Journal article
Using population monitoring programs to detect changes in mammalian communities
Biological conservation, Vol.276, p.109778
12/2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109778
Abstract
The global biodiversity crisis is escalating rapidly, with nearly a million species facing extinction risk in the near future. Monitoring of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBV; key variables measured to detect changes in biodiversity) over time is important for biodiversity conservation, which in turn necessitates baseline estimates of EBVs. Using camera-trap data for six years (2013–2018) and a Bayesian multispecies occupancy model, we estimated species richness and species-specific occupancy of a mammalian community in Pakke Tiger Reserve, India. We detected 28 species of mammals in our camera traps. The model-based estimate of species richness during the study period was 41 (95 % CRI: 39–42) species, with no evidence of any substantial temporal variation. We found that carnivore and herbivore species richness was higher in greener habitats and that omnivore species richness was higher at lower-elevation sites. Annual average species occupancy probability (at the scale of 4-km2 sampling units) did not vary substantially between years but was lowest in 2014 (0.54, 95 % CRI: 0.20–0.84) and highest in 2013 (0.59, 95 % CRI: 0.27–0.87). Mean species-specific occupancy averaged across the years varied substantially among species, ranging from a low of 0.03 (95 % CRI: 0.00–0.08) for the masked palm civet Paguma larvata to a high of 0.94 (95 % CRI: 0.87–0.98) for the Asian elephant Elephas maximus. Mean occupancy probability was highest for herbivores followed by omnivores and carnivores. Species-specific detection probability (for a 30–60-day survey period) was not influenced by survey effort but increased with body mass for carnivores and decreased with body mass for herbivores and omnivores. We propose a framework for efficient monitoring of species and community-level EBV, utilizing data collected during the monitoring of high-profile species of conservation concern, such as tigers Panthera tigris in India.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Using population monitoring programs to detect changes in mammalian communities
- Creators
- Vratika Chaudhary - University of FloridaVarun R. Goswami - Conservation Initiatives, Guwahati 781022, Assam, IndiaGavin Jones - Rocky Mountain Research StationKok Ben Toh - Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Newins-Zeigler Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States of AmericaTana Tapi - Pakke WS & Tiger Reserve, Seijosa, Pakke Kessang, Arunachal Pradesh 790103, IndiaChandan Ri - Pakke WS & Tiger Reserve, Seijosa, Pakke Kessang, Arunachal Pradesh 790103, IndiaMarc Kéry - Swiss Ornithological InstituteMadan K. Oli - University of Florida
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Biological conservation, Vol.276, p.109778
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109778
- ISSN
- 0006-3207
- eISSN
- 1873-2917
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/2022
- Academic Unit
- School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability
- Record Identifier
- 9985219859702771
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