Human disturbance and prey occupancy as predictors of carnivore richness and biomass in a Himalayan hotspot

Abstract

Carnivores are of high ecological importance and often serve as flagship species for conservation. Yet, the direct and indirect effects of trophic interactions and human disturbance on carnivore communities and the occurrence of their prey in temperate forests remain poorly understood. Here we evaluate the direct and indirect effects of net primary productivity, prey (Muntjac spp) occupancy and human disturbance in shaping carnivore richness and biomass based on camera‐trap data and path analysis. Path analysis indicated that muntjac occupancy and proximity of human settlements were the main factors structuring carnivore communities. Carnivore biomass was directly affected by muntjac occupancy, while carnivore richness increased with distance from the nearest residential site. Muntjac occupancy per se directly depended on net primary productivity. We also identified several indirect effects on carnivore biomass. Increasing distance to the nearest residential site had a positive indirect effect on carnivore biomass that was mediated by increasing carnivore richness. Net primary productivity was positively associated with carnivore biomass indirectly via increasing muntjac occupancy. There were no significant correlations between the occurrence probability of livestock and muntjac. Our results point to the importance of incorporating prey occurrence and human disturbance in modelling biodiversity patterns of carnivore communities. Carnivore conservation management practices should include efforts to stop hunting and to restrict human presence in the core zones of protected areas.

Camera Trapping to Assess Status and Composition of Mammal Communities in a Biodiversity Hotspot in Myanmar

“…In the HWS, instead, we documented the presence of tigers, and we also know that leopards are commonly present [ 26 , 59 ]. This result suggests a possible effect of human disturbance on large carnivores in the RYER, as already documented in many other areas of the world [ 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ]. Certainly, this fact highlights the importance of focusing conservation efforts on this threatened group because human–large carnivore conflict is one of the main reason of the decline of this group worldwide [ 64 ], especially for tigers [ 65 ].…”

Functional diversity loss and change in nocturnal behavior of mammals under anthropogenic disturbance

“…We found no significant effects of HM on the proportion of herbivores, which implies relatively high tolerance of herbivores to HM. Some large herbivores, such as muntjacs, are generalists in terms of diet and habitat, which is consistent with their adaptability to intermediate habitat modification (Li et al, 2021). There is also evidence that some herbivores may select habitat close to human settlements as protection against predators or because of preference for more productive disturbed habitats (Berger, 2007).…”

“…We also scored cooccurring human presence (records of people, livestock, and dogs) in each camera during the sampling period. All images of the same species (including humans) on the same camera were considered independent records if separated by at least 1 h (Li et al., 2021 ). Several camera stations had no data due to camera malfunctions or were lost.…”

Human disturbance increases spatiotemporal associations among mountain forest terrestrial mammal species

“…The study was carried out inside the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve (29°05′–30°02′ N, 94°39′–96°6′ E) in Nyingchi City in the southeast Tibet Autonomous Region of China ( Supplementary file Figure S1 ). This area is situated within the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot, a globally important region for biodiversity conservation ( Li et al, 2021 ). The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is the deepest in the world, with an elevation drop of more than 7000 m, and has the reputation of “Gene Bank of Mountain Biological Resources” and “Natural Vegetation Museum” ( Duan et al, 2022 ).…”

“…The complete landscape in the region harbors endangered species such as Bengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris ( Li et al, 2023 ). Human activities such as decentralized residential settlements and free-ranging livestock grazing is prevalent in the region, even within the protected area ( Li et al, 2021 ).…”