Phylogeny is a stronger predictor of activity than allometry in an African mammal community

Abstract

In promoting coexistence, sympatric species often partition shared resources along spatio-temporal domains. Similarly sized and phylogenetically close species, for instance, partition the times of day in which they are active to limit interference competition. Given that variation in species body mass has evolutionary underpinnings, species activity levels (time spent active in a 24-h daily cycle) within animal communities might be structured by phylogeny. However, few studies have tested this hypothesis across animal communities, and none among medium-sized to large mammals. We quantified the relative contributions of phylogeny and body mass in predicting activity levels in a community of 22 sympatric mammal species in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda. We show that phylogeny is a stronger predictor of species activity levels than body mass. Our findings provide empirical evidence for the phylogenetic structuring of mammal activity in diverse communities. More broadly, our results suggest that evolutionary relationships mask allometry in predicting species traits in diverse animal communities.

Using camera trap bycatch data to assess habitat use and the influence of human activity on African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Kasungu National Park, Malawi

“…In addition, elephant and human activity patterns were significantly different, with elephants displaying primarily nocturnal behaviour when using the KNP road network. The nocturnal activity patterns of elephants, when using human infrastructure, may suggest avoidance of anthropogenic activity in KNP, as elephant activity often peaks in the early morning and late afternoon (e.g., Shannon et al 2008;Kasozi et al 2022). Increased nocturnal activity could also be a response to thermal stress, as elephants are known to shift their activity peaks to cooler times of the day to aid thermoregulation and move over longer distances (Kinahan et al 2007;Thaker et al 2019).…”

Evaluating the prevalence and spatial distribution of giraffes injured by non‐target poaching

“…1) associated with the core distribution of giraffes in this landscape (Brown et al., 2019). Located in northwestern Uganda, MFNP is the largest protected area in the country covering a land area of ~3898 km 2 (Kasozi et al., 2022). The park is divided into northern (~1680 km 2 ) and southern sections (~2218 km 2 ) by the Victoria Nile River which flows 115 km from east to west.…”

“…The park has a hot and dry tropical climate characterized by two distinct weather seasons. The wet season lasts from April to May and then again from August to October while the dry season occurs from December to February and June to September (Kasozi et al., 2022; Mudumba et al., 2020).…”