Investigating the impact of human disturbance on predator behaviour in human-dominated landscapes

Human -wildlife interactions are increasing globally due to human population growth and development. Wildlife often develop an increased tolerance of humans through the learning processes of habituation, but habituation of large predators can increase risks to humans. Aversive conditioning is a management strategy that operationalizes learning to reduce wildlife tolerance of humans and thereby improve human safety. However, developed landscapes may select for wildlife phenotypes that are resistant to learning via aversive conditioning. We investigated American alligators', Alligator mississippiensis , response to capture and release (an assumed aversive experience) in coastal resort communities as a model system for understanding wildlife learning in human -dominated landscapes. Our objectives were to investigate whether the degree of human disturbance in the landscape was associated with baseline alligator tolerance of humans or mediated alligators' learning ability. We quanti fied tolerance using flight initiation trials and estimated learning ability as the response to capture and release using a 'before -after control impact ' experimental design. Baseline alligator tolerance did not vary with disturbance, nor did the degree of disturbance impact alligator learning. However, alligators in areas where capture and release occurred were 1.5 times more likely to flee from an approaching human after treatment relative to before. Alligators in control units exhibited similar tolerance to humans over time. Alligator tolerance was also in fluenced by ambient weather, with alligators least tolerant of humans in cool and cloudy conditions and most tolerant in warm conditions, likely re flecting physiological constraints of ectothermy. While human -dominated landscapes may promote high tolerance of humans through habituation, our findings indicate that high tolerance does not preclude future learning by crocodilians and collectively lend credibility to the use of repeated capture and release as a potential form of aversive conditioning for crocodilians. (c) 2024 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.