Interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes
Scarcity of resources may result in high levels of animal aggregation; interference competition can occur in such a scenario and play a role in resource acquisition. Here, we test the hypothesis that animals could minimize interference competition by shifting their temporal niches in relation to competitors. In Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, we monitored waterholes in order to study agonistic interactions between elephants and other herbivore species. We also used a long-term data set from a yearly survey of waterhole attendance by herbivores to evaluate the influence of the presence of elephants on the use of waterholes by other herbivore species. Our results show that in drier years, waterholes are crowded with elephants early in the afternoon. In general, the species most affected by interference competition with elephants shift their temporal niches at the waterholes, thus maintaining a constant temporal overlaps with elephants. The species less affected by interference competition with elephants show no temporal niche shifts and increase their temporal overlap with elephants at waterholes, as predicted from a noncompetition hypothesis. This study provides evidence that interference competition with a behaviorally dominant large species influences the temporal niches of smaller species, and suggests that the potential costs associated with interference between elephants and other herbivores at waterholes are linked to shifts in diurnal activities rather than interactions and water acquisition itself.
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Subjects: | L20 - Écologie animale, herbivore, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3567, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_8516, |
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dig-cirad-fr-5488542024-01-28T16:57:46Z http://agritrop.cirad.fr/548854/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/548854/ Interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes. Valeix Marion, Chamaille-Jammes Simon, Fritz Hervé. 2007. Oecologia, 153 (3) : 739-748.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0764-5 <https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0764-5> Interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes Valeix, Marion Chamaille-Jammes, Simon Fritz, Hervé eng 2007 Oecologia L20 - Écologie animale herbivore http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3567 Zimbabwe http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_8516 Scarcity of resources may result in high levels of animal aggregation; interference competition can occur in such a scenario and play a role in resource acquisition. Here, we test the hypothesis that animals could minimize interference competition by shifting their temporal niches in relation to competitors. In Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, we monitored waterholes in order to study agonistic interactions between elephants and other herbivore species. We also used a long-term data set from a yearly survey of waterhole attendance by herbivores to evaluate the influence of the presence of elephants on the use of waterholes by other herbivore species. Our results show that in drier years, waterholes are crowded with elephants early in the afternoon. In general, the species most affected by interference competition with elephants shift their temporal niches at the waterholes, thus maintaining a constant temporal overlaps with elephants. The species less affected by interference competition with elephants show no temporal niche shifts and increase their temporal overlap with elephants at waterholes, as predicted from a noncompetition hypothesis. This study provides evidence that interference competition with a behaviorally dominant large species influences the temporal niches of smaller species, and suggests that the potential costs associated with interference between elephants and other herbivores at waterholes are linked to shifts in diurnal activities rather than interactions and water acquisition itself. article info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal Article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://agritrop.cirad.fr/548854/1/document_548854.pdf application/pdf Cirad license info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess https://agritrop.cirad.fr/mention_legale.html https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0764-5 10.1007/s00442-007-0764-5 http://catalogue-bibliotheques.cirad.fr/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=203917 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1007/s00442-007-0764-5 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/purl/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0764-5 |
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L20 - Écologie animale herbivore http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3567 http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_8516 L20 - Écologie animale herbivore http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3567 http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_8516 |
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L20 - Écologie animale herbivore http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3567 http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_8516 L20 - Écologie animale herbivore http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3567 http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_8516 Valeix, Marion Chamaille-Jammes, Simon Fritz, Hervé Interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes |
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Scarcity of resources may result in high levels of animal aggregation; interference competition can occur in such a scenario and play a role in resource acquisition. Here, we test the hypothesis that animals could minimize interference competition by shifting their temporal niches in relation to competitors. In Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, we monitored waterholes in order to study agonistic interactions between elephants and other herbivore species. We also used a long-term data set from a yearly survey of waterhole attendance by herbivores to evaluate the influence of the presence of elephants on the use of waterholes by other herbivore species. Our results show that in drier years, waterholes are crowded with elephants early in the afternoon. In general, the species most affected by interference competition with elephants shift their temporal niches at the waterholes, thus maintaining a constant temporal overlaps with elephants. The species less affected by interference competition with elephants show no temporal niche shifts and increase their temporal overlap with elephants at waterholes, as predicted from a noncompetition hypothesis. This study provides evidence that interference competition with a behaviorally dominant large species influences the temporal niches of smaller species, and suggests that the potential costs associated with interference between elephants and other herbivores at waterholes are linked to shifts in diurnal activities rather than interactions and water acquisition itself. |
format |
article |
topic_facet |
L20 - Écologie animale herbivore http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3567 http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_8516 |
author |
Valeix, Marion Chamaille-Jammes, Simon Fritz, Hervé |
author_facet |
Valeix, Marion Chamaille-Jammes, Simon Fritz, Hervé |
author_sort |
Valeix, Marion |
title |
Interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes |
title_short |
Interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes |
title_full |
Interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes |
title_fullStr |
Interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes |
title_sort |
interference competition and temporal niche shifts: elephants and herbivore communities at waterholes |
url |
http://agritrop.cirad.fr/548854/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/548854/1/document_548854.pdf |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT valeixmarion interferencecompetitionandtemporalnicheshiftselephantsandherbivorecommunitiesatwaterholes AT chamaillejammessimon interferencecompetitionandtemporalnicheshiftselephantsandherbivorecommunitiesatwaterholes AT fritzherve interferencecompetitionandtemporalnicheshiftselephantsandherbivorecommunitiesatwaterholes |
_version_ |
1792497173079785472 |