that measured the activity patterns of mammal predators and their prey in response to human activity and infrastructure (n= 51, 121 pairs). We also present a conceptual framework to connect shifts in temporal overlap of predator-prey pairs to predictions of encounter risk and predation.
Results/Conclusions
Our preliminary meta-analysis revealed a stronger negative effect of human activity on predators than on their prey. Additionally, we found stronger support for the prey refugia hypothesis among predator-prey pairs with cursorial predators than in pairs with ambush predators. Still, our analysis indicates that many predator-prey pairs mutually avoid human activity and experience increased temporal overlap. We assessed how the type of human disturbance (i.e. infrastructure, recreation) and taxonomic traits (e.g. body size, trophic position) influenced the magnitude of predator-prey responses. These results highlight circumstances in which predators or prey respond positively, negatively, or neutrally to various types of human activity. We synthesize how altered temporal overlap can lead to various food web disruptions and alter patterns of energy intake within ecological communities.