Studies in the Life Sciences with Ashley Florance

This podcast episode discusses the roles and behaviors of lions and hyenas in the Serengeti National Park, and introduces the real, ever-expanding threat of human encroachment on their populations.Sources:Kittle, A. M., Bukombe, J. K., Sinclair, A. R., Mduma, S. A., & Fryxell, J. M. (2016). Landscape-level movement patterns by lions in western Serengeti: comparing the influence of inter-specific competitors, habitat attributes and prey availability. Movement ecology, 4, 1-18.Swanson, A., Arnold, T., Kosmala, M., Forester, J., & Packer, C. (2016). In the absence of a “landscape of fear”: How lions, hyenas, and cheetahs coexist. Ecology and evolution, 6(23), 8534-8545.Mwampeta, S. B., Wilton, C. M., Mkasanga, I. J., Masinde, L. M., Ranke, P. S., Røskaft, E., ... & Belant, J. L. (2021). Lion and spotted hyena distributions within a buffer area of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Scientific reports, 11(1), 22289.Green, D. S., Johnson-Ulrich, L., Couraud, H. E., & Holekamp, K. E. (2018). Anthropogenic disturbance induces opposing population trends in spotted hyenas and African lions. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27, 871-889.M'soka, J., Creel, S., Becker, M. S., & Droge, E. (2016). Spotted hyaena survival and density in a lion depleted ecosystem: The effects of prey availability, humans and competition between large carnivores in African savannahs. Biological Conservation, 201, 348-355.Kideghesho, J. R., Nyahongo, J. W., Hassan, S. N., Tarimo, T. C., & Mbije, N. E. (2006). Factors and ecological impacts of wildlife habitat destruction in the Serengeti ecosystem in northern Tanzania. African Journal of Environmental Assessment and Management, 11, 17-32.Foundation Links:The Serengeti Foundation: https://www.serengetifoundation.com/The Serengeti Preservation Foundation: https://serengetipf.org/