Positive interactions expand habitat use and the realized niches of sympatric species

Habitat use by Sminthopsis crassicaudata, Planigale gilesi and P. tenuirostris was investigated in the arid zone of New South Wales. All species showed considerable flexibility in habitat use at all times, and abundance was poorly predicted from easily measured parameters of the habitat. However, evidence was found for separation of microhabitat among these sympatric species. Multiple regression analysis indicated that abundance of S. crassicaudata was negatively associated with height of vegetation and the depth and density of soil cracks, and that of P. gilesi was positively associated with these habitat variables. Plant height was positively associated with abundance of P. tenuirostris and it was the only important predictor for this species. These results are discussed in conjunction with trapping records from other habitats.

Download Full-text

Habitat Use and Social Organization of Nine Sympatric Species of Macropodid Marsupials

Journal of Mammalogy ◽

10.2307/1379257 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

pp. 66-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

J. H. Kaufmann

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Social Organization ◽

Sympatric Species

Download Full-text

Foraging-habitat selection by bats at an urban–rural interface: comparison between a successful and a less successful species

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z04-095 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 82 (7) ◽

pp. 1157-1164 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Joseph E Duchamp ◽

Dale W Sparks ◽

John O Whitaker, Jr.

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Compositional Analysis ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Eptesicus Fuscus ◽

Foraging Habitat ◽

Tree Cavities ◽

Urban Rural ◽

Regional Population ◽

Suburban Development

We compared habitat use of two sympatric species of bat in a rural area undergoing suburban development. The two species are similar in diet and foraging-habitat use but differ in current roosting habitat, and exhibit contrasting regional population trends. Evening bat, Nycticeius humeralis (Rafinesque, 1818), populations are declining in central Indiana, whereas big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus (Beauvois, 1796), populations are increasing. We assessed habitat selection by 22 adult female bats using radiotelemetry and compositional analysis. Eptesicus fuscus used several roosts across the study area; all but one roosted in human-made structures. Nycticeius humeralis clustered roosts within a small group of woodlots; all roosted in tree cavities. Eptesicus fuscus foraged for longer periods of time and nonreproductive individuals of this species had larger foraging ranges than N. humeralis. Both species foraged primarily in agricultural and wooded areas. During foraging, N. humeralis showed greater foraging-site fidelity and a stronger selection for agricultural and wooded areas than E. fuscus. We suggest that N. humeralis in our study area is probably more sensitive to suburban development near their roosts than E. fuscus.

Download Full-text

Movement Patterns and Habitat use for Sympatric Species

10.21203/rs.3.rs-827045/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth McAlpine-Bellis ◽

Kaera L Utsumi ◽

Kelly M Diamond ◽

Janine Klein ◽

Sophia Gilbert-Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Great Basin ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Step Length ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Habitat Characteristics ◽

Foraging Strategies ◽

Turn Angle ◽

Visual Predator ◽

Food Movement

Abstract Background: Movement is an important characteristic of an animal’s ecology, reflecting perception of and response to environmental conditions. To effectively search for food, movement patterns likely depend on habitat characteristics and the sensory systems used to find prey. We examined movements associated with foraging for two sympatric species of lizards inhabiting the Alvord Basin in the Great Basin Desert of southeastern Oregon. The two species have largely overlapping diets but find prey via different sensory cues, which link to their differing foraging strategies — the long-nosed leopard lizard, Gambelia wislizenii, is a visually-oriented predator, while the western whiptail, Aspidoscelis tigris, relies heavily on chemosensory cues to find prey.Methods: Using detailed focal observations, we characterized the habitat use and movement paths of each species. We placed markers at the location of focal animals every minute for the duration of each 30-min observation. Afterwards, we recorded whether each location was in the open or in vegetation, as well as the movement metrics of step length, path length, net displacement, straightness index, and turn angle, and then made statistical comparisons between the two species.Results: The visual forager spent more time in open areas, moved less frequently over shorter distances, and differed in patterns of plant use compared to the chemosensory forager. Path characteristics of step length and turn angle differed between species.Conclusions: The visual predator moved in a way that was consistent with the notion that they require a clear visual path to stalk prey whereas the movement of the chemosensory predator increased their chances of detecting prey by venturing further into vegetation. Sympatric species can partition limited resources through differences in search behavior and habitat use.

