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- Title
Nocturnal light-specific temporal partitioning facilitates coexistence for a small mesopredator, the eastern spotted skunk.
- Authors
Marneweck, Courtney J.; Forehand, Cameron R.; Waggy, Charles D.; Harris, Stephen N.; Katzner, Todd E.; Jachowski, David S.
- Abstract
Eastern spotted skunks are of conservation concern, where competition and predation are possible causes of their decline. Using camera traps at a food subsidy, we investigated nocturnal temporal overlap of spotted skunks with co-occurring predators. Spotted skunks were more active during dark nights, when their activity overlapped with the largest predator (coyotes), but not with other mesopredators, thus possibly avoiding interspecific competition. Spotted skunk activity shifted during moonlit nights, where overlap with all predators was reduced, suggesting avoidance of both predators and competitors. This implies that both predation and interspecific competition could limit spotted skunk populations, and one mechanism they apply to coexist is nocturnal light-specific temporal partitioning.
- Subjects
PREDATION; COMPETITION (Biology); COYOTE; PREDATORY animals
- Publication
Journal of Ethology, 2022, Vol 40, Issue 2, p193
- ISSN
0289-0771
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10164-021-00743-w