What is the ecology of fear and how does it effect and adjust ecosystems

Many biologists think that the terror felt by prey creates a major behavioral dynamic that ripples through all kinds of ecosystems. A predator can change the feeding behavior of many individuals without even killing them. This is what is called the ecology of fear.

All animals, no matter what the species, need to worry about predators. In recent years, researchers have developed new approaches in hopes of creating a deeper understanding of the role of fear, given how important it is to understanding ecosystems.?

As predators have globally declined, their disappearance — and the fear factor they induce in prey — has had effects in numerous ecosystems. Can a decline in biodiversity brought by a lack of predators be restored by bringing them back?

The ecology of fear gained prominence in the 2000s when Yellowstone researchers noticed that willows and aspen had regrown in some places following the return of wolves. The wolf killed so many of the park’s elk, that it caused profound adjustments to the ecosystem.?

But fear also significantly altered the feeding of the surviving elk. When the wolves returned, the elks were no longer carefree by the river eating riparian plants,? so willow and aspen trees grew tall again for the first time in decades.?

Such research could provide support for the protection of existing predator populations or a rationale to introduce new ones. Understanding the fear landscape may also offer new ways to manage ecosystems.

But how do predators such as bears or sharks change their behavior as a result of human presence, and how does that alter their role in the ecosystem? Humans can have important effects by scaring predators away too, to the extent that ecosystems’ processes could fundamentally change.

The Mamoní Valley Preserve is home to many species of wildlife, including large predator cats like jaguars, pumas, and ocelots. We also encourage researchers to gather data on the various species throughout the Valley, who have cataloged our jaguar population and identified a large variety of other mammals, such as leopards, foxes, among others.

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