Ecological interactions and species coexistence in Iberian mesocarnivore communities

Abstract

The structure of mesocarnivore communities is complex, and results from a multidimensional web of interactions, upheld through top-down and bottom-up effects, intraguild interactions and habitat quality. Using a combination of noninvasive techniques (camera trapping and molecular scatology), we assess the strategies involved in mesocarnivore coexistence in SW European communities. Our results suggest that the interactions between co-occurring mesocarnivores are dynamic, and their strength and direction may vary seasonally and geographically. Spatial displacements are not frequent. However, behavioral responses may take place in areas of co-occurrence, where subordinate species may be more elusive . Potentially stressful interactions appear to be preferably handled by displacements along the temporal and trophic niche dimensions. Segregation along the temporal niche constitutes a recurrent strategy in facilitating carnivore coexistence, and is more pronounced in more complex communities.