School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 28;9(1):3081. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39293-0.
Most large carnivore populations currently occur in heterogeneous landscapes, with source populations embedded in a matrix of human-dominated habitats. Understanding changes in distribution of endangered carnivores is critical for prioritizing and implementing conservation strategies. We examined distribution and dynamics of a dhole Cuon alpinus metapopulation, first in 2007 and subsequently in 2015, based on indirect sign surveys across 37, 000sq. km of India's Western Ghats. Predicted dhole occupancy declined from 0.62 (95% CI: 0.58-0.66) in 2007 to 0.54 (95% CI: 0.50-0.58) in 2015. Occupancy was associated with abundance of primary prey species and anthropogenic disturbance. Local extinction appeared to be influenced by forest cover loss, and offset by protected reserves; colonization was influenced by occupancy in neighbouring sites. Perturbation analysis indicated that occupancy was more sensitive to local extinction within reserves and to colonization in sites abutting reserves. The Western Ghats could serve as a stronghold for the endangered dhole, provided future colonizations are facilitated through habitat consolidation beyond reserve boundaries, and local extinctions are prevented by increasing protection efforts within select reserves. We advocate for wildlife managers to adopt a landscape-based approach and periodic monitoring to ensure persistence of the dhole metapopulation in Western Ghats, and in other critical conservation regions across the species' geographic range.
目前，大多数大型食肉动物种群生活在异质景观中，其源种群嵌入在以人类为主导的栖息地基质中。了解濒危食肉动物分布的变化对于优先考虑和实施保护策略至关重要。我们通过在印度西高止山脉的 37,000 平方公里范围内进行间接标志调查，首次在 2007 年，随后在 2015 年，研究了豺 Cuon alpinus 复合种群的分布和动态。预测的豺的占有度从 2007 年的 0.62（95%置信区间：0.58-0.66）下降到 2015 年的 0.54（95%置信区间：0.50-0.58）。占有度与主要猎物物种的丰度和人为干扰有关。局部灭绝似乎受到森林覆盖损失的影响，并被保护区所抵消；而定居则受到相邻地点的占有度的影响。扰动分析表明，在保护区内的局部灭绝和毗邻保护区的定居点的殖民化对占有度的影响更为敏感。西高止山脉可以成为濒危豺的据点，前提是通过保护区边界以外的栖息地整合促进未来的殖民化，并通过在选定的保护区内增加保护力度来防止局部灭绝。我们主张野生动物管理者采用基于景观的方法和定期监测，以确保西高止山脉和该物种地理范围内其他关键保护地区的豺复合种群的持续存在。
