Habitat use patterns and conservation of small carnivores in a human-dominated landscape of the semiarid Caatinga in Brazil

Fox-Rosales, Lester; Oliveira, Tadeu Gomes de

doi:10.1007/s42991-022-00245-3

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…However, within savannas, N-tiger cats are restricted to denser savanna formations, with open savannas deemed unsuitable 24 . In the semiarid Caatinga, the N-tiger cat also prefers denser formations 27 , 28 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The dominant mesopredator and savanna formations shape the distribution of the rare northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) in the Amazon

Oliveira

Fox-Rosales

Paemelaere

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Understanding the distribution patterns of threatened species is central to conservation. The Amazonian distribution of the northern tiger cat (N-tiger cat, Leopardus tigrinus) and its interspecific relationship with the ocelot, its potential intraguild killer, are intriguing. Here, we combined presence/absence records with species distribution models (SDMs) to determine N-tiger cat occurrence in the Amazon. We also modeled ocelot density from 46 published estimates. The N-tiger cat’s presence in the Amazon was negatively influenced by ocelot density and net primary productivity and positively influenced by savannas and precipitation in the driest month. The best-fitting model predicted highly patchy N-tiger cat occurrence over an area of 236,238.67 km2, almost exclusively in savanna enclaves. Additionally, 312,348 camera trap-days at 49 sites in the Amazon revealed no N-tiger cats. The ocelot densities were significantly higher in areas with denser vegetation cover and warmer habitats, with predicted densities ≥ 0.6 ind/km2 throughout most of the biome. The lowest ocelot densities (≤ 0.06 ind/km2) were observed along the predicted range of N-tiger cats. Our findings highlight that the N-tiger cat’s presence in the Amazon is restricted to savannas and highly influenced by ocelot density, emphasizing the importance of including species interactions in SDMs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The dominant mesopredator and savanna formations shape the distribution of the rare northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) in the Amazon

Oliveira

Fox-Rosales

Paemelaere

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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“…vegetation ranging from shrublands to true tropical dry forests. It was expected that northern tiger cats would favor areas of higher canopy cover as it has been the case at other Caatinga sites [32,33]. On the other hand, jaguarundis are known to use a wide variety of vegetation types, so a significant response to this covariate was not expected [34,35].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The area contains several mammalian species that are typical of the Caatinga biome [39], but it has lost its main apex predator, the puma (Puma concolor) as well as the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). After monitoring the area with camera traps between 2010-2014 and then again between 2018-2022 (combined total sampling effort 24,831 trap-nights), not a single record of either species has been obtained [32], suggesting they are likely extirpated. Therefore, our study site offers us a unique opportunity to analyse segregation mechanisms among small felids in the absence of larger competitors.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, long-term data would be needed in order to see whether the animals persist in these private lands. At the Tamandua ´Ranch, occurrence probability of tiger cats and jaguarundis did not change between 2010-2014 [32]; nevertheless, the density of both species declined between 2011 and 2019, which would represent a considerable population drop over a period of three generations [85].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…What is the degree of temporal overlap between both wild felids with respect to domestic dogs and cats? The following hypotheses were tested: 1) Tiger cats will prefer denser areas [32,33], while jaguarundis will use both open and dense formations [34][35][36]; 2) Temporal-mediated segregation between both wild felids [28,37]; 3) High temporal overlap between wild felids and domestic carnivores [38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interspecific patterns of small cats in an intraguild-killer free area of the threatened Caatinga drylands, Brazil

Fox-Rosales

Oliveira

2023

PLoS ONE

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The semi-arid Caatinga is the largest dry forest ecoregion in the Americas; nevertheless, it is experiencing alarming rates of habitat loss. Most vegetation fragments in the biome are either unprotected or within private lands; however, these private areas are susceptible to anthropogenic activity, and often have the presence of non-native wildlife such as domestic dogs and cats. Two small felid species, the northern tiger cat and the jaguarundi co-occur throughout the Caatinga and have overlapping niches, which require segregation mechanisms to avoid interference competition. Assessing these species strategies for coexistence is crucial, as it can guide conservation actions. With this aim, a private ranch in the Brazilian Caatinga drylands was surveyed and multi-species occupancy models were used to assess co-occurrence patterns between northern tiger cats and jaguarundis. The degree of temporal overlap between both felids and domestic dogs and cats were also assessed. Evidence was found of positive co-occurrence between tiger cats and jaguarundis, suggesting a lack of spatial segregation at our study site; and low temporal overlap was found between both felids, with tiger cats being nocturnal and jaguarundis diurnal. High temporal overlap was found though between domestic dogs and both wild felid species. Our results suggest that small felids can coexist in private areas of the Caatinga with sufficient habitat. However, there is a need to highlight the potential threat of disease transmission by non-native carnivores as something that should be addressed in these private landscapes.

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Small Wild Felids of South America: A Review of Studies, Conservation Threats, and Research Needs

Gálvez,

Infante-Varela,

de Oliveira

et al. 2023

Neotropical Mammals

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Habitat use patterns and conservation of small carnivores in a human-dominated landscape of the semiarid Caatinga in Brazil

Cited by 9 publications

References 51 publications

The dominant mesopredator and savanna formations shape the distribution of the rare northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) in the Amazon

The dominant mesopredator and savanna formations shape the distribution of the rare northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) in the Amazon

Interspecific patterns of small cats in an intraguild-killer free area of the threatened Caatinga drylands, Brazil

Small Wild Felids of South America: A Review of Studies, Conservation Threats, and Research Needs

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