Spatio-temporal differentiation and potential homogenization of pheasant communities by human disturbance

Human activity is widely recognized as a dual driver of ecological niche shifts and interspecific competition, yet its precise role in mediating avian coexistence remains poorly understood. We analyzed a five-year camera traps dataset (2020-2024) from the Wuyi Mountains in southeastern China, focusing on four sympatric pheasant species, to assess how anthropogenic pressure reshapes coexistence processes. We found that the Chinese Bamboo Partridge (Bambusicola thoracica) and Cabot's Tragopan (Tragopan caboti) exhibited significant avoidance only during the breeding season (p < 0.05), while the Silver Pheasant (Lophura nycthemera) and White-browed Hill Partridge (Arborophila gingica) did not show any discernible decrease in activity as a result of human involvement in either season (p > 0.05). Human interference significantly reduced the diel activity overlap coefficients for all species pairs. HI and HLA decreased the likelihood of interspecific co-occurrence during the breeding season, a time of increased resource demand, indicating increased competition as a result of resource compression. The presence of the disturbance-tolerant Silver Pheasant considerably decreased the probability of habitat use of the Cabot's Tragopan and the Chinese Bamboo Partridge, according to occupancy models. Our findings reveal human interference as a dual driver: it enhances competitive asymmetry, favoring generalists and increasing the danger of long-term biotic homogeneity, while simultaneously promoting short-term coexistence through spatiotemporal niche differentiation. This work offers a scientific foundation for managing biodiversity hotspots in subtropical mountain ecosystems by including spatiotemporal niche dynamics.