Human disturbance increases spatiotemporal associations among mountain forest terrestrial mammal species.

ABSTRACT: Spatial and temporal associations between sympatric species underpin biotic interactions, structure ecological assemblages, and sustain ecosystem functioning and stability. However, the resilience of interspecific spatiotemporal associations to human activity remains poorly understood, particularly in mountain forests where anthropogenic impacts are often pervasive. Here, we applied context-dependent Joint Species Distribution Models to a systematic camera-trap survey dataset from a global biodiversity hotspot in eastern Himalayas to understand how prominent human activities in mountain forests influence species associations within terrestrial mammal communities. We obtained 10,388 independent detections of 17 focal species (12 carnivores and five ungulates) from 322 stations over 43,163 c

SUBMITTER: Li X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11216745 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature