How to translate text using browser tools
30 January 2019 The impact of habitat quality inside protected areas on distribution of the Dominican Republic's last endemic non-volant land mammals
Rosalind J. Kennerley, Malcolm A. C. Nicoll, Richard P. Young, Samuel T. Turvey, Jose M. Nuñez-Miño, Jorge L. Brocca, Simon J. Butler
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

The Hispaniolan solenodon, Solenodon paradoxus, and Hispaniolan hutia, Plagiodontia aedium, are the Dominican Republic's only surviving endemic non-volant land mammals, and are high priorities for conservation. The country has an extensive protected area (PA) network designed to maintain habitats and benefit biodiversity, but which faces significant anthropogenic threats likely to detrimentally impact both species. We examined how differences in habitats, forest structure, topography, and human activity influence presence of solenodons and hutias across the Dominican Republic. Systematic surveys of seven PAs were undertaken to record indirect signs, with presence-absence data analyzed using a multi-model inference approach incorporating ecological variables from both field and GIS data. Solenodons were detected relatively frequently, whereas detections of hutias were uncommon. Lower elevations, increased surrounding tree cover, canopy closure, and reduced levels of low vegetation are all associated with increased probability of detecting solenodons, whereas agriculture and mangrove represent poor-quality habitat. Increased canopy closure, tree basal area (indicating older-growth forest), and increased rock substrate (providing more den sites) are associated with increased probability of detecting hutias. Our findings indicated that human activities within PAs are likely to negatively affect both species, and conservation activities should focus on preventing encroachment and conversion of forest to agriculture to maintain high-quality forest habitats.

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Mammalogists. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Rosalind J. Kennerley, Malcolm A. C. Nicoll, Richard P. Young, Samuel T. Turvey, Jose M. Nuñez-Miño, Jorge L. Brocca, and Simon J. Butler "The impact of habitat quality inside protected areas on distribution of the Dominican Republic's last endemic non-volant land mammals," Journal of Mammalogy 100(1), 45-54, (30 January 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyz007
Received: 13 August 2018; Accepted: 3 December 2018; Published: 30 January 2019
KEYWORDS
Caribbean mammals
Hispaniola
hutia
indirect field signs
solenodon
systematic surveys
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top