Temporal Activity Patterns of Sympatric Bornean Carnivore Species: Implications for Niche Partitioning and Conservation

Abstract

To propose proper conservation measures and to elucidate coexistence mechanisms of sympatric carnivore species, we assessed their temporal activity patterns using 37,379 photos collected for more than three years at three study sites in Borneo. We categorized activity patterns of nine carnivore species (one bear, three civets, two felids, one skunk, one mustelid, one linsang) by calculating the photo-capturing proportions at each period (day, night, twilight). We then evaluated temporal activity overlaps by calculating the overlap coefficients. We identified six nocturnal (three civets, one felid, one skunk, one linsang), two diurnal (one felids, one mustelid), and one cathemeral (bear) species. Temporal activity overlaps were high among the nocturnal species. The two felid species possessing morphological and ecological similarities exhibited clear temporal niche segregation, but the three civet species did not. Broad dietary breadth may compensate for the high temporal niche overlaps among the nocturnal species. Despite the high species richness of Bornean carnivores, almost half are threatened with extinction. By comparing individual radio-tracking and our data, we propose that a long-term study of at least three years is necessary to understand animals’ temporal activity patterns by camera-trapping and to avoid diverting conservationists away from effective protection measures.

Classifying the activity states of small vertebrates using automated VHF telemetry

“…Quantifying the distribution of activity periods throughout the day provides important insights into species' responses to their environment, foraging strategies, bioenergetics and adaptations (Torney et al, 2021). Moreover, temporal segregation of species that share the same niche is one recognised mechanism that can facilitate species coexistence (Nakabayashi et al, 2021).…”