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Temporal segregation among sympatric boreal predators

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Abstract

Mechanisms that decrease niche overlap, whether dietary, spatial, or temporal, are important in facilitating the coexistence of sympatric competitors. Since predators commonly partition resources via temporal segregation, we investigated whether it plays a significant role in mediating the coexistence of four common boreal predators: black bear (Ursus americanus), Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus), and fisher (Pekania pennanti). We examined their daily activity patterns at camera traps (19 sampling sites) in the boreal forest of northwest Alberta (2380 km2). Fishers were distinctly diurnal, while black bears, Canada lynx, and wolverines were cathemeral, resulting in high overlaps among the species (∆ = 0.62 to ∆ = 0.86). Fishers showed the lowest overlap with other species, while other pairs of species were relatively higher. Our results suggest that temporal partitioning plays a smaller role in the coexistence of these predators than anticipated, while revealing some interesting trends and suggesting other factors that may play a role in their niche segregation.

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Funding

We are thankful to the following organizations and grants for the research support they provided: Alberta Conservation Association, Alberta Environment and Parks, Alberta Fish and Game Association – Minister’s Special License, Alberta Trappers Association, Animal Damage Control, Daishowa-Marubeni International, Dene Tha First Nation, Environment Canada, Husky Oil, National Sciences and Engineering Research Council Collaborative Research and Training Experience Environmental Innovation (CREATE-EI), Rocky Mountain Wilderness Society, Safari Club International – Northern Alberta Chapter, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, The Wolverine Foundation, UAlberta North – Northern Research Award and Wildlife Conservation Society – Garfield Weston Foundation.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW405 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada

    Colborne J. Kemna & Mariana B. Nagy-Reis

  2. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, 10 Cumberland St. N, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7A 4K9, Canada

    Matthew A. Scrafford

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  1. Colborne J. Kemna
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  2. Mariana B. Nagy-Reis
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  3. Matthew A. Scrafford
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Funding acquisition was done by Matthew Scrafford. Data collection was performed by Matthew Scrafford. Data processing and analysis was completed by Colborne Kemna, with input from Mariana Nagy-Reis. All drafts of the manuscript were written by Colborne Kemna, with Mariana Nagy-Reis and Matthew Scrafford providing feedback. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Kemna, C.J., Nagy-Reis, M.B. & Scrafford, M.A. Temporal segregation among sympatric boreal predators. Mamm Res 65, 565–572 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-020-00504-z

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