From Protected Habitat to Agricultural Land: Dogs and Small Mammals Link Habitats in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Wildlife communities are positively affected by ecological restoration and reforestation. Understanding the dynamics of mammal communities along a gradient of a human-dominated habitat to a protected habitats, right up to a reforestation habitat, is crucial for assessing the effects of reforestation on conservation biology and disease ecology. We used data obtained from a set of camera traps and live traps implemented in the “Spillover Interface” project. A network analysis showed that the reforested area was central in the sharing of mammal species between human-dominated habitats, such as plantations, and the protected area. A network analysis also confirmed the centrality of the domestic dog and the rodent Rattus tanezumi (R. tanezumi) in shared habitats and the co-occurrence with other mammal species. This rodent species was previously mentioned as a bridge species between habitats favouring disease transmission. This study is a first step to identify potential reservoirs and habitat interfaces associated with the risk of zoonotic diseases and pathogen spillover.