Conclusion
Fear driven by both real or perceived predation risks influences the use of habitat across a landscape for a wide array of prey species, which can have important consequential effects on the quality of habitat available. The concept of a “landscape of fear” provides an insight into the habitat preferences of an individual across the landscape and can reveal important aspects of the ecology of a species, with potentially important consequences for conservation.
The ecology of fear plays a dual role in prey habitat selection. The presence of a predator directly impacts the movement of a prey individual as they alter their behaviour to reduce the chance of predation, However, even in the absence of any predators, a prey individual/population may begin to avoid an area over time if they have encountered a predator there previously. This indirect influence on habitat and movement ecology can be equally as impactful as direct predator presence.
Historically, studies have used LOF models to understand the concept of GUDs and quitting harvest rate within a certain landscape. Today, LOF models are advanced and incorporate the vigilance behaviours that mammalian and non-mammalian prey species elicit in response to the perceived presence of predators. However, the use of audible or chemical cues to determine the change in prey harvest rate and feeding time is still vastly understudied. Whilst LOF models often understand the cause-effect scenario in order to identify and minimize the predation risk, they are so far unable to sense the neurological and/or chemical trigger of the vigilance behaviour and the source of fear. In this review we have laid out the conventional use of chemicals through pheromone and animal communication studies. For instance, many predators use pheromones and scent marking in territorial behaviours, profiling his/her age, health status, social status but how this induces a fear driven response in prey species is not conclusive. Recent studies of LOF models include three-dimensional (scatterplot) contour maps, encompassing spatial statistics in current ecology. However, future studies should test four-dimensional or five-dimensional models to cover altitude, time, weight, windspeed, waterflow and other ecological phenomena. Lastly, studies on the ecology of fear are extremely effective at signifying population trends and, thus, can be implemented within conservation strategies for species of conservation concern. Ecological implications of a fear-mediated response not only provide an insight into interspecific interactions and movement ecology but, also, aid conservation agencies and citizen scientists in the protection of indigenous, charismatic, and keystone species.