Predation is thought to play a major role in the evolution of morphology, fisiology and behavior of animals. However, it is hard to observe and measure, which lead some researchers to use indirect measures of predation when trying to evaluate predation pressure. This thesis investigates the relationship between a direct measure of predation (estimated predation rate (EPR)) and two proxy measures (body mass and terrestriality). Data on EPR for 87 primate populations, covering 56 species from all major primate radiations was compiled from the existing primate literature. In this sample EPR ranged from 0 % to 25 % but most (60 %) of the data ranged between 0 % and 5 %. We used general linerar model to determine the proportion of the EPR variance that can be explained by body mass and terrestriality. The results show that body mass was significantly related with EPR, while terrestriality was not and it does not appear to be suitable as a proxy measure of predation. Despite a statistically significant result the predictive power of the model is weak. It appears that large body mass may protect primates from predator attacks to a certain extent but researchers should use great caution when relying on it as a proxy measure for predation.
D.10 Educational activities
COBISS.SI-ID: 11216201If different measures of predation are indeed measuring the same phenomenon we would expect them to be affected by body mass in the same way. I built on the work that has been done for the diploma thesis (see previous achievement) and introduced an additional direct measure of predation into the analysis – beside checking the relationship between body mass and the estimated predation rate (EPR) I also checked its relationship with the frequency of observed successful attacks (FOSA). The analysis confirmed a significant relationship between primate body mass and EPR, but that did not hold true for FOSA. Two direct measures of predation that should measure the same phenomenon were therefore not affected by the same factor in the same way. This can be due to small sample size for FOSA (n=10) but it can also imply that currently available data on predation are not sufficiently reliable. These results additionally confirm the findings of the diploma thesis and imply that additional direct measures of predation would be needed in order to obtain a clearer insight into the role of predation in primate ecology and evolution.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
The project provided an opportunity for four talented young people to gain practical experience with examining scientific literature. While working on the database, they learnt to extract relevant information from technical texts and gained the ability to critically assess different scientific publications.
D.11 Other
Primatology and behavioral ecology are important and well-developed fields of biology, but are underrepresented in Slovenian science. This project opened new topics and perspectives in Slovenian biology in collaboration with internationally renowned scientists and institutions. I presented the results at the joint meeting of International Primatological Society and American Society of Primatologists in Chicago, where I was the only delegate from Slovenia.
D.04 Initiative to set up a new research area in Slovenia