Species Distribution Models Unveil Niche Partitioning in Bovid Guilds of Southwestern Asia

Abstract

Despite the widespread coexistence of three guilds of the bovid family — deer [red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)], gazelles [goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) and chinkara (Gazella bennettii)], and goats [bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus), Armenian mouflon (Ovis gmelini) and urial (Ovis vignei)] — in southwestern Asia, detailed information on their habitat selection and niche partitioning is lacking. We used species distribution models (SDMs) based on MaxEnt to assess the suitability of habitats for these species. The results showed that MaxEnt models with the area under the ROC curve (AUC) > 0.85 had a good predictive value. The highest and lowest habitat overlaps were obtained for red deer/roe deer (35.4%) and goitered gazelle/chinkara (3.6%), respectively. Our results provide information on habitat selection and niche partitioning in the studied bovids which can improve their conservation efforts.