Habitat loss is one of largest threats to the persistence of large carnivore populations. However, because most large carnivores are long‐lived, cryptic and wide‐ranging, few studies examine the demographic consequences of habitat loss, and the resultant crowding that ensues, on these species. We used long‐term data to examine the demographic responses of an African lion (Panthera leo) population to flooding‐induced habitat loss in a seasonal wetland, the Okavango Delta, during a transition from low to high annual flooding patterns. We found that intraspecific competition reduced cub survival and that this effect was exacerbated by habitat loss and consequent crowding. The proportion of cubs recorded in the population also declined as crowding increased, and both the survival of cubs and proportion of cubs recorded declined as prey abundance decreased. Apparent sub‐adult survival declined with increasing pride size, but this likely reflects emigration rather than mortality. Adult survival remained relatively constant throughout the study period, a population response which is important in buffering populations against short‐term fluctuations in ecological conditions. As many large carnivore populations face future habitat loss, it is important that we understand the demographic consequences of habitat loss in order to better mitigate its effects in the future.

中文翻译：

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大型食肉动物栖息地丧失和拥挤的人口后果：一项自然实验

生境的丧失是对大型食肉动物种群持续存在的最大威胁之一。但是，由于大多数大型食肉动物的寿命长，隐秘且范围广泛，因此很少有研究检查这些物种对栖息地丧失以及随之而来的拥挤造成的人口后果。我们使用长期数据检查了非洲狮子（Panthera leo）人口从季节性洪涝模式向低洪涝状态转变为洪涝季节的过程中，在季节性湿地Okavango三角洲因水灾而导致的栖息地丧失。我们发现种内竞争降低了幼崽的生存，栖息地的丧失和随之而来的拥挤加剧了这种影响。随着拥挤的增加，记录在案的幼崽比例也下降了，随着猎物数量的减少，幼崽的存活率和幼崽的比例都下降了。随着自豪感大小的增加，明显的亚成人生存率下降了，但这很可能反映了移民而不是死亡率。在整个研究期间，成年人的存活率保持相对恒定，这是对种群的反应，这对于缓冲种群免受生态条件的短期波动很重要。由于许多大型食肉动物面临未来的栖息地丧失，