Where dogs roam: Exploring the ecology of free-ranging dogs through the lens of the Resource Dispersion Hypothesis

Ray-Mukherjee, Jayanti and Fernandez, Rahul Joseph and Nambiar, Ashish and Mukherjee, Shomen (2026) Where dogs roam: Exploring the ecology of free-ranging dogs through the lens of the Resource Dispersion Hypothesis. Urban Ecosystems, 29 (3). ISSN 1083-8155

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Abstract

Worldwide, heightened human consumption, inadequate waste management, and rising food subsidies are driving persistently high populations of free-ranging dogs (FRD), primarily in urban and peri-urban areas of developing nations. India is a nation where the number of FRDs has significantly risen, necessitating an examination of the relationship between FRDs and the expanding urban resources. This presents an opportunity to evaluate the resource dispersion hypothesis (RDH) and comprehend the interactions of urban dogs with diverse urban resources. We studied the population size and distribution of FRD in a peri-urban area of Bengaluru, one of India's rapidly growing cities. By estimating urban food resources (meat shops, garbage dumps, and bakery-chai shops) across seasons, we tested the RDH's different predictions to understand how heterogeneous resource availability helps sustain a stable population of a territorial animal like FRDs. In an intensively studied area, we found that while resource density influenced overall distribution of FRD, the prediction linking group size to patch richness was not supported. We also found that clustering of resources at high densities in certain areas enabled an additional number of FRDs in the system. Using a novel approach to test the fission–fusion theory, we also found that FRDs tend to form large, ephemeral groups that operate through fission–fusion dynamics driven by both spatial and temporal variations in resources. Ours is among the few studies that test the RDH theory in an urban ecosystem. Our ecological insights into the associations between dog abundance and urban resources can help better manage urban spaces.

Item Type:	Article
Authors:	Ray-Mukherjee, Jayanti and Fernandez, Rahul Joseph and Nambiar, Ashish and Mukherjee, Shomen
Document Language:	Language English
Subjects:	Social sciences > Sociology & anthropology > Communities > Planning and development > Development > Urban development Natural Sciences > Life sciences; biology > Ecology Natural Sciences > Animals (Zoology)
Divisions:	Azim Premji University - Bengaluru > School of Arts and Sciences
Full Text Status:	None
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/7555
Publisher URL:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-026-01972-y

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