Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Ecological niche overlap between co-occurring native and exotic ungulates: insights for a conservation conflict

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biological Invasions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Exploitative competition implies an indirect interaction in which a resource exploited by one species is not available for another; e.g., when species share diet or habitat. It plays a key role in community structure and dynamics. Here we evaluated the niche overlap between the exotic aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) and the native Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) where the species coexist in the Iberian Peninsula, along two main dimensions, the trophic niche and the environmental niche. Then we assessed the spatial segregation of the species. We expected that if a niche overlap was high, competition could drive spatial segregation to allow co-existence. We analyzed their trophic niche overlap by using the content of stable isotopes δ15N and δ13C in the hair of both species. To establish environmental niche competition, we compared the similarity in their habitat, estimated by environmental niche models based on the fine-scale presence records of each species obtained from field surveys. To test if spatial segregation occurred, we analyzed both species’ co-occurrence. Our results indicated that both species shared a similar trophic niche measured by stable isotopes, both species showed a similar distribution of suitable areas, and that both species’ environmental niches were more similar than expected. Finally, a negative spatial association was found between the aoudad and Iberian ibex. These results reveal that both species are ecologically similar and suggest that fine-scale spatial segregation might have favoured their co-existence in semiarid Mediterranean mountains. Our results show that integrating information on trophic and environmental niche overlap with fine scale spatial distribution might improve the study of competitive interactions among wild ungulates.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acevedo P, Cassinello J (2009) Biology, ecology and status of Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica: a critical review and research prospectus. Mamm Rev 39:17–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Acevedo P, Cassinello J, Hortal J, Gortázar C (2007) Invasive exotic aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) as a major threat to native Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica): a habitat suitability model approach. Divers Distrib 13:587–597

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anadón JD, Pérez-García JM, Pérez I, Royo J, Sánchez-Zapata JA (2018) Disentangling the effects of habitat, connectivity and interspecific competition in the range expansion of exotic and native ungulates. Landsc Ecol 33:597–608

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Apollonio M, Andersen R, Putman R (2010) European ungulates and their management in the 21st century. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge

  • Ballejo F, Lambertucci SA, Trejo A, de Santis LJM (2018) Trophic niche overlap among scavengers in Patagonia supports the condor-vulture competition hypothesis. Bird Conserv Int 28:390–402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbosa P, Castellanos I (2005) Ecology of predator–prey interactions. Oxford Univ. Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbosa J, Pascual-Rico R, Eguía S, Sánchez-Zapata JA (2019) Ungulates attenuate the response of mediterranean mountain vegetation to climate oscillations. Ecosystems

  • Barrio IC, Hik DS (2013) Good neighbours? Determinants of aggregation and segregation among alpine herbivores. Ecoscience 20:276–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Begon M, Townsend CR, Harper JL (2006) Ecology: from individuals to ecosystems. Blackwell, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackburn TM, Cassey P, Duncan RP, Evans KL, Gaston KJ (2004) Avian extinction and mammalian introductions on oceanic islands. Science 305:1955–1958

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bonesi L, Chanin P, Macdonald DW (2004) Competition between Eurasian otter Lutra lutra and American mink Mustela vison probed by niche shift. Oikos 106:19–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw CJA, Isagi Y, Kaneko S, Bowman DMJA, Brook BW (2006) Conservation value of non-native bateng in Northern Australia. Conserv Biol 20:1306–1311

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brito JC, Durant SM, Pettorelli N, Newby J, Canney S, Algadafi W, Rabeil T, Crochet P-A, Pleguezuelos JM, Wacher T, de Smet K, Vasconcelos DG, Ferreira da Silva MJ, Martínez-Freiría F, Abáigar T, Campos JC, Comizzoli P, Fahd S, Fellous A, Halilou H, Garba M, Hamidou D, Harouna A, Hatcha MH, Nagy A, Silva TL, Sow AS, Vale CG, Boratyński Z, Rebelo H, Carvalho SB (2018) Armed conflicts and wildlife decline: Challenges and recommendations for effective conservation policy in the Sahara-Sahel. Conserv Lett 11:e12446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broennimann O, Fitzpatrick MC, Pearman PB, Petitpierre B, Pellissier L, Yoccoz NG, Thuiller W, Fortin MJ, Randin C, Zimmermann NE, Graham CH, Guisan A (2012) Measuring ecological niche overlap from occurrence and spatial environmental data. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 21:481–497

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carboneras C, Genovesi P, Vilà M, Blackburn TM, Carrete M, Clavero M, Dhondt B, Orueta JF, Gallardo B, Geraldes P, González-Moreno P, Gregory RD, Nentwig W, Paquet J-Y, Pyšek P, Rabitsch W, Ramírez I, Scalera R, Tella JL, Walton P, Wynde R (2018) A prioritised list of invasive alien species to assist the effective implementation of EU legislation. J Appl Ecol 55:539–547

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cassinello J (1998) Ammotragus lervia: a review on systematics, biology, ecology and distribution. Ann Zool Fenn 35:149–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Cassinello J (2018) Misconception and mismanagement of invasive species: The paradoxical case of an alien ungulate in Spain. Conserv Lett 11:e12440

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cassinello J, Cuzin F, Jdeidi T, Masseti M, Nader I, de Smet K (2008) Ammotragus lervia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T1151A3288917

  • Chesson P (2000) Mechanisms of maintenance of species diversity. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 31:343–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clout M, Russel JC (2007) The invasion ecology of mammals: a global perspective. Wildl Res 35:180–184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Boer WF, Prins HHT (1990) Large herbivores that strive mightily but eat and drink as friends. Oecologia 82:264–274

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Doherty TS, Dickman CR, Johnson CN, Legge SM, Ritchie EG (2017) Impacts and management of feral cats Felis catus in Australia. Mamm Rev 47:83–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolman PM, Wäber K (2008) Ecosystem and competition impacts of introduced deer. Wildl Res 35:202–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy JE (2003) Biodiversity loss, trophic skew and ecosystem functioning. Ecol Lett 6:680–687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durant SM, Wacher T, Bashir S, Woodroffe R, Ornellas P, Ransom C, Newby J, Abáigar T, Abdelgadir M, El Alqamy H, Baillie J, Beddiaf M, Belbachir F, Belbachir-Bazi A, Berbash AA, Bemadjim NE, Beudels-Jamar R, Boitani L, Breitenmoser C, Cano M, Chardonnet P, Collen B, Cornforth WA, Cuzin F, Gerngross P, Haddane B, Hadjeloum M, Jacobson A, Jebali A, Lamarque F, Mallon D, Minkowski K, Monfort S, Ndoassal B, Niagate B, Purchase G, Samaïla S, Samna AK, Sillero-Zubiri C, Soultan AE, Stanley Price MR, Pettorelli N (2014) Fiddling in biodiversity hotspots while deserts burn? Collapse of the Sahara's megafauna. Diversity Distrib 20:114–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elith J (2000) Quantitative methods for modeling species habitat: comparative performance and an application to Australian plants. In: Ferson S, Burgman M (eds) Quantitative methods for conservation biology. Springer, New York, pp 39–58

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Faas CJ, Weckerly FW (2010) Habitat interference by axis deer on white-tailed deer. J Wildl Manag 74:698–706

