Wild boar activity is associated with temporal but not spatial coexistence of sympatric pheasants in a subtropical forest

Understanding how abundant omnivorous mammals, such as wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), influence species coexistence is essential for biodiversity conservation. However, most studies have focused on single-species responses rather than on how multiple sympatric species respond to these mammals' activity. Using a reserve-wide camera-trap network with 97,962 camera-trap days in southern Wuyi Mountains, China, we tested how wild boar activity affected the spatiotemporal coexistence of three sympatric ground-dwelling pheasant species: silver pheasant ( Lophura nycthemera ), Chinese bamboo partridge ( Bambusicola thoracicus ), and white-necklaced hill partridge ( Arborophila gingica ). We used kernel density estimation, occupancy models and Pianka’s index to quantify seasonal daily activity overlap, habitat use, and spatial overlap among the three pheasant species, respectively. We found that all three pheasant species were predominantly diurnal regardless of wild boar occurrence, and temporal overlap among them was generally higher in grids with detected wild boar activity than in those without detected wild boar activity. Although occupancy models indicated clear interspecific differences in habitat use, habitat use was not significantly associated with wild boar relative abundance for any of the three species. In contrast, wild boar presence significantly increased detection probability for silver pheasant and Chinese bamboo partridge, but not for white-necklaced hill partridge. Spatial overlap among the three pheasants remained consistently high in grids with and without detected wild boar activity. These results suggest that detected wild boar activity was more closely associated with temporal niche relationships and behavioural responses among sympatric pheasants than with grid-scale spatial exclusion. Our study highlights the importance of incorporating interspecific interactions into assessments of wild boar ecological effects and suggests that management should consider not only direct effects on focal species, but also indirect effects on community coexistence.