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Spatiotemporal mechanisms of coexistence in an European mammal community in a protected area of southern Italy
Author(s) -
Mori E.,
Bagnato S.,
Serroni P.,
Sangiuliano A.,
Rotondaro F.,
Marchianò V.,
Cascini V.,
Poerio L.,
Ferretti F.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/jzo.12743
Subject(s) - vulpes , interspecific competition , biology , camera trap , ecology , canis , predation , ungulate , sympatry , mesopredator release hypothesis , wild boar , predator , habitat
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.