Estimating distribution and connectivity of recolonizing American marten in the northeastern United States using expert elicitation techniques

Aylward, Cody M.; Murdoch, James D.; Donovan, Therese M.; Kilpatrick, C. William; Bernier, Christopher; Katz, Jonathan E.

doi:10.1111/acv.12417

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Corridors were relatively nonspecific with the exception of movement barriers where developed land cover occurred. Contrary to previous corridor estimates based on occupancy (Aylward et al 2018), the central and northern Green Mountains of Vermont were not considered an important corridor between populations in VT-S, NH, and NY. Martens are considered extraordinarily successful Fig.…”

Section: Regional Scalecontrasting

confidence: 81%

“…Occupancy probability was not a strong predictor of genetic connectivity at any scale compared with multivariate models parameterized by genetic distance. Habitat suitability or occupancy models are often used as a proxy for landscape permeability (O'Brien et al 2006;Stevenson-Holt et al 2014;Spear et al 2015;Aylward et al 2018). Our results caution that occupancy does not necessarily predict genetic connectivity in a landscape genetics framework, perhaps due to animals exhibiting greater flexibility in habitat use while transient than when selecting home ranges (Mateo-Sanchez et al 2015).…”

Section: Scale Dependence Of Landscape-genetic Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Based on previous research of marten habitat use, we considered seven landscape variables: (1) forest land cover, (2) spruce-fir land cover, (3) developed land cover, (4) elevation, (5) winter (Nov-Mar) temperature, (6) road density, and 7slope (Bowman and Robitaille 1997;Kelly et al 2009;Godbout and Ouellet 2010). We also tested the performance of estimated occupancy probability as a predictor using a model derived from expert-opinion data in the northeastern US (Aylward et al 2018). Incongruence of spatial data across state or country boundaries limited our ability to include other desirable variables, such as tree canopy cover.…”

Section: Landscape Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gene flow is affected by the extent of landscape connectivity, which is often estimated based on measures of habitat quality like occupancy probability (O'Brien et al 2006;Stevenson-Holt et al 2014;Spear et al 2015;Aylward et al 2018). However, it is often unclear whether measures of landscape connectivity accurately represent functional connectivity (Tischendorf and Fahrig 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Multiscale landscape genetics of American marten at their southern range periphery

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

American marten (Martes americana) are a conservation priority in many forested regions of North America. Populations are fragmented at the southern edge of their distribution due to suboptimal habitat conditions. Facilitating gene flow may improve population resilience through genetic and demographic rescue. We used a multiscale approach to estimate the relationship between genetic connectivity and landscape characteristics among individuals at three scales in the northeastern United States: regional, subregional, and local. We integrated multiple modeling techniques and identified top models based on consensus. Top models were used to parameterize resistance surfaces at each scale, and circuit theory was used to identify potential movement corridors. Regional gene flow was affected by forest cover, elevation, developed land cover, and slope. At subregional and local scales, the effects were site specific and included subsets of temperature, elevation, developed land cover, and slope. Developed land cover significantly affected gene flow at each scale. At finer scales, lack of variance in forest cover may have limited the ability to detect a relationship with gene flow. The effect of slope on gene flow was positive or negative, depending on the site examined. Occupancy probability was a relatively poor predictor, and we caution its use as a proxy for landscape resistance. Our results underscore the importance of replication and multiscale approaches in landscape genetics. Climate warming and landscape conversion may reduce the genetic connectivity of marten populations in the northeastern United States, and represent the primary challenges to marten conservation at the southern periphery of their range.

show abstract

Section: Regional Scalecontrasting

confidence: 81%

Section: Scale Dependence Of Landscape-genetic Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Landscape Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Multiscale landscape genetics of American marten at their southern range periphery

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Here, we used an alternative method that developed models from probability of occurrence data obtained through expert elicitation techniques, as outlined by James et al (2010). Expert opinion based models have been used to estimate occupancy and map distribution for a variety of species and contexts (e.g., Pearce et al, 2001;Yamada et al, 2003;Mouton et al, 2009;Murray et al, 2009;Aylward et al, 2018). Developing SDMs from expert opinion data (occurrence estimates) can help overcome some of the limitations of presenceonly modeling approaches, and yield models that capture the influence of climate and land use on regional wildlife dynamics (e.g., Pearce et al, 2001;Murray et al, 2008).…”

Section: Objective 1 -Map Species Future Distributions Distribution Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers and Consequences of Alternative Landscape Futures on Wildlife Distributions in New England, United States

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Habitat, Climate, and Fisher and Marten Distributions

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Since the mid-twentieth century, fisher populations (Pekania pennanti) increased in several eastern jurisdictions of North America, particularly in the northern part of the species' range. Changes in fisher distribution have led to increased overlap with the southern portion of the range of American marten (Martes americana), whose populations may be locally declining. This overlap occurs particularly in habitats undergoing natural and anthropogenic modification. The objective of our study was to determine the respective effects of habitat changes and climatic conditions on fisher and marten populations in Quebec, Canada, based on trapper knowledge. We analyzed annual fisher and marten harvest (number of pelts sold/100 km 2) between the 1984-1985 and 2014-2015 trapping seasons using linear mixed models. Fisher harvest increased with the increased abundance of mixed forests >12 m tall, resulting from decades of forest harvesting. Fisher harvest decreased with increasing spring rains, which can affect survival when rearing young. Marten harvest decreased with increasing winter rains, which lower thermoregulation capacity and hamper movements by creating an ice crust on the snowpack, reducing access to subnivean areas. Decline in marten harvest during the 30-year study period coincided with an increase in fisher harvest, suggesting possible interspecific competition. Results highlight that managers should strive to maintain mixedwood stands taller than 12 m to maintain high quality habitat for fishers. Our study confirms the importance of working with trappers to assess furbearing population trends in response to habitat changes and climatic conditions.

show abstract

Estimating distribution and connectivity of recolonizing American marten in the northeastern United States using expert elicitation techniques

Abstract: This is the author manuscript accepted for publication and has undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as

Cited by 9 publications

References 45 publications

Multiscale landscape genetics of American marten at their southern range periphery

Multiscale landscape genetics of American marten at their southern range periphery

Drivers and Consequences of Alternative Landscape Futures on Wildlife Distributions in New England, United States

Habitat, Climate, and Fisher and Marten Distributions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About