Direct and indirect effects of roads on space use by jaguars in Brazil.

ABSTRACT: Roads pose an imminent threat to wildlife directly through mortality and changes in individual behavior, and also indirectly through modification of the amount and configuration of wildlife habitat. However, few studies have addressed how these mechanisms interact to determine species response to roads. We used structural equation modeling to assess direct and indirect effects (via landscape modification) of roads on space use by jaguars in Brazil, using radio-tracking data available from the literature. We fit path models that directly link jaguars' space use to roads and to land cover, and indirectly link jaguars' space use to roads through the same land cover categories. Our findings show that space use by jaguars was not directly affected by roads, but indirect effects occurred through

SUBMITTER: Cerqueira RC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8604938 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature