Mesopredators play an important role in shaping communities, especially when apex predators are no longer present. To persist, mesopredators must confront competition by developing different coexistence strategies. In this study, we used detection and activity data derived from remote cameras to investigate the seasonal coexistence of mesopredators and their interactions with prey in a region of Southwest China where apex predators have been extirpated. We found that Siberian weasels (Mustela sibirica) occupied the entire study area, whereas masked palm civets (Paguma larvata) were restricted to <1,900 m in fall, and expanded their ranges up by about 600 m in spring to likely prey on small mammals. We detected weasels at almost all locations where civets were present, but detection rates and activity patterns for both species suggested avoidance of larger-bodied civets by weasels. We found that weasels were active at all hours and overlapped with all prey both spatially and temporally, whereas civets were nocturnal and crepuscular, which only overlapped with murid rodents. Although we did not directly observe intraguild or predator–prey interactions, evidence suggested that masked palm civets and Siberian weasels seem to coexist due to different seasonal dietary preferences, hunting strategies, and activity patterns.

中小型食肉动物在群落结构的塑造中扮演着重要角色，尤其在顶级食肉动物已经消失的景观中。为了生存，这些物种必须发展出不同的策略，以应对无法回避的种间竞争。在本研究中，我们基于红外相机数据提取物种的探测和活动信息，以期认识中小型食肉动物，尤其是花面狸（Paguma larvata）和黄鼬（Mustela sibirica），还有它们的潜在猎物的关系。我们的研究在中国西南山地的岷山山系之中开展，这里的顶级食肉动物已经消失。结果显示，黄鼬出现在几乎整个研究区域，而花面狸秋天则只记录于海拔1,900 m以下的区域，到了春天就扩展到上至海拔2,500 m的区域，以捕食小型兽类。我们也记录到其他中小型食肉动物的影像，但是其频次相对较低，因而被排除在分析之外。我们发现，记录到花面狸的位点中，几乎都有黄鼬的身影;但是来自位点探测率和活动节律的证据表明，黄鼬会躲避体型更大的花面狸。另外，黄鼬在一天的每个时段都活动，且与各个潜在的猎物类群在时间和空间上重叠;而花面狸则严格地在晨昏和夜间活动，主要与啮齿类猎物重叠。尽管我们没有观察到食肉动物集团内部物种间或者捕食者与被捕食者之间的直接作用，但是，现有证据表明花面狸和黄鼬之所以能够在岷山山系中共处一隅，与二者在不同季节的食性偏好和日活动节律的分化有着莫大的关系。