Ecological traits and the spatial structure of competitive coexistence among carnivores.

摘要: Competition is a widespread interaction among carnivores, ultimately manifested through one or more dimensions of the species' ecological niche. One most explicit manifestations competitive interactions regards spatial displacement. Its interpretation under theoretical context provides an important tool to deepen our understanding biological systems and communities, but also for wildlife management conservation. We used Bayesian multispecies occupancy models on camera-trapping data from multiple sites in Southwestern Europe (SWE) investigate within carnivore guild, evaluate how traits are shaping coexistence patterns. Seventeen out 26 pairwise departed hypothesis independent occurrence, with association being twice as frequent avoidance. Association behaviors were only detected mesocarnivores, while avoidance mainly involved mesocarnivores avoiding apex predator (n = 4) mesocarnivore-only (n = 2). Body mass ratios, defined dominant over subordinate species body mass, revealed negative effect ( β^=-0.38;CI95=-0.81to-0.06 ) co-occurrence probability, support that spatially mostly expressed by larger able dominate smaller ones, threshold ratios ~4, above which local-scale intraguild unlikely. found weak relationship between trophic niche overlap probability β^=-0.19;CI95=-0.58to0.21 ), suggesting competition feeding resources may not be key driver competition, at least scale analysis. Despite avoidance, regional-scale appears maintained structuring environment. provide evidence SWE ecosystems consist structured environments, propose near-sized likely achieved interplay "facultative" "behavioral" character displacements. Factors influencing include context-dependent density trait-mediated effects, should carefully considered sound mechanisms regulating these communities.