Are Wild Prey Sufficient for the Top Predators in the Lowland Protected Areas of Nepal?

ABSTRACT: A balanced equilibrium between carnivores and their prey is crucial for maintaining ecosystem sustainability. In this study, we applied the predator-prey power law equation to assess the balance between the biomass densities of carnivores and their wild prey within Nepal's lowland protected areas during 2013, 2018, and 2022. The estimated value of the power law exponent k for predator-prey biomass was 0.71 (95% CI = 0.39-1.05), indicating an approximate threefold increase in predator biomass density for every fivefold increase in prey biomass density. Consequently, this creates a systematically bottom-heavy predator-prey biomass pyramid. This finding, consistent with the k = 3/4 trophic biomass scaling across ecosystems, suggests that predator biomass is proportionally sustai

SUBMITTER: Lamichhane S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11460986 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature