Temporal niche partitioning as a novel mechanism promoting co-existence of sympatric predators in marine systems.

ABSTRACT: Niche partitioning of time, space or resources is considered the key to allowing the coexistence of competitor species, and particularly guilds of predators. However, the extent to which these processes occur in marine systems is poorly understood due to the difficulty in studying fine-scale movements and activity patterns in mobile underwater species. Here, we used acceleration data-loggers to investigate temporal partitioning in a guild of marine predators. Six species of co-occurring large coastal sharks demonstrated distinct diel patterns of activity, providing evidence of strong temporal partitioning of foraging times. This is the first instance of diel temporal niche partitioning described in a marine predator guild, and is probably driven by a combination of physiological constraint

SUBMITTER: Lear KO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8261200 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature