Estimating species distribution from camera trap by-catch data, using jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) as an example

Aim Planning conservation action requires accurate estimates of abundance and distribution of the target species. For many mammals, particularly those inhabiting tropical forests, there are insufficient data to assess their conservation status. We present a framework for predicting species distribut...

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Published in:	Diversity & distributions Vol. 30; no. 10; pp. 1 - 18
Main Authors:	Harmsen, Bart J., Williams, Sara, Abarca, Maria, Calderón, Francisco Samuel Álvarez, Araya-Gamboa, Daniela, Avila, Hefer Daniel, Barrantes-Núñez, Mariano, la Cruz, Yaribeth Bravata-de, Broadfield, Joleen, Cabral-Araújo, Valquíria, Calderón, Ana Patricia, Castañeda, Franklin, Corrales-Gutiérrez, Daniel, do Couto-Peret Dias, Bárbara, Marinho, Paulo Henrique Dantas, Devlin, Allison L., Escobar-Anleu, Barbara I., Espinoza-Muñoz, Deiver, Esser, Helen J., Foster, Rebecca J., Fragoso, Carlos Eduardo, Friedeberg, Diana, Herrera, Luis Alberto, Hidalgo-Mihart, Mircea G., Hoogesteijn, Rafael, Jansen, Patrick A., Jędrzejewski, Włodzimierz, la Cruz, Alejandro Jesus-de, de Jesus Rodrigues, Domingos, Jordan, Chris A., Juárez-Lopez, Rugieri, Kadosoe, Vanessa, Kelly, Marcella J., King, Travis W., Lugarini, Camile, Venticinque, Eduardo Martins, da Matta Nigro, Giulia, McPhail, Darby K. T., Meyer, Ninon, Morales-Rivas, Andrea, Nepomuceno, Vance, Nipko, Rob B., Noronha, Janaina, de Oliveira-Vasquez, Mariana, Ouboter, Paul, Paemelaere, Evi A. D., Payán, Esteban, dos Santos, Thais Pereira, Salom-Pérez, Roberto, Sanchez, Emma E., Santos-Simioni, Stephanie, Schmidt, Krzysztof, Stasiukyans, Diana, Tortato, Fernando R., Urbina-Ruiz, Ever, Urquhart, Gerald R., Wong, Wai-Ming, Robinson, Hugh
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Oxford Wiley 01-10-2024 John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Subjects:	By‐catch data Camera trap Cameras Conservation status Endangered & extinct species Felids Foothills Forest management Geographical distribution Habitat improvement Habitats Herpailurus yagouaroundi Human influences Light intensity Lowlands Luminous intensity Mammals Nature conservation Neotropics Occupancy Occupancy modelling RESEARCH ARTICLE Species Species distribution Temperature requirements Tropical forests Variables Wildlife conservation South America Colombia Belize Costa Rica Venezuela Nicaragua El Salvador Panama Brazil Guyana Guatemala Mexico Honduras Suriname Mesoamerica
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Summary:	Aim Planning conservation action requires accurate estimates of abundance and distribution of the target species. For many mammals, particularly those inhabiting tropical forests, there are insufficient data to assess their conservation status. We present a framework for predicting species distribution using jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), a poorly known felid for which basic information on abundance and distribution is lacking. Location Mesoamerica and South America. Time Period From 2003 to 2021. Taxa Herpailurus yagouaroundi. Methods We combined camera‐trap data from multiple sites and used an occupancy modelling framework accounting for imperfect detection to identify habitat associations and predict the range‐wide distribution of jaguarundis. Results Our model predicted that the probability of jaguarundi occupancy is positively associated with rugged terrain, herbaceous cover, and human night‐time light intensity. Jaguarundi occupancy was predicted to be higher where precipitation was less seasonal, and at intermediate levels of diurnal temperature range. Our camera data also revealed additional detections of jaguarundis beyond the current International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) range distribution, including the Andean foothills of Colombia and Bolivia. Main Conclusion Occupancy was predicted to be low throughout much of Amazonian lowlands, a vast area at the centre of jaguarundi known range. Further work is required to investigate whether this area represents sub‐optimal conditions for the species. Overall, we estimate a crude global jaguarundi population of 35,000 to 230,000 individuals, covering 4,453,406 km2 of Meso‐ and South America at the 0.5 probability level of occupancy. Our current framework allows for an initially detailed, well‐informed species distribution that should be challenged and refined with improved habitat layers and additional records of jaguarundi detection. We encourage similar studies of lesser‐known mammals, pooling existing by‐catch data from the growing bank of camera‐trap surveys around the world.
Bibliography:	Bart J. Harmsen and Sara Williams contributed equally to the study. [Correction added on 06th September 2024, after first online publication: Paulo Henrique Dantas Marinho, Camile Lugarini, Eduardo Martins Venticinque, Thais Pereira dos Santos were added in the author list and author affiliations have been updated in this version].
ISSN:	1366-9516 1472-4642
DOI:	10.1111/ddi.13831