Drivers of the spatial scale that best predict primate responses to landscape structure
Por:
Galan-Acedo, Carmen, Arroyo-Rodriguez, Victor, Estrada, Alejandro, Ramos-Fernandez, Gabriel
Publicada:
1 dic 2018
Categoría:
Ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics
Resumen:
Understanding the effect of landscape structure on biodiversity is
critically needed to improve management strategies. To accurately
evaluate such effect, landscape metrics need to be assessed at the
correct scale, i.e. considering the spatial extent at which
species-landscape relationship is strongest (scale of effect, SE).
Although SE is highly variable, its drivers are poorly known, but of key
relevance to understand the way species use the landscape. In this
study, we evaluate whether and how species traits, biological responses,
landscape variables and the regional context of the study drive SE in
Mexican primates. We estimated the relative abundance and
immature-to-female ratio (a proxy of reproductive success) of howler
monkeys Alouatta palliata and A. pigra and spider monkeys Ateles
geoffroyi in 48 forest patches from four rainforest regions (12 patches
per region) with different land-use intensity. We then assessed the
composition (forest cover, matrix functionality) and configuration
(forest patch density, connectors' density, forest edge density) of
local landscapes considering 13 scales (100 to 1300-m radius) to
identify the spatial extent at which each landscape variable best
predict each response variable in each species and region. We found that
SE did not differ significantly among the drivers evaluated. However, it
tended to be lower for connectors' density than for forest patch density
and forest edge density, probably because connectors' density is
associated with local-scale processes such as supplementary dynamics.
Surprisingly, SE also tended to be higher in the more disturbed region
than in the rest of the regions, probably because primates in the more
disturbed region used larger areas of the landscape. Our findings
therefore suggest that SE depends more strongly on landscape variables
and regional context than on species traits and biological responses,
and hence, especial caution should be taken when attempting to
generalize SE to different explanatory variables and regions.
Filiaciones:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Ecosist & Sustentabilidad, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Biol, Lab Primates, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Inst Politecn Nacl, CIIDIR Unidad Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Centro Ciencias Complejidad, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
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