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- Title
Habitat partitioning mediates the coexistence of sympatric dolphins in a tropical fjord-like embayment.
- Authors
Oviedo, Lenin; Fernández, Marc; Herra-Miranda, David; Pacheco-Polanco, Juan Diego; Hernández-Camacho, Claudia J.; Aurioles-Gamboa, David
- Abstract
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) co-occur in Golfo Dulce, a fjord-like embayment located in the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. We evaluated if spatial overlap by these dolphin species is associated with similar environmental requirements. Presence-only models based on niche theory were constructed by contrasting a set of spatial locations with the responses of the target species to abiotic ecogeographical variables (EGVs: depth, slope, distance to rivers, distance to 200 m isobath, mean sea surface temperature, and variation in sea surface temperature). Models were cross-validated with levels of discrimination that ranged from acceptable to excellent based on the area under the curve assessment (T. truncatus, rainy season: 0.76, dry season: 0.83; S. attenuata, rainy season: 0.84, dry season: 0.89). Both dolphin species occur in Golfo Dulce year-round; the lack of seasonality documented previously was supported by the models. Species distribution models showed no spatial overlap, with differences in EGVs affecting their distribution (T. truncatus: distance to river + distance to 200 m isobath, S. attenuata: depth + sea surface temperature). We argue that the coexistence of both predators in Golfo Dulce is linked to habitat heterogeneity, where critical habitats are spatially differentiated. The lack of fine-scale spatial overlap, along with influential abiotic variables, highlights a process of coexistence for dolphins that are sympatric at the scale of Golfo Dulce, but within the Gulf there is fine-scale allopatry
- Subjects
HABITAT partitioning (Ecology); COEXISTENCE of species; DOLPHINS; GULF of Dulce (Costa Rica); STENELLA attenuata; OCEAN temperature
- Publication
Journal of Mammalogy, 2018, Vol 99, Issue 3, p554
- ISSN
0022-2372
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/jmammal/gyy021