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández-Olalla M, Martínez-Jauregui M, Perea R, Velamazán M, San Miguel A (2016) Threat or opportunity? Browsing preferences and potential impact of Ammotragus lervia on woody plants of a Mediterranean protected area. J Arid Environ 129:9–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaertner M, Den Bree A, Hui C, Richardson DM (2009) Impacts of alien plant invasions on species richness in Mediterranean-type ecosystems: a meta-analysis. Prog Phys Geogr 33:319–338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson L, Yong DL (2017) Saving two birds with one stone: solving the quandary of introduced, threatened species. Front Ecol Environ 15:35–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giller PS (1984) Community structure and the niche. Chapman and Hall, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gordon IJ (1988) Facilitation of red deer grazing by cattle and its impact on red deer performance. J Appl Ecol 25:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granados JE, Soriguer RC, Pérez JM, Fandos P, García-Santiago J (2007) Capra pyrenaica, Schinz 1838. In: Palomo LJ, Gisbert J, Blanco JC (eds) Atlas y Libro Rojo de los Mamíferos terrestres de España. Direción General para la Biodiversidad-SECEM-SECEMU, Madrid, p 588

  • Grassel SM, Rachlow JL, Williams CJ (2015) Spatial interactions between sympatric carnivores: asymetric avoidance of an intraguild predator. Ecol Evol 5:2762–2773

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Griffith DM, Veech JA, Marsh CJ (2016) Cooccur: probabilistic species co-occurrence analysis in R. J Stat Softw 69:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hakkarainen H, Korpimaki E (1996) Competitive and predatory interactions among raptors: an observational and experimental study. Ecology 77:1134–1142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardin G (1960) The competitive exclusion principle. Science 131:1292–1297

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington LA, Harrington AL, Yamaguchi N, Thom MD, Ferreras P, Windham TR, Macdonald DW (2009) The impact of native competitors on an alien invasive: temporal niche shifts to avoid interspecific aggression? Ecology 90:1207–1216

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hejda M, Pysek P, Jarosik V (2009) Impact of invasive plants on the species richness, diversity and composition of invaded communities. J Ecol 97:393–403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez PA, Franke I, Herzog SK, Pacheco V, Paniagua L, Quintana HL, Soto A, Swenson JJ, Tovar C, Valqui TH, Vargas J, Young BE (2008) Predicting species distributions in poorly-studied landscapes. Biodivers Conserv 17:1353–1366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O, Hughes L, McIntyre S, Lindenmayer DB, Parmesan C, Possingham HP, Thomas CD (2008) Assisted colonization and rapid climate change. Science 321:345–346

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson GE (1957) Concluding remarks. Cold Spring Harb Symp 22:415–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson AL, Inger R, Parnell AC, Bearhop S (2011) Comparing isotopic niche widths among and within communities: SIBER - Stable Isotope Bayesian Ellipses in R. J Anim Ecol 80:595–602

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jarman PJ, Sinclair ARE (1979) Feeding strategy and pattern of resource partitioning in ungulates. In: Sinclair ARE, Norton-Griffiths M (eds) Serengeti: dynamics of an ecosystem. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 130–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly JF (2000) Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in the study of avian and mammalian trophic ecology. Can J Zool 78:1–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuussaari M, Heikkinen RK, Heliölä J, Luoto M, Mayer M, Rytteri S, von Bagh P (2015) Successful translocation of the threatened Clouded Apollo butterfly (Parnassius mnemosyne) and metapopulation establishment in southern Finland. Biol Conserv 190:51–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lang JM, Benbow ME (2013) Species interactions and competition. Nat Educ Knowl 4:8

    Google Scholar 

  • Latham J (1999) Interspecific interactions of ungulates in European forests: an overview. For Ecol Manag 120:13–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Layman CA, Araujo MS, Boucek R, Hammerschlag-Peyer CM, Harrison E, Jud ZR, Matich P, Rosenblatt AE, Vaudo JJ, Yeager LA, Post DM, Bearhop S (2012) Applying stable isotopes to examine food-web structure: an overview of analytical tools. Biol Rev 87:545–562

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann D, Mfune JKE, Gewers E, Cloete J, Brain C, Woigt CC (2011) Dietary plasticity of generalist and specialist ungulates in the Namibian desert: a stable isotopes approach. PLoS ONE 8:e72190

