The effect of anthropogenic features on the habitat selection of a large carnivore is conditional on sex and circadian period, suggesting a landscape of coexistence

Author(s)

Alegre, Vanesa Bejarano ; Rio-Maior, Helena ; Oshima, Julia Emi de Faria ; Niebuhr, Bernardo Brandao ; Morato, Ronaldo G. ; Ribeiro, Milton Cezar

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION; v. 73, p. 9-pg., 2023-05-12.

Abstract

Improving coexistence between humans and large predators is one of the foremost issues for the survival of large carnivores, especially in the Neotropics, where conflicts for retaliation are still frequent. This problem was increased due to the expansion of agricultural areas, settlements, roads, and the loss of natural habitats. Therefore, a key component in the long-term conservation of carnivores is to reduce animal-human conflicts. We aimed to assess multi-scale habitat selection models, exploring specificities in the selection for each sex and variation for the circadian period. We found that jaguars live in real landscapes of fear with high human and livestock density, where the perception of risk related to humans governed the selection of their resources. However, depending on the sex of individuals and the circadian period, jaguars positively selected some anthropic structures, such as areas of crops and human settlements. This selection suggested an aptitude to use various human-dominated structures and indicated jaguars could locally perceive risks in different ways, depending of sex and day period. Unexpectedly, jaguars presented attraction to roads, sexual or circadian related, regardless of the natural environments. Our results demonstrate that male and female jaguars could use some anthropic features differently in the distinct circadian periods. In addition, we conclude that the knowledge of the habitat selection for jaguars is a crucial component to the structure of the landscape of coexistence of this species and can give us efficient guidance to better comprehend the behavior through different scales of selection and through different periods of the day. Finally, our results show fundamental observations on the movement plasticity of this species for the construction of conservation plans focusing on the coexistence in different landscapes of the Neotropics dominated by humans. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 22/10760-1 - Biodiversity in the Anthropocene: a synthesis on the effect of agriculture expansion within Cerrado and Atlantic Forest
• Grantee: Milton Cezar Ribeiro
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - Brazil
• FAPESP's process: 14/23132-2 - Movement ecology and spatial distribution of a large herbivore in heterogeneous tropical landscapes
• Grantee: Julia Emi de Faria Oshima
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 18/13037-3 - Movement ecology of the neotropical apex predator through different habitats and their interplay with preys
• Grantee: Vanesa Fabiola Bejarano Alegre
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 20/01779-5 - Biodiversity in the Anthropocene: agroecosystem effects on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem function maintenance
• Grantee: Milton Cezar Ribeiro
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 21/08534-0 - Biodiversity and associated ecosystem services: LTER Corridor of Cantareira Mantiqueira
• Grantee: Milton Cezar Ribeiro
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/50421-2 - New sampling methods and statistical tools for biodiversity research: integrating animal movement ecology with population and community ecology
• Grantee: Milton Cezar Ribeiro
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 21/10195-0 - Contribution of payment for ecosystem services on multi-dimensions within Atlantic Forest
• Grantee: Milton Cezar Ribeiro
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 21/02132-8 - Assessing turbine collision hazard for the Lear's macaw and four vulture species in the Caatinga
• Grantee: Julia Emi de Faria Oshima
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral