Spatio-temporal dynamics of African wild dogs in response to larger carnivores in an ecosystem with artificial water provisioning

Abstract

Temporal and spatial partitioning are forms of niche segregation to reduce species competition. Subordinate carnivores can use reactive or proactive strategies to avoid larger predators. We aimed to evaluate if African wild dogs avoid larger predators (leopards, lions and spotted hyaenas) reactively or proactively in space and time at different spatial and temporal scales in an ecosystem with artificial water provisioning in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. We used camera-trapping data and generalized linear mixed models, activity pattern overlap, and time-to-event analyses. In general, wild dogs used the same space as the other three larger predators, but at different times. Temporal avoidance of all three predators was especially strong close to waterholes. Spatio-temporally, wild dogs mainly used a reactive strategy to avoid hyaenas, and most likely a proactive strategy towards lions and leopards. Wild dogs were able to coexist at different times in areas (rich in prey) with high aggregation and density of predators (but lower than ∼14 hyaenas/100km²) as long as there was closed vegetation, and enough permanent waterholes (above ∼0.01 waterholes per km², waterholes being surrogates for prey aggregation and abundance). Conservation management tools should implement heterogeneous waterhole-provisioning schemes to facilitate interspecific coexistence through increasing niche-partitioning opportunities.