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- Title
Niche overlap and shared distributional patterns between two South American small carnivorans: Galictis cuja and Lyncodon patagonicus (Carnivora: Mustelidae).
- Authors
Schiaffini, Mauro Ignacio
- Abstract
Limiting abiotic conditions might shape boundaries of species distribution, while biotic factors influence such distributions through interspecific relationships. When two morphologically and or/ecologically similar species are geographically overlapped, a distribution displacement or a change in size or morphology is expected to minimize competition. Environmental niche modeling (ENM) might help us understand the relationship between distribution of a species' pair and their relationship with environmental conditions, allowing us to test the possible existence of shared distribution patterns and/or displacements across wide geographic ranges. In this work, distribution patterns and climatic and geographic overlap are analyzed between two South American small carnivorans, Galictis cuja and Lyncodon patagonicus, using geographic information systems and ENM. Environmental tolerance of the latter species seems to be enclosed within the range of the former, with high geographic overlap. No evidence of niche displacement was found between them. G. cuja seems to be a more generalist species than L. patagonicus, and size difference (e.g. body size, dentition size) might be the mechanism that allows coexistence between these highly similar species, although future field studies might be needed to support this statement.
- Subjects
COMPETITION (Biology); CARNIVOROUS animals; MUSTELIDAE; CARNIVORA; ABIOTIC environment; SPECIES distribution
- Publication
Mammalia: International Journal of the Systematics, Biology & Ecology of Mammals, 2017, Vol 81, Issue 5, p455
- ISSN
0025-1461
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1515/mammalia-2015-0158