CARNIVORE RESEARCH
My primary focus is on movement ecology, with a particular interest in research emphasizing conflict, coexistence, and conservation within a landscape context.
Anthropogenic Effects on Carnivore Habitat Selection Vary by Sex and Time
This research shows how anthropogenic features affect jaguar habitat selection, considering sex and circadian period, using data from 117 jaguars across various ecoregions, and analyzing 14 environmental variables. Results show that jaguars select areas with high tree cover, shrubs, and water, and avoid areas with high livestock and human density, with sex differences: females avoid croplands while males prefer them at night. Both sexes use roads, despite their risks. Conservation efforts should focus on minimizing human-jaguar contact by better managing anthropogenic structures and incorporating native vegetation and water access. This study provides crucial insights for decision-making in jaguar conservation in human-dominated landscapes in the Neotropics.
Jaguar at the Edge: Movement patterns in human-altered landscapes
This research determines how jaguars move in landscapes modified by human activity, analyzing their movement patterns in forests, agricultural areas, and proximities to roads and drainages. Using data from 54 GPS-tagged jaguars in South America, it was observed that these felines frequently visit the edges of natural and anthropogenic structures. They prefer large forest patches, where they reduce their speed and stay longer, avoiding large agricultural areas and moving faster near roads. The results highlight the dangers and tolerance of jaguars in landscapes with human elements, providing crucial information for future conservation strategies. This work reveals how landscape structure influences jaguars’ habitat preferences and mobility rates, emphasizing the need to conserve large forest patches and properly manage habitats to minimize conflicts and ensure the long-term survival of this iconic species.
Predator-Prey Movement Interactions
The study analyzes the movement interactions between jaguars (Panthera onca) and white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) in the Pantanal, considering environmental variables such as distance to grasslands and prey density. It was observed that interactions were more frequent at greater distances from grasslands and in areas with lower peccary densities. Over 44 days of monitoring, 118 dynamic interactions were recorded, involving both attraction and avoidance behaviors. The closest encounters occurred at the edges of grasslands, particularly during twilight and nighttime periods. These findings underscore the importance of landscape structure in predator-prey dynamics, providing valuable information for conservation strategies aimed at preserving the ecological balance of the Pantanal.
Brazilian cats
Final report and result coming soon…
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