Spatiotemporal mechanisms of coexistence in an European mammal community in a protected area of southern Italy

Abstract

Assessing the spatiotemporal overlap amongst animal species living in sympatry helps to shed light on mechanisms of interspecific coexistence. We analysed the spatiotemporal coexistence in a predator–prey system through multiyear camera trapping, in a mountainous protected area of southern Italy (January 2012–January 2017). Temporal activity patterns and their interspecific overlap, as well as spatial overlap, were estimated for a top predator, that is the wolf Canis lupus, three species of wild ungulates, four mesocarnivores, one small herbivore, livestock and humans. A wide nocturnal temporal overlap was detected between the wolf and almost all the other species (71–91%). The highest temporal (91%) and spatial (63%) overlaps were reported between the wolf and the red fox Vulpes vulpes. For wolf‐ungulate pairs, the highest temporal overlap (88%) was reported for the wild boar Sus scrofa, its local main prey. Considering all the other species pairs, spatial overlap was low (i.e. lower than 45%), whereas temporal overlap was substantial (71–91%). Our findings support a significant role of interspecific spatial partitioning in shaping coexistence amongst considered species, which might be influenced by differences in spatial distribution of different food resources.

Estimation of spatial and temporal overlap in three ungulate species in a Mediterranean environment

“…In contrast to other studies (e.g. Mori et al 2020), spatial partitioning did not seem to play a major role in structuring interspecific coexistence in our study system. It is worth noting that the study area is fenced and surrounded by a territory strongly affected by human presence as it is located in the suburbs of the largest city in Italy (i.e.…”

“…Indeed, our results showed a high temporal overlap among the three species during all seasons. This is consistent with the findings of Mori et al (2020), which pointed at a high temporal overlap among ungulates species, particularly between wild boar and roe deer. It is interesting to note that, despite the high temporal overlap of activity among the studied species, our results showed that during autumn, winter and spring, roe deer and fallow deer had a peak of activity at dawn, when wild boar was less active.…”

“…Camera traps are cost-effective, non-invasive and highly efficient tools to collect data and are increasingly used to determine the potential relationship among sympatric species (Di Bitetti et al 2009;Foster et al 2013;Tambling et al 2015;Cusack et al 2017;Mori et al 2020). Camera trapping has been widely used in ecology and conservation to investigate the distribution of species, estimate population density and assess biodiversity (O'Connell et al 2011;Burton et al 2015;Steenweg et al 2017).…”

“…This methodology was also applied to the study of activity rhythms with encouraging results (Tobler et al 2008;Centore et al 2018;Caruso et al 2018;Lashley et al 2018). More specifically, camera trapping offers the possibility to consider the activity patterns and space use of different species at the same time in the same recording area (Monterroso et al 2014;Centore et al 2018;Caruso et al 2018;Mori et al 2020) to estimate intraspecific competition arising from the concomitant use of resources.…”

Patterns of activity rhythms of invasive coypus Myocastor coypus inferred through camera-trapping

“…This would also reflect the nocturnal behaviour of the coypu in its native range (Palomares et al 1994 ), where a number of potential predators occurs (e.g., the jaguar Panthera onca , the puma Puma concolor , the ocelot Leopardus pardalis , the oncilla L. tigrinus and six species of grey foxes Lycalopex spp.). Despite most predators being nocturnal in Europe (Mori et al 2020b ), which may suggest an increase in encounter rate with nocturnal coypus, this large rodent has also shown another temporal adaptation.…”