Spatiotemporal Distribution Patterns of Plateau Foxes and Their Lagomorph Prey in Baqing County, Tibet

ABSTRACT Predation by carnivores is a fundamental driver of species evolution, shaping interspecific spatiotemporal dynamics and prey behavior. To examine predator–prey‐driven spatiotemporal coexistence patterns between foxes and pikas on the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP), we conducted an infrared camera‐trapping survey in Baqing County, Tibet. From July 2023 to May 2024, we monitored two mesocarnivores (Tibetan fox and red fox) and their principal prey (plateau pika and Glover's pika) across cold and warm seasons. Both pika species exhibited higher relative abundance during the warm season than during the cold season. Kernel density estimation indicated that the Tibetan fox was predominantly diurnal, whereas the red fox was primarily nocturnal, resulting in low diel activity overlap between the two species (Δ < 0.5). The Tibetan fox showed high temporal overlap with both pika species during the warm season, whereas the red fox consistently exhibited lower overlap with its prey. Spatial niche overlap among the four species remained low (< 0.2) across both seasons. Conditional occupancy models further revealed that Tibetan fox occurrence was positively associated with plateau pika presence, whereas red fox occurrence declined in areas where both pika species were present. These patterns likely reflected interspecific differences in foraging strategies and reliance on anthropogenic food subsidies, which reduced interference competition and facilitated coexistence through differential prey use and spatiotemporal niche partitioning. Collectively, our findings advanced understanding of the mechanisms underlying sympatric coexistence on the QTP and provided important implications for biodiversity conservation and grassland ecosystem management.