Free-ranging dog’s effects on the activity pattern of prey species in areas from Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Abstract One of the significant challenges in ecology today is comprehending the more intricate networks of interactions, as seen in interpreting relationships between predators and prey. In the case of exotic predators, their prey species might not associate such animals with the risk of predation, leading to a lack of development of anti-predation strategies against them. Thus, the objective of this study is to understand the effects that domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) can have on prey such as agoutis (Dasyprocta), armadillos (Cabassous spp., Dasypus novemcinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus), giant-anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) and pacas (Cuniculus paca). For this, we will: 1) compare the activity patterns of the species, 2) compare the activity pattern of the prey species in places with high and low abundance of dogs and 3) analyze whether there is temporal avoidance of dogs by prey, comparing with other natural predators (Chrysocyon brachyurus, Leopardus pardalis, and Puma concolor), as well as non-predator species that will serve as a control. Our results demonstrated that the prey species are not altering their activity patterns, nor do they exhibit temporal avoidance of dogs compared to the other species in the study. This may be occurring due to 1) high energy costs associated with changing the activity pattern; 2) the anti-predation strategies used for other species can already be efficient against domestic dogs, and 3) the avoidance can be spatial. Furthermore, novel methods of data analysis are required to gain a better understanding of these effects.