DOI: 10.5061/dryad.7f9j57n
title: Data from: Ecological correlates of the spatial co-occurrence of sympatric mammalian carnivores worldwide

description: The composition of local mammalian carnivore communities has far-reaching
 effects on terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. To better understand how
 carnivore communities are structured, we analyzed camera trap data for
 108,087 trap days across 12 countries spanning 5 continents. We estimate
 local probabilities of co-occurrence among 768 species pairs from the
 order Carnivora and evaluate how shared ecological traits correlated with
 probabilities of co-occurrence. Within individual study areas, species
 pairs co-occurred more frequently than expected at random. Co-occurrence
 probabilities were greatest for species pairs that shared ecological
 traits including similar body size, temporal activity pattern, and diet.
 However, co-occurrence decreased as compared to other species pairs when
 the pair included a large-bodied carnivore. Our results suggest that a
 combination of shared traits and top-down regulation by large carnivores
 shape local carnivore communities globally.
description: Camera Trap Detections
 of Carnivore Species for Co-occurrence ModelRaw camera trap
 detections of paired mammalian carnivore species in each of the 13 study
 areas. Detections of the paired species (Spp1Det and Spp2Det) reflect the
 number of 24-hr. time periods that species 1 (SppCode1) and species 2
 (SppCode2) were detected. Species codes (SppCode1 and SppCode2) were
 derived from the first two letters of the genus and species name (e.g.,
 EIBA = Eira barbara). Num.nights reflects the number of 24-hr. periods
 during which the camera trap was active at a particular site. This file
 can be used to estimate the species interaction factor (SIF) within the
 species co-occurrence model.SIF_InputData.csvSpecies Trait Data for Regression AnalysisSpecies trait data for each of the 768 paired carnivores in all 13 study areas. Species codes (Spp1 and Spp2) were derived from the first two letters of the genus and species name (e.g., EIBA = Eira barbara). Appendix S2 contains the full list of species examined in this study. We summarized the categorical variables of diet, temporal activity pattern, social structure, body size and taxonomic similarity in two ways. For the first coarse comparison method (e.g., DietCovSimple), we compared species with differing trait values (e.g., when species A | B are strict carnivore | omnivore) to those where pairs shared the trait value (e.g., strict carnivore | strict carnivore). In other words, species pairs were either labeled the ‘same’ or ‘different’ for all categorical variables of interest. For the fine-scale trait comparison (e.g., DietCov), species pairs were categorically valued for all combinations of a trait (e.g., strict carnivore | strict carnivore = 1, strict carnivore | omnivore = 2, strict carnivore | insectivore = 3, etc.). We also characterized the mean weight ratio (heavier:lighter species, MeanBodySize) between two species, including it as a log-transformed continuous variable (logMeanBodySize). We also include the observed number of carnivore species in each study area (NumSpecies) and the study area’s climate as determined by the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system (Climate). Finally, this file also includes the estimated Species Interaction Factor (SIF), the standard deviation of SIF (sd), and the log-transformed SIF values (logSIF).SIF_TraitData.csv