Where to sleep in a rural landscape? A comparative study of resting sites pattern in two syntopic Martes species

摘要: The niche-complementarity hypothesis predicts that two sympatric species must differ in their requirements for one of the three main ecological dimensions (i.e. habitat use, diet, and activity time) to coexist. European pine marten Martes martes stone M. foina are syntopic medium-sized mustelids with very similar morphology ecology which resting sites a key resource. To better understand how these coexist, we investigated whether features site pattern (number sites, area over they distributed, type used resting) differed. We diurnal telemetry identify resident individuals (e.g. spatially stable locate them during periods fragmented forested France. Stone fewer distributed smaller surface than marten. Most were located open (83%) proximity human habitations, whereas martens rested almost exclusively forest (98%). Sex, age, season explained some variability both number probability within but not covered by was larger males females, age modulated this difference an opposite way species. Such expected given intra-sexual territoriality reproductive phenology Overall, showed higher inter-individual particular observed subadult male summer (increase rest forest) may reflect attempt settle forests, discuss implications context interspecific competition.