Temporal Activity Patterns of the Eurasian Beaver and Coexisting Species in a Mediterranean Ecosystem
Analyses of temporal partitioning and overlaps in activity rhythms are pivotal to shed light on interspecific coexistence between similar species or prey and predators. In this work, we assessed the overlap of activity rhythms between the Eurasian beaver <i>Castor fiber</i> and its poten...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1961 |
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| author | Emiliano Mori Giuseppe Mazza Chiara Pucci Davide Senserini Roisin Campbell-Palmer Marco Contaldo Andrea Viviano |
| author_facet | Emiliano Mori Giuseppe Mazza Chiara Pucci Davide Senserini Roisin Campbell-Palmer Marco Contaldo Andrea Viviano |
| author_sort | Emiliano Mori |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Analyses of temporal partitioning and overlaps in activity rhythms are pivotal to shed light on interspecific coexistence between similar species or prey and predators. In this work, we assessed the overlap of activity rhythms between the Eurasian beaver <i>Castor fiber</i> and its potential competitors and predators through camera trapping in an area in Central Italy. Interspecific overlaps of temporal activity patterns were estimated for the beavers, potential predators (the red fox <i>Vulpes vulpes</i> and the grey wolf <i>Canis lupus</i>), and a potential competitor, the coypu <i>Myocastor coypus</i>. The beavers showed a mostly crepuscular behaviour. Although high temporal overlap was observed between the Eurasian beavers and the red foxes and grey wolves, the activity of the beavers did not overlap with that of the predators. Accordingly, the beavers were more active on the darkest nights, i.e., avoiding bright moonlight. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:40:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d2c3565bb6f84ba4ad4cdc89cfc454e5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:40:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-d2c3565bb6f84ba4ad4cdc89cfc454e52023-12-03T12:26:09ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-08-011215196110.3390/ani12151961Temporal Activity Patterns of the Eurasian Beaver and Coexisting Species in a Mediterranean EcosystemEmiliano Mori0Giuseppe Mazza1Chiara Pucci2Davide Senserini3Roisin Campbell-Palmer4Marco Contaldo5Andrea Viviano6Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Firenze, ItalyCREA Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Via Lanciola 12/a, 50125 Firenze, ItalyIndependent Researcher, Str. di Pilli 1, 53035 Siena, ItalyIndependent Researcher, Loc. Defizio, 58036 Grosseto, ItalyBeaver Trust, 61 Bridge Street, Kington HR5 3DJ, UKIndependent Researcher, 53100 Siena, ItalyConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Firenze, ItalyAnalyses of temporal partitioning and overlaps in activity rhythms are pivotal to shed light on interspecific coexistence between similar species or prey and predators. In this work, we assessed the overlap of activity rhythms between the Eurasian beaver <i>Castor fiber</i> and its potential competitors and predators through camera trapping in an area in Central Italy. Interspecific overlaps of temporal activity patterns were estimated for the beavers, potential predators (the red fox <i>Vulpes vulpes</i> and the grey wolf <i>Canis lupus</i>), and a potential competitor, the coypu <i>Myocastor coypus</i>. The beavers showed a mostly crepuscular behaviour. Although high temporal overlap was observed between the Eurasian beavers and the red foxes and grey wolves, the activity of the beavers did not overlap with that of the predators. Accordingly, the beavers were more active on the darkest nights, i.e., avoiding bright moonlight.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1961activity rhythms<i>C</i><i>astor fiber</i><i>Canis lupus</i><i>Myocastor coypus</i>moonlight avoidanceriverine ecosystems |
| spellingShingle | Emiliano Mori Giuseppe Mazza Chiara Pucci Davide Senserini Roisin Campbell-Palmer Marco Contaldo Andrea Viviano Temporal Activity Patterns of the Eurasian Beaver and Coexisting Species in a Mediterranean Ecosystem Animals activity rhythms <i>C</i><i>astor fiber</i> <i>Canis lupus</i> <i>Myocastor coypus</i> moonlight avoidance riverine ecosystems |
| title | Temporal Activity Patterns of the Eurasian Beaver and Coexisting Species in a Mediterranean Ecosystem |
| title_full | Temporal Activity Patterns of the Eurasian Beaver and Coexisting Species in a Mediterranean Ecosystem |
| title_fullStr | Temporal Activity Patterns of the Eurasian Beaver and Coexisting Species in a Mediterranean Ecosystem |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal Activity Patterns of the Eurasian Beaver and Coexisting Species in a Mediterranean Ecosystem |
| title_short | Temporal Activity Patterns of the Eurasian Beaver and Coexisting Species in a Mediterranean Ecosystem |
| title_sort | temporal activity patterns of the eurasian beaver and coexisting species in a mediterranean ecosystem |
| topic | activity rhythms <i>C</i><i>astor fiber</i> <i>Canis lupus</i> <i>Myocastor coypus</i> moonlight avoidance riverine ecosystems |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1961 |
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