Mesopredators in forest edges

Abstract

AbstractFragments and edges account for most remaining forest habitats globally. Apex predators and megaherbivores often decline in these degraded habitats while smaller generalist omnivores can persist or thrive in forest edges, especially if they can utilize nonnative resources (“cross‐boundary food subsidies”). Outcomes for small‐medium carnivores (mesopredators) remain unclear or idiosyncratic. We tested responses of a widespread and common forest mesopredator to edges and the composition of the adjacent nonforested areas using 91 camera trapping surveys in Southeast Asia. Leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis and Prionailurus javanensis) showed a hump‐shaped relationship with forest cover and a positive association with oil palm plantations, but they did not increase near other types of nonnative land cover. Leopard cats' success in edges appears due to their hunting abundant rodent prey inside oil palm plantations, providing natural pest management for farmers. Abundant leopard cats also hunt and suppress native small vertebrates, which may trigger negative ecological cascades and suppress biodiversity in forest edges.