Species Distribution Modeling to Evaluate Current and Future Habitat Suitability of Jaguars in the Southeastern United States
Jaguars plays a crucial role in maintaining balance and biodiversity in ecosystems. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will provide models to support the conservation planning of jaguars in the Southeastern United States. These models will inform management with insights into habitat suitability under current and projected climate conditions.
Project Summary
As apex predators, jaguars play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem structure, and as an umbrella species, their conservation has wide-ranging benefits for biodiversity. This research aims to enhance the scope of conservation planning for jaguars in the U.S. by providing critical insights into habitat suitability under current and future climate conditions.
To do so, this study will develop species distribution models (SDMs) and associated publications to assess habitat suitability for jaguars (Panthera onca) in the Southeastern United States. The models will include generalized linear models, boosted regression trees, random forests, and Maxent. Occurrence data will be sourced from previous studies spanning the global jaguar range to generalize the species’ habitat relationships.
Climatic and environmental covariates, such as precipitation, land cover, vegetation indices, and proximity to bodies of water, will be derived from high-resolution datasets. Anthropogenic variables, including population density and road networks, will also be incorporated. The models produced through this work will then be applied to predict habitat suitability in the Southeastern U.S. under current and projected climate scenarios alongside multivariate environmental similarity surface (MESS) maps
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 6787f775d34e60ddd4de29d2)
Brian W Miller, Ph.D.
Research Ecologist, North Central CASC
Meagan Oldfather, Ph.D.
Biologist, North Central CASC
Tony Ciocco (Former Employee)
Biologist, NC CASC
Jaguars plays a crucial role in maintaining balance and biodiversity in ecosystems. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will provide models to support the conservation planning of jaguars in the Southeastern United States. These models will inform management with insights into habitat suitability under current and projected climate conditions.
Project Summary
As apex predators, jaguars play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem structure, and as an umbrella species, their conservation has wide-ranging benefits for biodiversity. This research aims to enhance the scope of conservation planning for jaguars in the U.S. by providing critical insights into habitat suitability under current and future climate conditions.
To do so, this study will develop species distribution models (SDMs) and associated publications to assess habitat suitability for jaguars (Panthera onca) in the Southeastern United States. The models will include generalized linear models, boosted regression trees, random forests, and Maxent. Occurrence data will be sourced from previous studies spanning the global jaguar range to generalize the species’ habitat relationships.
Climatic and environmental covariates, such as precipitation, land cover, vegetation indices, and proximity to bodies of water, will be derived from high-resolution datasets. Anthropogenic variables, including population density and road networks, will also be incorporated. The models produced through this work will then be applied to predict habitat suitability in the Southeastern U.S. under current and projected climate scenarios alongside multivariate environmental similarity surface (MESS) maps
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 6787f775d34e60ddd4de29d2)