Competition and specialization in an African forest carnivore community.

ABSTRACT: Globally, human activities have led to the impoverishment of species assemblages and the disruption of ecosystem function. Determining whether this poses a threat to future ecosystem stability necessitates a thorough understanding of mechanisms underpinning community assembly and niche selection. Here, we tested for niche segregation within an African small carnivore community in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We used occupancy modeling based on systematic camera trap surveys and fine-scale habitat measures, to identify opposing preferences between closely related species (cats, genets, and mongooses). We modeled diel activity patterns using kernel density functions and calculated the overlap of activity periods between related species. We also used co-occupancy modeling and activity overla

SUBMITTER: Mills DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6787825 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature