Temporal activity and co-occurrence patterns of sympatric wild ungulates in Baotianman, China

Species’ habitat utilization reflects their habitat preferences and activity patterns. Understanding the coexistence mechanism of wild ungulates is critical for deciphering intra- and inter- species survival strategies. The interactions between species including predation, competition, symbiosis, and reproduction, are dynamic processes influenced by seasonal shifts, diel cycles, and weather variations. The Baotianman National Nature Reserve in northern China hosts diverse wild ungulate populations, yet their daily activity rhythms remain inadequately investigated. Leveraging camera-trap data, we investigated the seasonal daily activity patterns of five sympatric wild ungulates (i.e. forest musk deer Moschus berezovskii, Siberian roe deer Capreolus pygargus, Reeve’s muntjac Muntiacus reevesi, wild boar Sus scrofa, Chinese goral Naemorhedus griseus), to assess temporal niche differentiation as a key coexistence mechanism. Comparative analyses revealed significant seasonal differentiation in daily rhythms among these species. By Watson’s U2 test, the daily activity patterns differed significantly across forest musk deer, Reeve’s muntjac, wild boar, and Chinese goral (p<0.05). In contrast, the activity rhythms showed no significant differentiation between forest musk deer and Siberian roe deer (p>0.05). Notably, we found that forest musk deer, Siberian roe deer, and Reeve’s muntjac were crepuscular, whereas wild boar and Chinese goral were diurnal. The highest degree of overlap coefficients was observed between the forest musk deer and the Siberian roe deer (Δ = 0.90), with no significant difference in their diel activity rhythms (U2=0.12 p>0.01). This study offers novel new insights for developing conservation strategies for wild ungulates, and is crucial for maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity.