Prey–predator interaction suggests sacred groves are not functionally different from neighbouring used lands

Sacred groves (SG) of south India are either relics of primary or secondary forests or swamps, worshipped by the local communities, and distributed in the countrysides (CS) and forest landscapes of India. Studies suggest that SGs harbour a biodiversity different from that of adjoining CS and have a structural similarity to protected forests. Studies also suggest a negative effect of structural complexity of forests on predation. Considering these two expectations, we compared the predation of artificial caterpillars inside SGs and CSs with the hypothesis that predation will be less in SG than in CS. Examining the predation marks, we identified the likely predator and scored the intensity of predation. Bite marks of arthropods, birds, lizards and mammals were observed on caterpillars of both habitats. The predation rate and predation intensity were similar for overall predators and for each predator taxon in both habitats, despite the fact that mammal predation was mostly encountered in SGs. Because the proportion of predated caterpillars is not different between habitats and the intensity of predation is high in SGs, we conclude that SGs may not have a quality of the expected standard.