Behaviorally mediated coexistence of ocelots, bobcats and coyotes using hidden Markov models

The competitive exclusion principle states that ecologically similar species will be unable to coexist due to competition for resources, however, similar species coexist across a variety of ecosystems. Understanding mechanisms of coexistence is essential for managing a target species. Advances in monitoring technology have provided the ability to obtain reliable, high-frequency data on wildlife. From these data, behavioral states can be approximated by analyzing turning angles and distances between locations. We monitored 8 ocelots Leopardus pardalis, 13 bobcats Lynx rufus and 5 coyotes Canis latrans on the East Foundation's El Sauz Ranch and the Yturria San Francisco Ranch in south Texas, USA, which were fitted with GPS collars that collected locations every 30 min. We characterized behavioral states using hidden Markov models. We assumed low turning angles and longer steps to represent patrolling territory, larger turning angles with shorter steps would represent hunting behavior, and low angles and minimal movement would indicate periods of rest. If differences in timing and space use exist between species, these differences may help facilitate coexistence. We predicted 1) each species exhibits three behavioral states: resting, hunting and territory patrolling; 2) ocelots moved farther (i.e. territory patrolling) in open areas and rested in dense cover; and 3) bobcats and coyotes would remain in more open areas than ocelots. We found ocelots and bobcats remained closer to heavy cover when resting and foraging and used open areas more when patrolling territory while coyotes rested in the open and selected for cover when hunting or patrolling. Further, we found evidence of temporal partitioning of behaviors both within and across species. Our study provides a novel approach to examining coexistence and identifies behaviorally mediated spatial and temporal differences in habitat use that may facilitate coexistence between ocelots, bobcats and coyotes.