SPATIOTEMPORAL PARTITIONING BETWEEN AN INVASIVE SPECIES AND A MESOCARNIVORE COMMUNITY IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT | |||
Alyse D Gabaldon; California State University, Bakersfield; agabaldon1@csub.edu; Lucas K. Hall, Vanessa I. Nesheiwat | |||
Invasive species can be detrimental to ecosystems. While the effects of invasive species on native ecosystems are many, invasive species are often capable of outcompeting species for resources, yet our understanding of these effects in urban environments is still developing. The domestic cat (Felis catus) is an invasive species that is commonly observed in urban areas alongside other urban mesocarnivores, however, the potential impacts and interactions domestic cats have on other urban mesocarnivores is not well understood. To address this knowledge gap, we evaluated temporal and spatial partitioning between domestic cats and other mesocarnivores in an urban environment. We predicted that if domestic cats are negatively affecting other urban carnivores, urban carnivores may spatially or temporally minimize interactions with domestic cats. We used camera traps with scent lures at high school and college campuses across the southern San Joaquin Valley to monitor the visitation patterns of urban mesocarnivores from 2020 to 2022. Generalized linear mixed models and AIC model selection will be used to evaluate spatial relationships and interactions between domestic cats and other urban mesocarnivores, and temporal overlap coefficients and peak activity analysis will be used to evaluate temporal overlap and the results of these analyses will be discussed. | |||
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