title: Mammalian energetics. Flexible energetics of cheetah hunting strategies provide resistance against kleptoparasitism.
abstract: Population viability is driven by individual survival, which in turn depends on individuals balancing energy budgets. As carnivores may function close to maximum sustained power outputs, decreased food availability or increased activity may render some populations energetically vulnerable. Prey theft may compromise energetic budgets of mesopredators, such as cheetahs and wild dogs, which are susceptible to competition from larger carnivores. We show that daily energy expenditure (DEE) of cheetahs was similar to size-based predictions and positively related to distance traveled. Theft at 25% only requires cheetahs to hunt for an extra 1.1 hour per day, increasing DEE by just 12%. Therefore, not all mesopredators are energetically constrained by direct competition. Other factors that increase DEE, such as those that increase travel, may be more important for population viability.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK. m.scantlebury@qub.ac.uk.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Scantlebury
authors.affiliation: The Lewis Foundation, Post Office Box 411703, Craighall, 2024, South Africa. Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, UK.
authors.forename: Michael G L
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.affiliation: Swansea Laboratory for Animal Movement, College of Science, Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
authors.forename: Rory P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: The Lewis Foundation, Post Office Box 411703, Craighall, 2024, South Africa.
authors.forename: Margaret E J
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Durant
authors.affiliation: Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.
authors.forename: Nigel C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: South African Wildlife Research Expedition, Global Vision International, Postnet Suite 3, Private Bag X3008, Hoedspruit, 1380, South Africa.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bradford
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Nikki J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB24 2TZ UK. State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Speakman
mesh_terms: D002612:Acinonyx / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D060435:Carnivory; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D020387:Food Chain; D011235:Predatory Behavior