SREL Reprint #3894

Spatiotemporal strategies of carnivore coexistence in an arid system

John Heydinger1,2, Uakendisa Muzuma3,4, Caitlin A. Kupferman1, and James C. Beasley1

1Savannah River Ecology Lab, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
2Lion Rangers Program, Kamanjab, Kunene Region, Namibia
3Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Windhoek, Namibia
4Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract: How species coexist within shared spaces can provide insights into guild structures and resource requirements, and has wide-ranging implications for conservation managers. Within arid, multiuse landscapes, carnivore space use is compressed into predictable resource patches, potentially shifting coexistence from broad spatial segregation to finer-scale temporal strategies. We tested four hypothesis-driven predictions drawn from dynamic landscapes of fear, hierarchical guild theory, and resource-pulse ecology: that carnivores would show (1) broad nocturnal overlap but fine-scale temporal staggering, (2) temporal response asymmetry centered on lion activity, (3) stronger overlap under dry-season resource compression, and (4) context-dependent associations under certain habitat structures. Using trail camera detections of lions (Panthera leo), spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), brown hyenas (Parahyaena brunnea), and black-backed jackals (Lupulella mesomelas) in northwest Namibia, we analyzed 5268 independent images of carnivores and herbivores collected over 8288 camera-days. We combined hierarchical Bayesian models of carnivore detections and environmental mediation with diel activity overlap (Δ4), and directional timing models across 3-, 6-, 12-h, and 1-day intervals. All focal carnivores were primarily nocturnal and exhibited high diel overlap (Δ4 ≈ 0.61–0.84), indicating broadly similar activity schedules within the sampled resource-patch network. Dry-season progression was an important mediator of carnivore detections, and habitat structure also shaped space use—underscoring the importance of spatial concentration at resources. Despite high diel overlap, directional timing models detected temporal sequencing only at coarser grains (12-h and 1-day), with no consistent signal at 3- or 6-h intervals. These results suggest that when space is constrained, coexistence may be negotiated through temporal staggering within shared patches, with dominance hierarchy shaping asymmetric responses and resource compression intensifying when such strategies matter most.

Keywords: black-backed jackals, bottom-up, brown hyena, carnivore guild, drylands, landscape of fear (LOF), lions, spotted hyena, top-down

SREL Reprint #3894

Heydinger, J., U. Muzuma, C. A. Kupferman, and J. C. Beasley. 2026. Spatiotemporal strategies of carnivore coexistence in an arid system. Ecosphere 17(e70780).

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).