Niche overlap and dietary resource partitioning in an African large carnivore guild

Abstract

Understanding and quantifying a large carnivores’ feeding behaviour is a key component in determining its functional significance in an ecosystem, both in terms of its top‐down influence on prey species, but also its relationships with sympatric carnivores. Dietary overlap is one of the numerous niche dimensions used to characterize resource partitioning and potential competition within a community. We characterize the diet, potential dietary niche overlap and prey preference of a large African carnivore guild on small fenced protected areas. To quantify the potential inter‐ and intraspecific foraging competition, we analysed 5,128 kills, representing 35 prey species made by African wild dogs Lycaon pictus ( n = 553), cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus (1,427), lions Panthera leo (2,648) and leopards P. pardus (500). Our results show that large African carnivores in small protected areas are exposed to considerable overlap in dietary resource utilization. At the interspecific level, African wild dogs and cheetahs displayed the greatest vulnerability to potential dietary competition. Lions exhibited marked differences in prey preference, mass and species utilization compared to the other carnivores. African wild dogs and cheetah females with dependent offspring occupied the greatest potential for dietary competition within the large carnivore guild. Using a case study based on the preferred biomass of prey available, we estimate the sustainable density of large carnivores at a small fenced prospective African wild dog reintroduction site. African wild dogs displayed the lowest mean predicted density compared to all sympatric predators with an expected population size of 7 individuals. Our research highlights the need to assess the influence of competitive forces in structuring and restoring large predators to portions of their historical range by identifying species most vulnerable to a potential reintroduction attempt. In the absence of controlled experiments, elucidating the influences of exploitation competition is challenging, and only through manipulating sympatric species presence and densities can these complex interactions be fully understood.