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Linnell JDC, Strand O (2000) Interferences interactions, co-existence and conservation of mammalian carnivores. Divers Distrib 6:169–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loss SR, Terwilliger LA, Peterson AC (2011) Assited colonization: integrating conservation strategies in the face of climate change. Biol Conserv 144:92–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKinnon JR, Ong P, Gonzales JC (2015) Rusa marianna. The UICN Red List of Threatened Species, version 2015:2

    Google Scholar 

  • Martínez T (1989) Recursos tróficos de la cabra montés (Capra pyrenaica, Schinz, 1938) en la sierra de Gredos, durante otoño e invierno. Ecología 3:179–186

    Google Scholar 

  • Martínez T (2002) Summer feeding strategy of Spanish ibex Capra pyrenaica and domestic sheep Ovis aries in south-eastern Spain. Acta Theriol 47:479–490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milne A (1961) Definition of competition among animals. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Mooney HA, Cleland EE (2001) The evolutionary impact of invasive species. PNAS 98:5446–5451

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno-Gutiérrez C, Dawson TE, Nicolás E, Querejeta JI (2012) Isotopes reveal contrasting water use strategies among coexisting plant species in a Mediterranean ecosystem. New Phytol 196:489–496

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mori E, Mazza G, Saggiomo L, Sommese A, Esattore B (2017) Strangers coming from the Sahara: an update of the worldwide distribution, potential impacts and conservation opportunities of alien aoudad. Ann Zool Fenn 54:373–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Navarro J, Cardador L, Brown R, Phillips RA (2015) Spatial distribution and ecological niches of non-breeding planktivorous petrels. Sci Rep 5:12164

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Odadi WO, Karachi MK, Abdulrazak SA, Young TP (2011) African wild ungulates compete with or facilitate cattle depending on season. Science 333:1753–1755

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pacyna AN, Koziorowska K, Chmiel S, Mazerski J, Polkowska Z (2018) Svalbard reindeer as an indicator of ecosystem changes in the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem. Chemosphere 203:209–218

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Espona S, Hall RJ, Pérez-Barbería FJ, Glass BC, Ward JF, Pemberton JM (2013) The impact of past introductions on an iconic and economically important species, the red deer of Scotland. J Hered 140:14–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson BJ, Fry B (1987) Stable isotopes in ecosystem studies. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 18:293–320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips SJ, Anderson RP, Schapire RE (2006) Maximum entropy modeling of species geographic distributions. Ecol Modell 190:231–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips SJ, Dudik M (2008) Modeling of species distributions with Maxent: new extensions and a comprehensive evaluation. Ecography 31:161–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Prins HHT (2000) Competition between wildlife and livestock in Africa. In: Prins HHT, Grootenhuis JG, Dolan TT (eds) Wildlife conservation by sustainable use. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, pp 51–80

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • QGIS Development Team. 2017. QGIS Geographic Information System. Open Source Geospatial Foundation Project. https://qgis.osgeo.org

  • Raizada P, Raghubanshi AS, Singh JS (2008) Impact of invasive alien plant species on soil processes: a review. Proc Nat Acad Sci India Sect B 78:288–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Reus ML, de los Ríos C, Peco Giannoni BSM, Campos CM (2017) Relaciones tróficas entre mamíferos herbívoros nativos y exóticos del Parque Provincial Ischigualasto (San Juan, Argentina). Ecología Austral 27:392–403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ricciardi A, Simberloff D (2009) Assisted colonization is not a viable conservation strategy. TREE 24:248–253

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • San Miguel A, Fernández-Olalla M, Perea R, Martínez-Jauregui M, Rodríguez-Vidal C (2010) El arruí (Ammotragus lervia Pallas 1777) en Sierra Espuña (Murcia) ¿Amenaza u oportunidad? - Consejería de Presidencia. Dirección General de Medio Ambiente, Murcia

