DOI: 10.5061/dryad.cr43m
title: Data from: Leopard distribution and abundance is unaffected by interference competition with lions

description: Competition can have profound impacts on the structure and function of
 ecological communities. Despite this, the population-level effects of
 intraguild competition on large carnivores remain largely unknown, due to
 a paucity of long-term studies that focus simultaneously on competing
 species. Here, we comprehensively examine competitive interactions,
 including their demographic consequences, between 2 top predators, lions
 Panthera leo and leopards P. pardus. We tested the hypothesis that lions,
 as the dominant competitor, limit the distribution and abundance of
 leopards, using dietary, spatial, and life-history data collected
 concurrently on the 2 species. Dietary overlap between lions and leopards
 was limited, with lions targeting large- to very large-sized prey and
 leopards small- to medium-sized prey. Leopards did not actively avoid
 lions, either predictively or reactively, except in riparian woodland
 where the likelihood of encountering lions was highest. Lions accounted
 for more than 20% of leopard mortality, but this appeared to be
 compensatory. Observed and modeled population growth was similar between
 the 2 species, with both exhibiting net emigration. Our findings suggest
 that lions do not suppress leopard populations or limit their
 distribution, at least in our study area. Adequate availability of
 suitably-sized prey apparently enabled resource partitioning between lions
 and leopards, facilitating their coexistence. The potential for
 competition increases in areas devoid of large prey and should be
 considered in recovery efforts for the 2 species. Our study provides novel
 empirical evidence that intraguild competition does not always have
 population-level consequences for subordinates, even if they suffer from
 strong inference competition with dominant competitors.
description: Diet.lion.leoData used to estimate dietary breadth and overlap for lions and leopards in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, from 2013 to 2015.GLMM.lion.riskData used in generalised linear mixed models assessing the probability of leopard occurrence (presence/absence) in relation to habitat type and the long-term risk of encountering lions in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, in 2015.GLMM.lion.distData used in generalised linear mixed models assessing the probability of leopard occurrence (presence/absence) in relation to habitat type and distance to the nearest lion in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, in 2015.CoD.lion.leoKnown causes of mortality for juvenile (&lt;2 years) and independent (≥2 years) lions and leopards in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1975 to 2015. ‘Interspecific - other’ includes animals killed by species other than lions or leopards, usually by other predators (e.g., spotted hyaenas, Nile crocodiles) or prey (e.g., buffalos, chacma baboons). ‘Malnutrition/disease’ includes lions and leopards that were malnourished and disappeared soon after (normally old individuals (i.e., ≥16 years) or juveniles that were orphaned), as well as individuals that were known to die from disease (e.g., sarcoptic mange). ‘Other’ includes natural causes of mortality such as drowning and fire. ‘Anthropogenic’ includes lions and leopards killed by people, typically when they ranged beyond the reserve into surrounding communities.LionCIF.LeoAnnSurvData used to assess the relationship between lion-inflicted leopard mortality and annual leopard survival in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, from 2005 to 2015.Matrix.leo.survData used to estimate sex-and age-specific survival rates for leopards in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, from 2010 to 2015. These estimates were used to calculate the deterministic growth rate of the population using a stage-based dual-sex Leslie matrix model.Matrix.lion.survData used to estimate sex-and age-specific survival rates for lions in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, from 2010 to 2015. These estimates were used to calculate the deterministic growth rate of the population using a stage-based dual-sex Leslie matrix model.GLS.lion.leoData used to assess the relationship between lion and leopard population size in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, from 2010 to 2015 based on generalized least-square models.