Who's the boss? Understanding the spatial relationship between snow leopard and Eurasian lynx in southern Mongolia

Interspecific competition, a fundamental ecological process characterized by negative interactions between species, plays a vital role in shaping ecological communities. Despite the co-occurrence of the snow leopard Panthera uncia and the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx across vast landscapes in Asia, their interactions remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how the presence of snow leopards affected site-use by lynx and whether the presence of snow leopards resulted in behavioral adaptations by the lynx. Between 2017 and 2022, we conducted camera trap-based surveys across six sites in southern Mongolia and evaluated species co-occurrence by snow leopards and lynx using the occupancy framework. We assumed snow leopards to be the dominant species while using topographical and land cover variables as covariates. Our results show that the presence of snow leopards influenced site-use by lynx, leading to a shift in space use when snow leopards were present. Specifically, lynx used the entire range of ruggedness and did not select for shrubby areas in the absence of snow leopards, whereas they avoided rugged areas and had a strong preference for shrubby areas when snow leopards were present. Our findings emphasize the influence a larger predator can have on the space use of a smaller predator, and how the presence of snow leopards can alter the space-use of lynx. Understanding these interactions and behavioral adaptations can be useful for developing effective conservation strategies in the region.