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

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Zanni ◽  
Francesca Brivio ◽  
Stefano Grignolio ◽  
Marco Apollonio
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Intraspecific Interaction ◽  
Activity Rhythms ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Temporal Segregation ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Temporal Overlap

AbstractInterspecific interactions are key drivers in structuring animal communities. Sympatric animals may show such behavioural patterns as the differential use of space and/or time to avoid competitive encounters. We took advantage of the ecological conditions of our study area, inhabited by different ungulate species, to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of Capreolus capreolus, Dama dama and Sus scrofa. We estimated intraspecific interaction arising from the concomitant use of resources by using camera trapping. We collected 2741 videos with the three ungulates, which showed peculiar activity patterns. The three species were observed in all the habitat types of the study area over the four seasons, thus highlighting an evident spatial overlap. Moreover, our analysis demonstrated that the three species did not avoid each other through temporal segregation of their activities, rather showing a high overlap of daily activity rhythms, though with differences among the species and the seasons. Despite the high spatial and temporal overlap, the three species seemed to adopt segregation through fine-scale spatial avoidance: at an hourly level, the proportion of sites where the species were observed together was relatively low. This spatio-temporal segregation revealed complex and alternative behavioural strategies, which likely facilitated intra-guild sympatry among the studied species. Both temporal and spatio-temporal overlap reached the highest values in summer, when environmental conditions were more demanding. Given these results, we may presume that different drivers (e.g. temperature, human disturbance), which are likely stronger than interspecific interactions, affected activity rhythms and fine-scale spatial use of the studied species.

scholarly journals Fine-scale hydrodynamics influence the spatio-temporal distribution of harbour porpoises at a coastal hotspot

2014 ◽  
Vol 128 ◽  
pp. 30-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.R. Jones ◽  
P. Hosegood ◽  
R.B. Wynn ◽  
M.N. De Boer ◽  
S. Butler-Cowdry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Spatio Temporal

scholarly journals Chronobiology of interspecific interactions in a changing world

2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1734) ◽  
pp. 20160248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noga Kronfeld-Schor ◽  
Marcel E. Visser ◽  
Lucia Salis ◽  
Jan A. van Gils
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Biological Clock ◽  
Physiological Adaptation ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Biological Clocks ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Timing System ◽  
Temporal Overlap ◽  
Changing World

Animals should time activities, such as foraging, migration and reproduction, as well as seasonal physiological adaptation, in a way that maximizes fitness. The fitness outcome of such activities depends largely on their interspecific interactions; the temporal overlap with other species determines when they should be active in order to maximize their encounters with food and to minimize their encounters with predators, competitors and parasites. To cope with the constantly changing, but predictable structure of the environment, organisms have evolved internal biological clocks, which are synchronized mainly by light, the most predictable and reliable environmental cue (but which can be masked by other variables), which enable them to anticipate and prepare for predicted changes in the timing of the species they interact with, on top of responding to them directly. Here, we review examples where the internal timing system is used to predict interspecific interactions, and how these interactions affect the internal timing system and activity patterns. We then ask how plastic these mechanisms are, how this plasticity differs between and within species and how this variability in plasticity affects interspecific interactions in a changing world, in which light, the major synchronizer of the biological clock, is no longer a reliable cue owing to the rapidly changing climate, the use of artificial light and urbanization. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Wild clocks: integrating chronobiology and ecology to understand timekeeping in free-living animals’.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal patterns and triggers of seismically detected rockfalls

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Dietze ◽  
Jens M. Turowski ◽  
Kristen L. Cook ◽  
Niels Hovius
Keyword(s):  
Rock Mass ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Independent Information ◽  
Talus Slope ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Trigger Mechanisms

Abstract. Rockfalls are an essential geomorphic process and an important natural hazard in steep landscapes across the globe. Seismic monitoring can provide precise information on the timing, location and event anatomy of rockfalls, parameters that are otherwise hard to constrain. By pairing data from 49 seismically detected rockfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Swiss Alps, with independent information about potential triggers during autumn 2014 and spring 2015, we are able to (i) analyse the evolution of single rockfalls and their common properties, (ii) identify seasonally changing activity hotspots, (iii) and explore temporal activity patterns at different scales, ranging from months to minutes, to quantify relevant trigger mechanisms. Seismic data allows the classification of rockfall activity into three distinct phenomenological types and can be used to discern multiple rock mass releases from the same spot, identify rockfalls that trigger further rockfalls and resolve modes of subsequent talus slope activity. In contrast to findings based on methods with longer integration times, rockfall in the monitored limestone cliff is not spatially uniform but shows a downward shift of rock mass release spots by 33 m per month over the year, most likely driven by a continuously lowering water table. Freeze-thaw-transitions account for only 5 out of the 49 rockfalls whereas 19 rockfalls were triggered by rainfall events, with a peak lag time of 1 h. Another 17 rockfalls were triggered by diurnal temperature changes and occurred during the coldest hours of the day as well as during the highest temperature change rates. This study is thus the first one to show direct links between proposed rockfall triggers and the spatio-temporal distribution of rockfalls under natural conditions, and extends existing models by providing seismic observations of the rockfall process prior to the first rock mass impacts.

