Activity patterns of mammals in commercial plantations of South-central Chile

Commercial plantations have been recognized worldwide as “green deserts” due to their low biological diversity. This fact is explained by the low availability of resources, which would result in a change in the interactions between species. While changes in occupancy among species in plantations have been documented, little is known about their species’ temporal ecology, as competitors, predators or prey. We studied the activity patterns of the mammals of Pinus radiata plantations. We used photo-trapping to explore their temporal patterns and the overlap among species. Five native and three exotic mammal species were detected, as well as humans. The broader temporal niche breadth was shown by pudu deer (a dwarf deer but still the largest native prey) and the domestic dog. While the temporal overlap was high among similar-sized species, they differed in their use of space. Among prey, birds were the most abundant, and their activity patterns were essentially diurnal. Ecological aspects of the species are discussed, both in relation to the temporal flexibility of the species and the structural complexity of the study area.