Activity Rhythms of Leopard Cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), and Their Potential Prey, and Their Competitors in Southern Anhui: Insights from Infrared Camera Trapping Data

Temporal niche differentiation in animal activity rhythms is a key mechanism for adapting to environmental changes and facilitating species coexistence. Leopard cats ( Prionailurus bengalensis ), a widely distributed small felid species in Asia, exhibit significant behavioral adaptations to their environment. Understanding their activity patterns and interactions with prey and competitors is essential for conservation efforts. We employed infrared camera monitoring technology to systematically analyze the daily activity rhythms and interspecific interactions of leopard cats, their potential prey, and their competitors. From May 2023 to April 2024, 40 infrared cameras were deployed across the Lingnan Provincial Nature Reserve, Qianjiangyuan National Forest Park, and surrounding areas in southern Anhui. Among these, 37 cameras yielded valid data, totaling 11,772 valid sampling days. The results showed the following: (1) Leopard cats displayed a typical bimodal activity pattern, with peak activity at 4:00 and 22:00–23:00 and a secondary peak around 18:00. They demonstrated significant temporal overlap with their primary prey, including rodents (Δ = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.73–0.87, P <  0.01), and competitors, including the masked palm civet ( Paguma larvata ) (Δ = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.47–0.79, P =  0.13) and Chinese ferret-badger ( Melogale moschata ) (Δ = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.72–0.87, P =  0.02). However, the temporal overlap between leopard cats and diurnal birds was notably low (Δ = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.13–0.25, P <  0.01). (2) Seasonal variations significantly influenced interspecific temporal niche differentiation. After excluding strictly diurnal birds, the diurnal activity overlap coefficients between leopard cats and rats, masked palm civets, and Chinese ferret-badgers exhibited a gradient increase from spring to winter. Significantly higher overlap was observed in summer and winter than that in spring and autumn. This trend may be associated with increased activity frequency under extreme climatic conditions driven by intensified resource competition. Overall, this study demonstrates that leopard cats balance predation efficiency and interspecific competition through temporal niche plasticity, with their activity rhythms shaped by multiple environmental factors. These findings provide valuable insights for research, conservation, and adaptive management of medium-to-small carnivores in southern Anhui.