Spatial and temporal niche overlap of aardwolves and aardvarks in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Aardwolves and aardvarks, two ecologically similar nocturnal insectivores, exhibit high spatial and temporal niche overlap in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Research using multispecies occupancy models with 105 remote camera detections (2016–2018) revealed a positive interaction between their occupancy probabilities, suggesting commensalism where aardwolves benefit from increased food accessibility due to aardvark presence. While slope, grassland proportion, and termite mound density did not influence occupancy, aardwolf occupancy increased with distance from permanent water sources, possibly to avoid predation risk. Both species showed high diel activity overlap during wet and dry seasons, remaining largely nocturnal. These findings enhance understanding of their ecological roles as termite consumers and potential ecosystem engineers.

van den Bosch, M., Kellner, K. F., Mkasanga, I., Mwampeta, S. B., Fyumagwa, R., Gantchoff, M. G., Patterson, B. R., & Belant, J. L. (2023). Spatial and temporal niche overlap of aardwolves and aardvarks in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Ecology and Evolution, 13(11). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10718