Partitioning of anthropogenic watering sites by desert carnivores

Abstract

We investigated the role of water features as focal attractors for gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and bobcats (Felis rufus) in west Texas to determine if they were foci for interspecific interaction. Mixed effects models indicated that species partitioned use of water features spatially and temporally. Linear models indicated factors influencing relative activity at water features varied by species. For coyotes and bobcats, the water availability model, containing days since last rainfall and nearest‐neighbor distance to water was best supported by the data, with relative activity increasing with time between rainfall and distance between waters. For gray foxes, the best approximating model indicated that relative activity was inversely correlated to coyote and bobcat activity indices, and positively correlated to topographical complexity. Encounters between carnivore species were low, with most occurring between coyotes and gray foxes, followed by coyotes and bobcats, and bobcats and gray foxes. These findings suggest a behavioral‐environmental mechanism that may function to modulate resource partitioning by carnivores in the arid West. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

As clear as mud: A critical review of evidence for the ecological roles of Australian dingoes

“…Atwood et al, 2011;Hayward and Slotow, 2009;Mitchell and Banks, 2005;Ramesh et al, 2012). Because mesopredators typically seek to avoid encountering top-predators (i.e.…”

Ecology and predator associations of the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) in the Pilbara

“…Other studies have shown resource sharing of a limiting resource, such as water, with partitioning in time rather than space. For example, a study of eight carnivores in Namibia (Edwards et al 2015), and one of coyotes, bobcats (Lynx rufus), and grey foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in west Texas (Atwood et al 2011) showed that species shared water tanks through temporal partitioning. However, my results could also be explained by my supplementary analyses of the association between rocky habitats and rivers, where I detected higher terrain ruggedness (i.e.…”

“…Thus, the interactions among predators often result in spatial or temporal resource partitioning, where smaller species take suboptimal resources or time-slots to reduce the risk posed by larger ones (Atwood et al 2011;Bischof et al 2014;Brook et al 2012). …”

“…Resource partitioning occurs in ecological time when smaller species from a given guild move to suboptimal habitat or alter their behaviour to avoid competition or predation from larger ones (Atwood et al 2011;Bischof et al 2014). For example, in the Panama Canal region, jaguars (Panthera onca), pumas (Puma concolor), and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) exhibit resource partitioning (Moreno et al 2006).…”

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“…[117][118][119]). Because mesopredators typically seek to avoid encountering top-predators, mesopredator activity is likely to be lower at times and in places with higher top-predator activity.…”