Habitat availability and connectivity for jaguars ( Panthera onca) in the Southern Mayan Forest: Conservation priorities for a fragmented landscape

Torre, J. Antonio de la; Núñez, Juan Manuel; Medellín, Rodrigo A.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2016.11.034

Cited by 44 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…Sampling was primarily conducted along trails, which tend to be dominated by males [27]; because females could be more elusive, have smaller home ranges, hide their scats and avoid crossing open spaces and wide paths [4,5,[28][29][30] this method could favour the sampling of male scats and therefore bias the analysis towards the more frequently observed sex. Studies on dispersal in large felines show that males are the dispersing sex, while females tend to be more philopatric [11,13,26,31,32]; other measurements for genetic differentiation between sexes and more female scat samples are necessary to confirm sexbiased dispersal in this area.…”

Section: Population Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Limited or sex-biased dispersal between sampling localities could further contribute to genetic differentiation between the localities. Studies conducted with radio telemetry show that jaguars depend on large patches of habitat and can have home ranges that surpass 100 km 2 [4,7,15,16,38] however, females have smaller home ranges and tend to avoid roads and human-dominated landscapes at a higher degree, showing preference for intact forests [4,11,39]. Although having large home ranges and the ability to move considerable distances, jaguars tend to avoid human-dominated areas and show gender-specific differences [4,27,39].…”

Section: Population Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population Genetic Structure and Habitat Connectivity for Jaguar (Panthera onca) Conservation in Central Belize.

Menchaca

Rossi

Froidevaux

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background Connectivity among jaguar (Panthera onca) populations will ensure natural gene flow and the long-term survival of the species throughout its range. Jaguar conservation efforts have focused primarily on connecting suitable habitat in a broad-scale. Accelerated habitat reduction, human-wildlife conflict, limited funding, and the complexity of jaguar behaviour have proven challenging to maintain connectivity between populations effectively. Here, we used non-invasive genetic sampling and individual-based conservation genetic analyses to assess genetic diversity and levels of genetic connectivity between individuals in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and the Maya Forest Corridor. We used expert knowledge and scientific literature to develop models of landscape permeability based on circuit theory with fine-scale landscape features as ecosystem types, distance to human settlements and roads to predict the most probable jaguar movement across central Belize. Results We used 12 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci to identify 50 individual jaguars. We detected high levels of genetic diversity across loci (HE= 0.61, HO= 0.55, and NA=9.33). Using Bayesian clustering and multivariate models to assess gene flow and genetic structure, we identified one single group of jaguars (K = 1). We identified critical areas for jaguar movement that fall outside the boundaries of current protected areas in central Belize. We detected two main areas of high landscape permeability in a stretch of approximately 18 km between Sittee River Forest Reserve and Manatee Forest Reserve that may increase functional connectivity and facilitate jaguar dispersal from and to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Our analysis provides important insights on fine-scale genetic and landscape connectivity of jaguars in central Belize, an area of conservation concern. Conclusions The results of our study demonstrate high levels of relatively recent gene flow for jaguars between two study sites in central Belize. Our landscape analysis detected corridors of expected jaguar movement between the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and the Maya Forest Corridor. We highlight the importance of maintaining already established corridors and consolidating new areas that further promote jaguar movement across suitable habitat beyond the boundaries of currently protected areas. Continued conservation efforts within identified corridors will further maintain and increase genetic connectivity in central Belize.

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Section: Population Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Population Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population Genetic Structure and Habitat Connectivity for Jaguar (Panthera onca) Conservation in Central Belize.

Menchaca

Rossi

Froidevaux

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies on dispersal in large felines show that males are the dispersing sex, while females tend to be more philopatric (9,11,27,28); other measurements for genetic differentiation between sexes and more female scat samples are necessary to confirm sex-biased dispersal in this area.…”

Section: Population Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After a century of being persecuted and suffering habitat loss, jaguars are now restricted to the less than 30% remaining intact patches of forest in Central and South America (4)(5)(6). To further reduce the risk of extinction, adequate management of jaguar populations requires connecting them through habitat corridors that allow individuals to disperse and exchange genes (7)(8)(9). Habitat deterioration, human-wildlife conflict and the complex dynamics of jaguar populations are rapidly shaping the patterns of genetic diversity we see today (2,10,11).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population Genetic Structure and Habitat Connectivity for Jaguar (Panthera onca) Conservation in Belize

Menchaca

Rossi

Froidevaux

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background: Effective connectivity between jaguar ( Panthera onca ) populations across the American continent will ensure the natural gene flow and the long-term survival of the species throughout its range. Jaguar conservation efforts have focused primarily on connecting suitable habitat in a broad-scale. However, accelerated habitat reduction, limited funding, and the complexity of jaguar behaviour have proven challenging to maintain connectivity between populations effectively. Here we used individual-based genetic analysis in synthesis with landscape permeability models to assess levels of current genetic connectivity and identify alternative corridors for jaguar movement between two core areas in central and southern Belize. Results: We use 12 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci to identify 50 distinct individual jaguars, including 41 males, 3 females and 6 undetermined animals, from scat samples collected in The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and The Central Belize Corridor. Using Bayesian and multivariate models of genetic structure, we identified one single group across two sampling sites with low genetic differentiation between them. We used fine-scale data on biodiversity features as vegetation types to predict the most probable corridors using least-cost path analysis and circuit theory. Conclusions: The results of our study highlight the importance of expanding the boundaries of the Central Belize Corridor to effectively cover areas that would more easily facilitate jaguar movement between locations.

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Insights of the Movements of the Jaguar in the Tropical Forests of Southern Mexico

Torre

Rivero

2019

Movement Ecology of Neotropical Forest Mammals

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Habitat availability and connectivity for jaguars ( Panthera onca) in the Southern Mayan Forest: Conservation priorities for a fragmented landscape

Cited by 44 publications

References 90 publications

Population Genetic Structure and Habitat Connectivity for Jaguar (Panthera onca) Conservation in Central Belize.

Population Genetic Structure and Habitat Connectivity for Jaguar (Panthera onca) Conservation in Central Belize.

Population Genetic Structure and Habitat Connectivity for Jaguar (Panthera onca) Conservation in Belize

Insights of the Movements of the Jaguar in the Tropical Forests of Southern Mexico

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