When death comes: Linking predator-prey activity patterns to timing of mortality to understand predation risk

The assumption that activity and foraging are risky for prey underlies many predator-prey theories and has led to the use of predator-prey activity overlap as a proxy of predation risk. However, the simultaneous measures of prey and predator activity along with timing of predation required to test this assumption have not been available. Here, we used accelerometry data on snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) to determine activity patterns of prey and predators and match these to precise timing of predation. Surprisingly, we found that lynx kills of hares were as likely to occur during the day when hares were inactive as at night when hares were active. We also found that activity rates of hares were not related to the chance of predation at daily and weekly scales, whereas lynx activity rates positively affected the diel pattern of lynx predation on hares and their weekly kill rates of hares. Our findings suggest that predator-prey diel activity overlap may not always be a good proxy of predation risk, and highlight a need for examining the link between predation and spatiotemporal behavior of predator and prey to improve our understanding of how predator-prey behavioral interactions drive predation risk.Funding provided by: Association of Canadian Universities for Northern StudiesCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100012281Award Number: Funding provided by: Earth Rangers*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: Funding provided by: Government of YukonCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100023770Award Number: Funding provided by: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000038Award Number: Funding provided by: Northern Studies Training Program*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: Funding provided by: Killam Laureates program*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: Funding provided by: University of AlbertaCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000190Award Number: Northern Research Award programFunding provided by: W. Garfield Weston FoundationCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000243Award Number: Funding provided by: Wildlife Conservation Society Canada*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number