DOI: 10.5061/dryad.7c57r
title: Data from: Revealing kleptoparasitic and predatory tendencies in an African mammal community using camera traps: a comparison of spatiotemporal approaches

description: Camera trap data are increasingly being used to characterise relationships
 between the spatiotemporal activity patterns of sympatric mammal species,
 often with a view to inferring inter-specific interactions. In this
 context, we attempted to characterise the kleptoparasitic and predatory
 tendencies of spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta and lions Panthera leo from
 photographic data collected across 54 camera trap stations and two dry
 seasons in Tanzania's Ruaha National Park. We applied four different
 methods of quantifying spatiotemporal associations, including one strictly
 temporal approach (activity pattern overlap), one strictly spatial
 approach (co-occupancy modelling), and two spatiotemporal approaches
 (co-detection modelling and temporal spacing at shared camera trap sites).
 We expected a kleptoparasitic relationship between spotted hyaenas and
 lions to result in a positive spatiotemporal association, and further
 hypothesised that the association between lions and their favourite prey
 in Ruaha, the giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis and the zebra Equus quagga,
 would be stronger than those observed with non-preferred prey species (the
 impala Aepyceros melampus and the dikdik Madoqua kirkii). Only approaches
 incorporating both the temporal and spatial components of camera trap data
 resulted in significant associative patterns. The latter were particularly
 sensitive to the temporal resolution chosen to define species detections
 (i.e. occasion length), and only revealed a significant positive
 association between lion on spotted hyaena detections, as well as a
 tendency for both species to follow each other at camera trap sites,
 during the dry season of 2013, but not that of 2014. In both seasons,
 observed spatiotemporal associations between lions and each of the four
 herbivore species considered provided no convincing or consistent
 indications of any predatory preferences. Our study suggests that, when
 making inferences on inter-specific interactions from camera trap data,
 due regards should be given to the potential behavioural and
 methodological processes underlying observed spatiotemporal patterns.
description: Ruaha dry season 2013
 camera trap records of mammal speciesCamera trap records of
 mammal species (including the study species) collected in the Msembe area
 of Ruaha National Park, Tanzania, between September and December 2013. The
 file includes the camera trap location name (Station), the species common
 name (Species), the date and time of the capture (DateTime), the sampling
 day (SampDay - useful with reference to the effort matrix), and a decimal
 capture time (CapTime).CT_captures_dry_season.csvRuaha dry season 2014 camera trap records of mammal speciesCamera trap records of mammal species (including the study species) collected in the Msembe area of Ruaha National Park, Tanzania, between September and December 2014. The file includes the camera trap location name (Station), the species common name (Species), the date and time of the capture (DateTime), the sampling day (SampDay - useful with reference to the effort matrix), and a decimal capture time (CapTime).CT_captures_dry_season_2014.csvRuaha dry season 2013 camera trap sampling effortLocation (rows) by sampling day (columns) camera trap effort matrix for the dry season of 2013 (Sep-Dec).CT_effort_dry_season_2013.csvRuaha dry season 2014 camera trap sampling effortLocation (rows) by sampling day (columns) camera trap effort matrix for the dry season of 2014.CT_effort_dry_season_2014.csvRuaha dry season 2013 camera trap location covariatesVariables recorded for each camera location and used to model species co-occurrence in Ruaha NP during the dry season of 2013. The file includes the camera trap location name (Station), the elevation (Altitude), an index of vegetation density (VegDens), an encounter rate for lion prey (LionPrey), and encounter rate for spotted hyaena prey (HyenaPrey), and the distance to the Great Ruaha River (Dist2Water).CT_location_covariates_dry_season_2013.csvRuaha dry season 2014 camera trap location covariatesVariables recorded for each camera location and used to model species co-occurrence in Ruaha NP during the dry season of 2014. The file includes the camera trap location name (Station), the elevation (Altitude), an index of vegetation density (VegDens), an encounter rate for lion prey (LionPrey), and encounter rate for spotted hyaena prey (HyenaPrey), and the distance to the Great Ruaha River (Dist2Water).CT_location_covariates_dry_season_2014.csv