Download Full-text

Versatility of Habitat Use in Three Sympatric Species of Plethodontid Salamanders

Journal of Herpetology ◽

10.1670/69-03n ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 434-437 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stesha Pasachnik ◽

Gregory R. Ruthig

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Plethodontid Salamanders

Download Full-text

Comparative analysis of wing morphology, flight behaviour, and habitat use in flying foxes (Genus: Pteropus)

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo97059 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 283 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jonathan Q. Richmond ◽

Sandra Anne Banack ◽

Gilbert S. Grant

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Similar Species ◽

Foraging Mode ◽

Flight Behaviour ◽

Flying Foxes ◽

Species Overlap ◽

Soaring Flight ◽

Flying Fox

We compared morphological indices, flight behaviour, and foraging and habitat use in two sympatric species of flying foxes, the insular flying fox (Pteropus tonganus) and the Samoan flying fox (Pteropus samoensis), to test the prediction that morphologically similar species overlap in ecology. Both species are fruit and flower specialists, forage for patchily distributed food, fly with a foetus or young, and transport large-seeded fruits. Patterns of major foraging activity and foraging mode vary between species: P. samoensis is predominantly diurnal and uses soaring flight for commuting and assessing food resources, while P. tonganus is predominantly nocturnal and commutes extensive distances between roosts and foraging areas. Our results indicate that P. tonganus and P. samoensis are morphologically and ecologically similar, despite differences in flight behaviour. Differences in flight behaviour are attributable to the time of day when most extensive flying occurs for each species.

Download Full-text

Discrimination of habitat use between two sympatric species of mullets, Mugil curema and Mugil liza (Mugiliformes: Mugilidae) in the rio Tramandaí Estuary, determined by otolith chemistry

Neotropical Ichthyology ◽

10.1590/1982-0224-20170045 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ana C. G. Mai ◽

Mauricio L. dos Santos ◽

Valéria M. Lemos ◽

João P. Vieira

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽

High Salinity ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Otolith Chemistry ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Lower Salinity ◽

Inductively Coupled ◽

Plasma Mass Spectrometry ◽

Specific Variation

ABSTRACT Two sympatric species of marine mullets, Mugil curema and M. liza, use the rio Tramandaí Estuary as nursing grounds. When two closely related species are sympatric, various mechanisms may permit their coexistence, including spatial or temporal segregation that results in the divergent use of the resources for which they compete. To investigate the spatial segregation, we used otolith chemistry inferred through laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our results indicate that in the rio Tramandaí Estuary, M. curema is associated with high salinity waters and can be classified as a Marine Migrant in the Marine Estuarine-opportunist subcategory. Mugil liza is associated with lower salinity and can be classified as a Marine Migrant in the Estuarine Dependent subcategory. The intra-specific variation in estuarine habitat use indicates that the migratory behaviors in mullets are far more complex than previously known.

Download Full-text

Diet and habitat use of two sympatric species of Philodryas (Colubridae), in south Brazil

Amphibia-Reptilia ◽

10.1163/1568538053693251 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 25-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

Otávio Marques ◽

Paulo Hartmann

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Strong Relationship ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Food Type ◽

Microhabitat Use ◽

Southern Brazil ◽

Food Items ◽

Forested Areas ◽

South Brazil

AbstractFeeding habits and habitat use of the colubrid snakes Philodryas olfersii and P. patagoniensis in southern Brazil are presented here. Philodryas olfersii and P. patagoniensis are sympatric in the study area and both dwell in open and forested areas. Specimens preserved in collections and observations of snakes in the field yielded the data. Both species are diet generalists, feeding on small vertebrates, mainly frogs. Philodryas patagoniensis has a broader diet, a less variable frequency of food items, and fed on heavier prey than P. olfersii. Seasonal variation in diet occurs in both species. The semiarboreal Philodryas olfersii is more slender and has a longer tail than the terrestrial P. patagoniensis, characters that may reflect differences in microhabitat use. There are a strong relationship between habitat use and frequency of a given food type. Differences in the use of food resources between P. olfersii and P. patagoniensis seem to reflect differences in foraging microhabitats used by each species.

Download Full-text

Habitat and mutualism affect the distribution and abundance of a shrimp-associated goby

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf03099 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

pp. 105 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

A. R. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Habitat Choice ◽

French Polynesia ◽

Quadratic Model ◽

Positive Interactions ◽

The North ◽

Linear Relationships ◽

Scatter Plots ◽

The Relationship

To elucidate factors that affect patterns of habitat use by a goby, Ctenogobiops feroculus, which interacts mutualistically with an alpheid shrimp, Alpheus djeddensis, goby density and habitat type were surveyed along the north shore of Moorea, French Polynesia. Although linear and quadratic multiple regression models both described the relationship between goby density and habitat as being statistically significant, more than twice the variation was accounted for by the quadratic model compared with the linear model. Further evaluation using univariate scatter plots confirmed that goby density correlated non-linearly with habitat as maximal goby density occurred in locations with approximately 71% sand and 29% rubble. Next, an aquarium-based, habitat choice experiment demonstrated that shrimp prefer to burrow in sand–rubble compared with pure sand, and that shrimp are unable to build tunnels in pure sand because burrows collapse in this substrate. This research shows that habitat choice by one organism (e.g. a shrimp) can, because of positive interactions, affect the distribution of another species (e.g. a goby). In addition, it highlights the importance of assessing non-linear relationships in studies of habitat use and, when appropriate, using statistical methods that do not rely on linear assumptions.

Download Full-text