Question

The genus "Panthera" (including all 5 species)

What is it's role and impact on the environment? Please explain how the different species within this genus have helped and harmed the environment.

Answer 1

Five species of genus 'panthera' are:

Tiger(P. tigris), Lion(P. leo), Jaguar(P. onca), Leopard(P. pardus) and Snow Leopard(P. uncia).

Impact on environment: Tigers help regulate populations of their large herbivore prey, which put pressure on plant communities. Because of their role as top predators, they may be considered keystone species. Tiger parasites include the nematode, trematode, and cestode worms.Tigers have no natural predators, except for humans. Adult tigers are potential predators of younger cubs.

Live tigers are of economic importance in zoos where they are displayed to the public and in wildlife areas where they may bring in tourism. Tigers can influence the spatial distribution of smaller animals in the ecosystem. A tiger in the forest pushes secondary predators closer to farmlands. Instead of hunting in the forest, the secondary predators hunt near farmland boundaries and prey on the real pests to farmers. By preying on wild pigs and deer, the secondary predators ensure there are fewer animals to destroy crops and ruin farms. The change in spatial distribution documented by the researchers shifts the primary food sources for these animals. This cascading effect in the food web starts with a single species: the tiger.Tigers’ presence in ecosystems bring nearby farmers significant benefits. The researchers calculated tigers save farmers US $1570 per year in avoided crop yield and livestock loss. According to a 2016 study on livelihoods in Bhutan, this is 70% of the average per capita income of US $2230.

Role of Tiger(P. tigris): The largest of all the Asian big cats, tigers rely primarily on sight and sound rather than smell for hunting. They typically hunt alone and stalk prey. A tiger can consume more than 80 pounds of meat at one time. On average, tigers give birth to two to four cubs every two years. If all the cubs in one litter die, a second litter may be produced within five months.

Benefit: Farmers and livestock owners tend not to like living too close to large predators, but maybe that’s something they should reconsider. New research finds that the presence of nearby tigers (Panthera tigris) actually benefits farming communities in some pretty surprising ways.

Harm: Tigers prey on livestock in the forests, but there aren’t that many tigers left in the area. The primary predators for the livestock, then, would be leopards and dholes, but they have been pushed out of the forests toward cropland where there are fewer livestock animals for them to eat. As a result, total livestock losses go down when tigers are on the landscape.Like the other big cats, tigers are skilled hunters who make use of different techniques to kill other animals, mainly ungulate herbivores, which are their primary food.

Lion(P. leo): The lion is one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture. It has been extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature.It appeared as a symbol for strength and nobility in cultures across Europe, Asia and Africa, despite incidents of attacks on people.Lions have the great ability to critically injure or kill other lions when engaged in a fight. Fighting with a pridemate of similar age and sex not only threatens the survival of the individual but also risks injuring a valuable team-member that could later help to defend the pride against intruders. It would seem, therefore, that intrapride aggression would be selected against.Lions are the top predators in their range. It is not clear to what extent lions regulate their prey population; some studies have shown that food availability plays a larger role in regulating prey populations than consumption by lions.Lions are a glamorous species, well-known throughout the world. They are a cultural icon in England and are one of the highest valued eco-tourism species in Africa.

Jaguar(P. onca): The adult jaguar is an apex predator, meaning it exists at the top of its food chain and is not preyed on in the wild. The jaguar has also been termed a keystone species, as it is assumed, through controlling the population levels of prey such as herbivorous and granivorous mammals, apex felids maintain the structural integrity of forest systems. However, accurately determining what effect species like the jaguar have on ecosystems is difficult, because data must be compared from regions where the species is absent as well as its current habitats, while controlling for the effects of human activity.The jaguar also has an effect on other predators. The jaguar and the cougar, which is the next-largest feline of South America, but the biggest in Central or North America, are often sympatric (related species sharing overlapping territory) and have often been studied in conjunction. The jaguar tends to take larger prey, usually over 22 kg and the cougar smaller, usually between 2 and 22 kg. Like the other big cats except the snow leopard, the jaguar is capable of roaring and does so to warn territorial and mating competitors away; intensive bouts of counter-calling between individuals have been observed in the wild.

Leopard(P. pardus): The leopard is a solitary and territorial animal. Adults associate only in the mating season. Females continue to interact with their offspring even after weaning, and have been observed sharing kills with their offspring when they can not obtain any prey.The whitish spots on the back of its ears are thought to play a role in communication. It has been hypothesized that the white tips of their tails may function as a 'follow-me' signal in intraspecific communication. However, no significant association were found between a conspicuous colour of tail patches and behavioural variables in carnivores. Leopards are active mainly from dusk till dawn and rest for most of the day and for some hours at night in thickets, among rocks or over tree branches. A further indirect benefit of leopard presence may be an increase in local abundance of other wildlife species that would otherwise be predated by dogs. The effective conservation of carnivores in human-dominated landscapes involves difficult trade-offs between human safety and conservation concerns. Quantitative assessments of how large carnivores negatively and positively affect urban ecosystems are critical, along with improved education of local communities about large carnivores and their impacts.