The dominant mesopredator and savanna formations shape the distribution of the rare northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) in the Amazon

Abstract

Understanding the distribution patterns of threatened species is central to conservation. The Amazonian distribution of the northern tiger cat (N-tiger cat, Leopardus tigrinus) and its interspecific relationship with the ocelot, its potential intraguild killer, are intriguing. Here, we combined presence/absence records with species distribution models (SDMs) to determine N-tiger cat occurrence in the Amazon. We also modeled ocelot density from 46 published estimates. The N-tiger cat’s presence in the Amazon was negatively influenced by ocelot density and net primary productivity and positively influenced by savannas and precipitation in the driest month. The best-fitting model predicted highly patchy N-tiger cat occurrence over an area of 236,238.67 km2, almost exclusively in savanna enclaves. Additionally, 312,348 camera trap-days at 49 sites in the Amazon revealed no N-tiger cats. The ocelot densities were significantly higher in areas with denser vegetation cover and warmer habitats, with predicted densities ≥ 0.6 ind/km2 throughout most of the biome. The lowest ocelot densities (≤ 0.06 ind/km2) were observed along the predicted range of N-tiger cats. Our findings highlight that the N-tiger cat’s presence in the Amazon is restricted to savannas and highly influenced by ocelot density, emphasizing the importance of including species interactions in SDMs.

Ecological modeling, biogeography, and phenotypic analyses setting the tiger cats’ hyperdimensional niches reveal a new species

“…As previously shown by de Oliveira et al 42 , and confirmed again here, savanna tiger-cats are absent from the rainforest formations of Amazonia (except for the Tocantins forest ecoregion), and are restricted mostly to its savanna enclaves. The difference in the range in Amazonia between our model and that of de Oliveira et al 42 relates to the different approaches used (MAXENT vs. GLM models).…”

“…As previously shown by de Oliveira et al 42 , and confirmed again here, savanna tiger-cats are absent from the rainforest formations of Amazonia (except for the Tocantins forest ecoregion), and are restricted mostly to its savanna enclaves. The difference in the range in Amazonia between our model and that of de Oliveira et al 42 relates to the different approaches used (MAXENT vs. GLM models). Additionally, in our land cover variable we excluded open savanna formations, resulting in large areas of the Rupununi and Sipaliwini savannas unsuitable for savanna tiger-cats, whereas in de Oliveira et al 9 , both areas in their entirety were classified as suitable.…”

“…The distribution assessment of the entire tiger-cat complex revealed a completely different arrangement than any of the distribution maps presented previously 4 , 5 , 10 , 12 , 13 . Recently, an analysis had already indicated L. tigrinus as absent from the rainforests of most of the Amazon biome, with the exception of the savanna’s enclaves, the Guiana Shield, and eastern Amazonia, east of the Tocantins river 9 . An analysis conducted for Colombia under the L. tigrinus name restricted the distribution of tiger-cats in the country to the three Andean cordilleras 38 .…”

“…These include its presence in the Amazon Basin and in the Pantanal. The taxonomic status of the Guiana population should determine whether the recently proposed Leopardus emiliae would exist as a species, and even if it is mostly a forest dweller associated with montane forests, among other types of forest 5 – 9 . Former and recent maps of its geographic range vary considerably and even their current limits are not properly established 4 – 6 , 10 – 14 .…”

Interspecific patterns of small cats in an intraguild-killer free area of the threatened Caatinga drylands, Brazil

“…Interspecific interactions are one of the key factors that shape species behavior and occurrence [1][2][3][4]. Species occurrence and distribution are also shaped by environmental constraints.…”