scholarly journals Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Carabids Influenced by Small-Scale Admixture of Oak Trees in Pine Stands

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 398
Author(s):  
Alexandra Wehnert ◽  
Sven Wagner ◽  
Franka Huth
Keyword(s):  
Linear Models ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Quercus Petraea ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Spatial Effects ◽  
Oak Trees ◽  
Geostatistical Models ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Spatio Temporal

In a region with poor soil fertility, low annual precipitation and large areas of homogenous Pinus sylvestris L. forests, conservation of old sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) trees is one option to enrich structure and species richness. We studied the affinities of Carabus coriaceus, C. violaceus, C. hortensis and C. arvensis for specific tree species and the resultant intra- and interspecific interactions. We focused on their temporal and spatial distributions. Pitfall traps were used as a surface-related capture method on a grid over an area of three hectares. Generalised linear models and generalised linear geostatistical models were used to analyse carabid activity densities related to distance-dependent spatial effects corresponding to tree zones (oak, oak–pine, pine). The results demonstrated significant spatial affinities among these carabids, especially for females and during the period of highest activity. Individuals of C. coriaceus showed a tendency to the oak zone and C. hortensis exhibited a significant affinity to the oak–pine mixture. Imagines of C. arvensis and C. violaceus were more closely related to pine. The observed temporal and spatial coexistence of the different Carabus species reveals that single admixed old oak trees can support greater diversity within pine-dominated forests.

Little spatial and temporal segregation between coexisting lionfishes (Pterois miles and Pterois radiata) in the Red Sea

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Tal Gavriel ◽  
Jonathan Belmaker
Keyword(s):  
Red Sea ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Temporal Partitioning ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Pterois Miles ◽  
Temporal Segregation ◽  
Coexistence Mechanisms ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Spatial and temporal niche partitioning are common strategies to reduce competition between closely related species. While spatial partitioning is widely studied, temporal partitioning, especially in marine environments, is much less documented. The lionfish Pterois miles is common in the Red Sea and have recently established populations within the Mediterranean Sea. However, to date, the sympatric and closely related Pterois radiata has yet to become established outside its native range. In this study, we focus on describing spatio-temporal patterns of activity in P. miles and P. radiata within their native range. This may help understand their coexistence mechanisms and whether the presence of one species can influence the probability of the other species to become established. We used visual surveys across day and night to assess activity patterns and the tendency of the species to co-occur. We found that while P. miles is a flexible crepuscular, P. radiata is strictly nocturnal. However, we detected only slight spatio-temporal segregation between the species. Hence, the coexistence of these two species may not be related to habitat or temporal partitioning. However, we do find a more generalist behavior of P. miles in terms of activity duration, which adds to its known broad diet and habitat use patterns, and may jointly explain its introduction success.

scholarly journals Temporal and trophic partitioning promote coexistence between mesocarnivores in a Mediterranean landscape

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iago Ferreiro-Arias ◽  
Jorge Isla ◽  
Pedro Jordano ◽  
Ana Benítez-López
Keyword(s):  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
European Rabbit ◽  
Doñana National Park ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Temporal Segregation ◽  
Trophic Preferences ◽  
Mediterranean Landscapes ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Temporal Overlap

AbstractThe partition of the ecological niche can enhance the coexistence of predators due to differences in how they exploit three main resources: food, space, and time, the latter being an axis that remains often unexplored. We studied niche segregation in a Mediterranean mesocarnivore community in sites where the top predator, the Iberian lynx, is absent, addressing simultaneously two niche axes: the temporal and the trophic axes. Temporal overlap between prey and predator and potential competitors was analysed by comparing daily activity patterns of predators and prey species through data obtained by using 24 camera-traps deployed in three different sites of the Doñana National Park. We further examined the trophic dimension by compiling and analysing diet information in the study area and exploring trophic preferences between potential competitors. We found an overall temporal segregation between trophic generalist species while those species which showed higher values of temporal overlap differ largely in their trophic preferences. Furthermore, we observed an overall high degree of overlap between the activity patterns of predators and their putative prey (the common genet vs small mammals and the red fox vs European rabbit). Our study suggests that coexistence of the different species that compose the mesocarnivore assemblage in Mediterranean landscapes can be facilitated by the marked temporal segregation of the generalist species due to a divergence in the activity patterns, but also by differences in trophic preferences by specialist species when their activity patterns overlap.

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