Niche partitioning by sympatric civets in the Himalayan foothills of Pakistan

PeerJ

article

Faraz Akrim¹  Tariq Mahmood²  Jerrold L. Belant⁴  Muhammad Sajid Nadeem³  Siddiqa Qasim²  Tashi Dhendup⁵  Hira Fatima⁶  Syed Afaq Bukhari¹  Asad Aslam¹  Humera Younis¹  Aamish Rafique¹  Zahid Ahmed Subhani¹  Shafqaat Ahmed Hashmi¹  Nadeem Munawar² 

[1] Department of Zoology, University of Kotli;Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University;Department of Zoology Wildlife and Fisheries, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University;Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University;Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana;Department of Wildlife & Ecology, University of Okara

关键词: Diet composition;    Sympatric;    Civet;    Dietary breadth;    Niche overlap;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.14741

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Niche overlap between sympatric species can indicate the extent of interspecific competition. Sympatric competing species can exhibit spatial, temporal, and dietary adjustments to reduce competition. We investigated spatial, temporal, and dietary niche overlap of sympatric Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) and small Indian civet (Viverricula indica), in and around Pir Lasura National Park, Pakistan. We used remote cameras to determine the frequency and timing of detections to estimate spatial and temporal overlap, and prey remains from scats to estimate dietary overlap. We collected scat samples of Asian palm civet (n = 108) and small Indian civet (n = 44) for dietary analysis. We found low spatial (Oij = 0.32) and temporal (Δ = 0.39) overlap, but high dietary niche overlap (0.9) between these two civet species. Both civet species were detected at only 11 camera sites and small Indian civets were detected most frequently during 2:00–5:00 h and 8:00–10:00 h, whereas Asian palm civets detections were greatest during 20:00–2:00 h. The overall niche breadth of Asian palm civet was slightly narrower (L = 9.69, Lst = 0.31) than that of the small Indian civet (L = 10, Lst = 0.52). We identified 27 dietary items (15 plant, 12 animal) from scats of Asian palm civet including Himalayan pear (Pyrus pashia; 27%), Indian gerbil (Tatera indica; 10%), Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta; 4%), and insects (5%). Scat analysis of small Indian civets revealed 17 prey items (eight plant, nine animal) including Himalayan pear (24%), domestic poultry (15%), Indian gerbil (11%), and house mouse (Mus musculus; 5%). Both civet species consumed fruits of cultivated orchard species. Spatial and temporal partitioning of landscapes containing diverse foods appears to facilitate coexistence between Asian palm civets and small Indian civets.

【 授权许可】

CC BY