Increasing homogeneity of Mediterranean landscapes limits the co-occurrence of mesocarnivores in space and time

Abstract

Abstract Context The Mediterranean basin is characterized by a heterogeneous landscape historically shaped by human activities. Land abandonment and extensive monocultures, however, have led to increasing homogeneity of Mediterranean habitats. Albeit the effects of habitat heterogeneity on wildlife have been widely studied, the available information on how habitat homogenization impacts the organization of mesocarnivore communities is still scant. Objectives We investigated the relationship of environmental characteristics with occupancy, activity, community organization, and co-occurrence of mesocarnivore species in space and time. We focused on five key species (Vulpes vulpes, Genetta genetta, Meles meles, Herpestes ichneumon, and Martes foina) widely distributed throughout Mediterranean ecosystems. Methods The study was conducted in north-central Portugal between June 2019 and June 2020. We used 300 camera trap sampling points coupled with occupancy, activity, and co-occurrence analysis to assess how different environmental characteristics influence mesocarnivores community. Results We found that the occupancy of mesocarnivores is influenced by topography, landscape composition and structure, and human activity. We observed that landscape homogeneity limits the co-occurrence of mesocarnivores. In heterogeneous landscapes we recorded a greater overlap in activity (seven of ten species pairs) and spatial co-occurrence (six of the seven species pairs analyzed) of mesocarnivores species. Conclusions We demonstrated the importance of landscape characteristics in the composition of the mesocarnivores community. Our findings support the adoption of management measures able to mitigate the impacts of landscape homogenization. Maximizing the heterogeneity is an important step to benefit the mesocarnivore community in altered Iberian landscapes.