Data from: Space partitioning in wild, non-territorial mountain gorillas: the impact of food and neighbours

In territorial species, the distribution of neighbours and food abundance play a crucial role in space use patterns but less is known about how and when neighbours use shared areas in non-territorial species. We investigated space partitioning in 10 groups of wild, non-territorial mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). Using location data, we examined factors influencing daily movement decisions and calculated the per cent overlap of annual kernel home ranges and core areas among neighbours. We found that the probability that a group chose an area was positively influenced by both food availability and the previous use of that area by the group. Additionally, groups reduced their overall utilization of areas previously used by neighbouring groups. Lastly, groups used their core areas more exclusively than their home ranges. In sum, our results show that both foraging needs and avoidance of competition with neighbours determined the gorillas' daily movement decisions, which presumably lead to largely mutually exclusive core areas. Our research suggests that non-territorial species actively avoid neighbours to maintain core area exclusivity. Together, these findings contribute to our understanding of the costs and benefits of non-territoriality.在领地性物种中，邻群分布与食物丰度对其空间利用模式起着至关重要的作用，但目前学界对非领地性物种的邻群如何、何时利用共享区域的认知仍较为有限。本研究以10个野生非领地性山地大猩猩（Gorilla beringei beringei）种群为研究对象，探究其空间分区机制。本研究借助定位数据，分析了影响种群日常移动决策的相关因素，并计算了邻群间年度核密度估计家域范围（kernel home range）与核心区域的重叠百分比。研究结果显示，种群选择某一区域的概率同时受到食物可获得性与种群此前对该区域利用情况的正向影响。此外，种群会降低对邻群此前利用过的区域的整体利用程度。最后，种群对核心区域的利用排他性要强于其家域范围。综上，本研究结果表明，山地大猩猩的日常移动决策同时受觅食需求与规避邻群竞争的双重驱动，这一机制大概率使得核心区域呈现出显著的相互排他性。本研究还表明，非领地性物种会主动规避邻群，以维持核心区域的排他性。整体而言，上述研究结果有助于学界深化对非领地性的利弊权衡的认知。