Burgos, TamaraSalesa, JavierFedriani, Jose MaríaEscribano Ávila, GemaJiménez, JoséKrofel, MihaCancio, InmaculadaHernández-Hernández, JavierRodríguez-Siles, JavierVirgós, Emilio2025-05-282025-05-282023-03-11Burgos, T., Salesa, J., Fedriani, J. M., Escribano-Ávila, G., Jiménez, J., Krofel, M., Cancio, I., Hernández-Hernández, J., Rodríguez-Siles, J., & Virgós, E. (2023). Top-down and bottom-up effects modulate species co-existence in a context of top predator restoration. Scientific Reports, 13(4170). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31105-w2045-232210.1038/s41598-023-31105-whttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/120545This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities with the grant CGL2017-84633-P and the fellowship FPU17/04375 that have guaranteed the development of this study. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species supplied the updated Iberian lynx distribution range free of charge. MK was supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (grants P4-0059 and N1-0163). We thank the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park and Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales for the corresponding authorizations and the Foundation Amigos del Lince Ibérico y del Águila Imperial for supporting this study on public and private lands.Mesopredators abundance is often limited by top-order predators and also by key food resources. However, the contribution of these bidirectional forces to structure carnivore community is still unclear. Here, we studied how the presence and absence of an apex predator which is currently recovering its former distribution range, the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), determined the absolute abundance and fine-scale spatiotemporal avoidance mechanisms of two sympatric mesocarnivores (stone marten Martes foina and common genet Genetta genetta) with different dietary plasticity. We hypothesized that the lynx causes a mesopredator suppression and subordinate predators develop segregation strategies in respect to their trophic niche breadth. We placed 120 camera-traps in Southern Spain for 8 months in two consecutive years to estimate mesocarnivore abundances by using SCR Bayesian models, prey availability and assess spatio-temporal patterns. We found that the lynx reduced mesocarnivore abundance up to 10 times. Stone marten, a mesopredator with a broad food resources spectrum, showed a total spatial exclusion with the apex predator. Meanwhile, fine-scale avoidance mechanisms allowed the genet to persist in low density inside lynx territories, probably taking advantage of high availability of its preferred prey. Thus, the strength of these top-down and bottom-up effects was rather species-specific. Given the recent recovery of large carnivore populations worldwide, variation in suppression levels on different mesopredator species could modify ecosystem functions provided by the carnivore community in contrasting ways.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/journal articlehttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31105-wopen access591.5599Ecología (Biología)ZoologíaMamíferosComportamiento animalMedio ambiente natural2401 Biología Animal (Zoología)2401.06 Ecología Animal2401.18 Mamíferos2401.23 Vertebrados2408 Etología2505.01 Biogeografía3105.10 Dinámica de las Poblaciones