Refined assessment of the geographic distribution of Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) (Mammalia: Felidae) in the Neotropics

Abstract

Understanding the fine‐scale geographic distribution of a species has applications in biogeography, ecology, evolution and conservation. Species distribution models (SDM) have been widely used to predict geographic and climatic ranges of species. Geoffroy's cat Leopardus geoffroyi is a small felid of least concern that occupies a wide variety of habitat types in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. We evaluated the fine‐scale distribution of Geoffroy's cat at the sub‐continental level, estimated its current extent and area of occurrence and discussed the current and potential ranges developed with SDM. On the basis of species occurrences (n = 1502) and large‐scale environmental data, two model types (‘environmental’ and ‘land cover’) were developed using MaxEnt. The estimated extent of occurrence of Geoffroy's cat was 3 180 664 km2, but the potential area of occurrence predicted by our environmental model was 70% larger due to areas with high suitability (i.e. >0.5) compared to the species’ current range. The most important bioclimatic factors affecting Geoffroy's cat presence were temperature seasonality, mean temperature of the coldest quarter and annual precipitation. Two recent records obtained outside the known distribution of the species fell within the high‐suitability area (i.e. >0.5) predicted by our model. Our SDM suggest that this habitat‐generalist felid is probably expanding its distribution range by taking advantage of changes in human land use.

Phylogeographical spatial diffusion analysis reveals the journey of Geoffroy’s cat through the Quaternary glaciations of South America

“…Samples collected for the study. In grey, the distribution range of Leopardus geoffroyi according to Cuyckens et al (2016). Black squares, Peripheral Clade; white circles, Central Clade.…”

“…In addition to the 72 samples used in this work, we included 266 presence records reported by Cuyckens et al (2016). We tested for correlation between environmental variables using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) implemented in ENM Tools (Warren et al, 2010;Warren & Seifert, 2011).…”

“…Our results show the origin of L. geoffroyi in central Argentina, the current Espinal biome (thorny deciduous shrubland forests), during the Pleistocene around 758 000 years ago. The species shows very high ecological plasticity, living in a broad array of natural habitat types, including scrublands, dry forests, savannas, grasslands, marshlands and steppes of the subtropical and temperate Neotropics (Cuyckens et al, 2016). This ecological plasticity constitutes an obvious advantage during climate change.…”

“…This species lives in a broad array of natural habitats, including scrublands, dry forests, savannas, grasslands, marshlands and steppes of the subtropical and temperate Neotropics, from 0 to 3800 m a.s.l. (Cuyckens et al, 2016). Geoffroy's cat exhibits behavioural plasticity, exploiting humandominated habitats, and it is currently categorized as of Least Concern by the IUCN (Pereira et al, 2015).…”

Long‐term ecological data for conservation: Range change in the black‐billed capercaillie (Tetrao urogalloides) in northeast China (1970s–2070s)

“…Meanwhile, ecological niche modeling (ENM) is useful for constructing species distributions to support conservation efforts (Guisan et al, 2013;Luo, Jiang, & Tang, 2015;Veloz et al, 2015). Discrepancies between different species distribution models (SDMs) can be large, making the choice of the appropriate model difficult (Cuyckens et al, 2016;Elith & Leathwick, 2009;Elith et al, 2011;Renner & Warton, 2013;Veloz, 2009). In this context, ensemble forecasting approaches may be an appropriate choice (Thuiller, Lafourcade, Engler, & Araújo, 2009).…”