Abstract
Ecosystems in the northern Andes face unprecedented habitat loss. Pumas are the top predators in the region and exert key ecological functions, such as population control and resource facilitation. However, little is known about the temporal niche of the species or its effects on behaviour of prey in the tropics. We hypothesized that there is a link between the activity patterns of pumas and their prey in a cloud forest of the Central Andes of Colombia. We installed 61 camera traps to estimate the degree of overlap between the daily activity curves of pumas and seven potential prey species, using conditional kernel density functions. Pumas, armadillos, mountain pacas, and white–eared opossums were mainly nocturnal, with little crepuscular activity and high temporal overlap. Central American agouti, mountain coati, little red brocket deer, and Cauca guan displayed a predominantly diurnal activity and temporal partitioning with pumas. As opportunistic predators, pumas were able to maximize foraging efficiency by preying on the crepuscular and nocturnal species. Conservation of this highland predator will largely depend on the suitable management of its native prey.
Highlights
Large felids are considered key drivers of community structure as they have the potential to suppress prey populations and release plants from herbivory pressure (Sergio et al, 2008)
To describe the activity patterns of pumas and their potential prey, we considered all consecutive records of a species obtained in 60 minutes as a single, independent event (Di Bitetti et al, 2006; Ridout and Linkie, 2009; Oliveira–Santos et al, 2013; Zanón Martínez et al, 2016)
We assessed the daily activity of pumas and their prey within a well–preserved Andean Forest in which other large predators such as jaguars (Panthera onca, Linnaeus 1758) are absent
Summary
Large felids are considered key drivers of community structure as they have the potential to suppress prey populations and release plants from herbivory pressure (Sergio et al, 2008). To meet their energy requirement, predators have evolved specialized traits to feed on either a diverse guild or a specific type of prey (MacDonald and Loveridge, 2010). From the prey's perspective, increasing activity during periods when the predator is inactive may decrease the risk of mortality and maximize resource intake (Brown et al, 1999; Kronfeld–Schor and Dayan, 2003). To assess predator–prey interactions from a temporal niche perspective camera traps have proved useful (Harmsen et al, 2011; Foster et al, 2013). Evidence for temporal interactions is expected when camera traps detect convergence–divergence in the distribution of daily activity curves between two or more species (Oliveira–Santos et al, 2013; Frey et al, 2017)
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