Food partitioning between sympatric gerbils (genus Meriones) in arid conditions of the western part of the Caspian Depression

Abstract

ABSTRACTThere are many patterns of coexistence in communities, including partitioning based on spatial, temporal, or food niches. This study considered the partitioning of food between two ecologically similar and sympatric species, the tamarisk gerbil and the midday gerbil, in the Terek-Kuma Lowland of the Republic of Daghestan. The qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the diets of both gerbils were revealed. The species have relatively wide diets; the tamarisk gerbil’s diet consisted of forty-six plant species, and the midday gerbil’s diet consisted of fifty plant species within the study areas. Thirty plant species were present in the diets of the two gerbils. The dietary breadths of both gerbils were similar. The dietary overlap of the two gerbils ranged from low to moderate (average Pianka’s dietary overlap index, 0.476 ± 0.08). Finally, under conditions in which food resources are sufficient, the moderate abundance of gerbils and the high diversity of habitats and microhabitats in the study areas allow these two species of gerbils to coexist in a common location.