Similar, coexisting species often segregate along the spatial ecological axis. Here, we
examine if two top predators (jaguars and pumas) present different fine-scale habitat use in
areas of coexistence, and discuss if the observed pattern can be explained by the risk of
interference competition between them. Interference competition theory predicts that
pumas should avoid habitats or areas used by jaguars (the dominant species), and as a
consequence should present more variability of niche parameters across study areas. We
used non-invasive genetic sampling of faeces in 12 different areas and sensor satellite finescale
habitat indices to answer these questions. Meta-analysis confirmed differences in
fine-scale habitat use between jaguars and pumas. Furthermore, average marginality of the
realized niches of pumas was more variable than those of jaguars, and tolerance (a measure
of niche breadth) was on average 2.2 times higher in pumas than in jaguars, as
expected under the interference competition risk hypothesis. The use of sensor satellite
fine-scale habitat indices allowed the detection of subtle differences in the environmental
characteristics of the habitats used by these two similar top predators, which, as a rule, until
now were recorded using the same general habitat types. The detection of fine spatial segregation
between these two top predators was scale-dependent.Peer reviewe
