Activity and overlap pattern of medium to large-sized mammals on Cachoeirinha Municipal Ecological Station in Southern Brazil

Abstract

The activity pattern provides information on how and when animals perform basic activities, making it possible to identify the timing and interactions performed with the environment and other animals. Our aim was to evaluate the activity pattern of medium and large-sized mammals in the Cachoeirinha Municipal Ecological Station (MESC) in Paraná state, southern Brazil. We also compared the activity patterns with domestic dog activities to verify if there is an overlapping of their activity. The data was collected between July 2017 and March 2019. The sampling effort was 2,135.04 camera-trap days, and we evaluated the activity patterns of 14 native mammal species and the domestic dog. Our results indicated that over 21% of the species showed cathemeral activities, more than 35% showed a preference for activities during the day, and over 40% showed nocturnal habits. However, four species exhibited a higher degree of overlap with dogs, making them more vulnerable to negative interactions. Assessing the activity patterns of exotic species in protected areas is necessary to understand interactions between native and invasive mammals. This information is crucial for implementing short-term mitigation actions aimed at controlling invasive species populations. Thus, our data can contribute to actions aimed at mitigating the impact of invasive species on biodiversity in MESC.