Human activity reduces niche partitioning among three widespread mesocarnivores

Anthropogenic disturbances can constrain the realized niche space of wildlife by inducing avoidance behaviors and altering community dynamics. Human activity might contribute to reduced partitioning of niche space by carnivores that consume similar resources, both by promoting tolerant species while also altering behavior of species (e.g. activity patterns). We investigated the influence of anthropogenic disturbance on habitat and dietary niche breadth and overlap among competing carnivores, and explored if altered resource partitioning could be explained by human-induced activity shifts. To describe the diets of coyotes, bobcat, and gray foxes, we designed a citizen science program to collect carnivore scat samples in low- (“wildland”) and high- (“interface”) human-use open space preserves, and obtained diet estimates using a DNA metabarcoding approach. Habitat use was determined at scat locations. We found that coyotes expanded habitat and dietary niche breadth in interface preserves,...