Exotic Prey Facilitate Coexistence between Pumas and Culpeo Foxes in the Andes of Central Chile
1
Wildlife Habitat and Population Analysis Lab, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
2
Department of Ecology, Proyecto Carnívoros Australes, Constitución 3560000, Región del Maule, Chile
3
Fauna Australis Wildlife Laboratory, Department of Ecosystems and The Environment, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago 7820244, Chile
4
School of Veterinary Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago 7820244, Chile
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diversity 2020, 12(9), 317; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12090317
Received: 19 July 2020
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Revised: 15 August 2020
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Accepted: 18 August 2020
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Published: 20 August 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research in Carnivores: From Their Interspecific Relationships to Their Prey)
Coexistence between species with similar ecological niches implies species must segregate along one or more niche axes to survive. Space, time, and trophic resources are regarded as the principal axes upon which species segregate. We examined segregation along these niche axes to determine mechanisms underlying coexistence between the two main predators, puma (Puma concolor) and culpeo foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus) in the Andes of Central Chile. We used occupancy modeling to examine space use and overlap, Kernel Density Estimation to determine temporal activity patterns and overlap, and analysis of prey remains in feces to assess diet breadth and similarity. We found high spatial overlap and positive associations between detection of the carnivores lending little support for spatial segregation. Similarly, we found high nocturnal, temporal overlap between pumas and foxes that matched peaks in activity of prey. In contrast, we found relatively low dietary overlap indicating niche segregation likely occurs along the dietary axis. The Puma diet was dominated by introduced, exotic hares and foxes appeared to shift away from hares to rabbits, small mammals, and seeds. Given that lagomorphs are the main dietary resource for pumas in particular, management decisions regarding the control or eradication of such exotic species could negatively affected puma survival.
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Keywords:
activity patterns; Andes; camera trapping; carnivores; coexistence; exotic prey; fox; mountain lion; predators; puma
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MDPI and ACS Style
Osorio, C.; Muñoz, A.; Guarda, N.; Bonacic, C.; Kelly, M. Exotic Prey Facilitate Coexistence between Pumas and Culpeo Foxes in the Andes of Central Chile. Diversity 2020, 12, 317. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12090317
AMA Style
Osorio C, Muñoz A, Guarda N, Bonacic C, Kelly M. Exotic Prey Facilitate Coexistence between Pumas and Culpeo Foxes in the Andes of Central Chile. Diversity. 2020; 12(9):317. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12090317
Chicago/Turabian StyleOsorio, Christian, Ana Muñoz, Nicolás Guarda, Cristian Bonacic, and Marcella Kelly. 2020. "Exotic Prey Facilitate Coexistence between Pumas and Culpeo Foxes in the Andes of Central Chile" Diversity 12, no. 9: 317. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12090317
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