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Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution pp 283–301Cite as

Ecological Constraints on Predation by Large Felids

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Abstract

The evolutionary fitness of any predator, whether it is a spider catching insects or a lion hunting buffalo, depends largely on the quality and quantity of its diet. Predatory strategies are shaped and refined by natural selection to maximize nutrient intake within the bounds of a wide range of ecological constraints (e.g., prey density, habitat) that may differ dramatically for the same species at the extremes of its geographical distribution. The basic task of finding and gathering food under these constraints fundamentally affects a species’ spacing patterns and the structure of its social systems.

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Authors
  1. Mel E. Sunquist
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  2. Fiona C. Sunquist
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology and Graduate Programs in Ecology and Ethology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

    John L. Gittleman

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Sunquist, M.E., Sunquist, F.C. (1989). Ecological Constraints on Predation by Large Felids. In: Gittleman, J.L. (eds) Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4716-4_11

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