Data from: Habitat segregation between brown bears and gray wolves in a human-dominated landscape

Identifying how sympatric species belonging to the same guild coexist is a
major question of community ecology and conservation. Habitat segregation
between two species might help reduce the effects of interspecific
competition and apex predators are of special interest in this context,
because their interactions can have consequences for lower trophic levels.
However, habitat segregation between sympatric large carnivores has seldom
been studied. Based on monitoring of 53 brown bears (Ursus arctos) and 7
sympatric adult gray wolves (Canis lupus) equipped with GPS collars in
Sweden, we analyzed the degree of interspecific segregation in habitat
selection within their home ranges in both late winter and spring, when
their diets overlap the most. We used the K-select method, a multivariate
approach that relies on the concept of ecological niche, and randomization
methods to quantify habitat segregation between bears and wolves. Habitat
segregation between bears and wolves was greater than expected by chance.
Wolves tended to select for moose occurrence, young forests, and rugged
terrain more than bears, which likely reflects the different requirements
of an omnivore (bear) and an obligate carnivore (wolf). However, both
species generally avoided human-related habitats during daytime.
Disentangling the mechanisms that can drive interspecific interactions at
different spatial scales is essential for understanding how sympatric
large carnivores occur and coexist in human-dominated landscapes, and how
coexistence may affect lower trophic levels. The individual variation in
habitat selection detected in our study may be a relevant mechanism to
overcome intraguild competition and facilitate coexistence.