Temporal overlap in the activity of Lynx rufus and Canis latrans and their potential prey in the Pico de Orizaba National Park, Mexico

Abstract

Temporal overlap in the activity of Lynx rufus and Canis latrans and their potential prey in the Pico de Orizaba National Park, Mexico. Species of the same trophic guild are thought to coexist through their differential use of resources, including food, space and time. Time understood as the pattern of activity is highly dynamic. Fourteen camera-traps were set up in the Pico de Orizaba National Park and active for 12 months. Frequency histograms were used to analyze their activity patterns (AP) and a coefficient of overlap (Δ) was used to determine the temporal overlap between two predators, Lynx rufus and Canis latrans, and the predators and their potential prey. A sampling effort of 5,110 traps/night obtained 217 independent records of L. rufus (45), C. latrans (27) and eight potential prey species (145). The predators were cathemeral and four potential prey mainly lagomorphs and rodents were nocturnal. The temporal overlap between the predators Δ = 0.80, and the highest overlap between predators and prey were for C. latrans and rodents (Δ = 0.80), and L. rufus and lagomorphs (Δ = 0.58), with differences between the degree of overlap in dry and rainy seasons. The cathemeral habits of the predators likely increase their likelihood of hunting success, particularly for prey with variable activity patterns. The APs support information on dietary breadth and the differential use of resources and temporal differences as strategies for coexisting predators, continually adapting to a highly dynamic and changing environment. ResumenSuperposición temporal de la actividad de Lynx rufus y Canis latrans y sus presas potenciales en el Parque Nacional Pico de Orizaba, en México. Se cree que el uso diferencial de los recursos, en especial del espacio, la comida y el tiempo, permite la coexistencia de especies del mismo gremio trófico. El tiempo entendido como el patrón de actividad es altamente dinámico. En el Parque Nacional Pico de Orizaba se instalaron 14 cámarastrampa que estuvieron activas durante 12 meses. Se analizaron los patrones de actividad (PA) de las especies mediante histogramas de frecuencia y se calculó el índice de solapamiento (Δ) para determinar la superposición temporal entre dos depredadores, Lynx rufus y Canis latrans y entre los depredadores y sus presas potenciales. Con un esfuerzo de muestreo de 5.110 noches/trampa se obtuvieron 217 registros independientes de L. rufus (45), C. latrans (27) y de ocho especies de presas potenciales (145). Los depredadores fueron catamerales y cuatro presas, nocturnas, principalmente lagomorfos y roedores. La superposición temporal entre ambos depredadores fue ∆ = 0,80 y entre estos y sus presas, los valores más altos se encontraron entre C. latrans y los roedores (∆ = 0,80) y entre L. rufus y los lagomorfos (∆ = 0,58), con variaciones entre la estación seca y la de lluvias. Al ser de hábitos catamerales, los depredadores tienen más posibilidades de cazar más presas, en especial las que tienen patrones de actividad variables. Los PA validan la información sobre la varied...

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