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoener TW (1968) The Anolis lizards of Bimini: resource partitioning in a complex fauna. Ecology 49:704–726

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schoener TW (1983) Field experiments on interspecific competition. Am Nat 122:240–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seddon PJ (2010) From reintroduction to assisted colonization: moving along the conservation translocation spectrum. Restor Ecol 18:796–802

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spear D, Chown SL (2009) Non-indigenous ungulates as a threat to biodiversity. J Zool 279:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart KM, Bowyer RT, Kie JG, Cimon NJ, Johnson BK (2002) Temporospatial distributions of elk, mule deer, and cattle: resource partitioning and competitive displacement. J Mamm 83:229–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tilman D (1987) The Importance of the Mechanisms of Interspecific Competition. Am Nat 129:769–774

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toft CA (1985) Resource partitioning in amphibians and reptiles. Copeia 1985:1–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valverde JA (2004) Sáhara, Guinea, Marruecos. Expediciones africanas. Memorias de un biólogo heterodoxo. Ed. Quercus V&V

  • Valverde JA (2005) Reyes, osos, lobos, espátulas y otros bichos. Memorias de un biólogo heterodoxo. Ed. Quercus V&V

  • Vázquez DP, Simberloff D (2003) Changes in interaction biodiversity induced by an introduced ungulate. Ecol Lett 6:1077–1083

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veech JA (2013) A probabilistic model for analysing species co-occurrence. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 22:252–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Velamazán M, San Miguel A, Escribano R, Perea R (2017) Threatened woody flora as an ecological indicator of large herbivore introductions. Biodivers Conserv 26:917–930

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren DL, Glor RE, Turelli M (2008) Environmental niche equivalency versus conservatism: quantitative approaches to niche evolution. Evolution 62:2868–2883

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warren DL, Glor RE, Turelli M (2010) ENMTools: a toolbox for comparative studies of environmental niche models. Ecography 33:607–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcove DS, Rothstein D, Dubow J, Phillips A, Losos E (1998) Quantifying threats to imperiled species in the United States. Bioscience 48:607–615

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson DE, Mittermeier RA (2011) Handbook of the mammals of the world. Hoofed Mammals, Lynx Editions, Barcelona

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright SJ (2002) Plant diversity in tropical forests: a review of mechanisms of species coexistence. Oecologia 130:1–14

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank veterinaries M.J. Gens and F. Escribano and the Regional Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment of the Region of Murcia. Many thanks to P. Abellán for his help with the environmental niche analysis. RPR was supported by a pre-doctoral grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU13/05460). JN was funded by the Spanish National Program Ramón y Cajal (RYC-2015-17809). The study was partially supported by MICINM and ERDF (project "TRASCAR” RTI2018-099609-B-C21).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Aplicada, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Elche, Spain

    Roberto Pascual-Rico, José Antonio Sánchez-Zapata & Francisco Botella

  2. Institut de Ciències del Mar CSIC, Passeig de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain

    Joan Navarro

  3. MENDIJOB S.L., C/ Rambla 22, El Palmar, 30120, Murcia, Spain

    Sergio Eguía

  4. Department of Biology, City University of New York Queens College, New York, NY, 11367, USA

    José Daniel Anadón

  5. The Graduate Center, Biology Program, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    José Daniel Anadón

  6. Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y el Medio Natural, Universidad de Zaragoza, Huesca, Spain

    José Daniel Anadón

Authors
  1. Roberto Pascual-Rico
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. José Antonio Sánchez-Zapata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Joan Navarro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sergio Eguía
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. José Daniel Anadón
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Francisco Botella
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roberto Pascual-Rico.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 22 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pascual-Rico, R., Sánchez-Zapata, J.A., Navarro, J. et al. Ecological niche overlap between co-occurring native and exotic ungulates: insights for a conservation conflict. Biol Invasions 22, 2497–2508 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02265-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02265-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation