Data from: Wildfire and drought alter the ecology of jaguars and co-occurring mammals in the world’s largest wetland

Climate change-driven disturbances are reshaping ecosystems worldwide with
profound implications for biodiversity. We leveraged a long-term dataset
and a natural before-after-control-impact experimental framework to
evaluate the impacts of wildfire and concurrent drought on jaguars and the
terrestrial mammal community in northern Pantanal. Using camera traps and
jaguar scats collected before, during, and after a large wildfire, we: (1)
assessed the immediate and short-term impacts of fire on jaguar
demography, abundance, activity, space use, and diet; (2) determined
whether changes in mammal species richness and relative abundance
occurred; (3) assessed whether these changes were driven by fire, drought,
or both; and (4) tested competing hypotheses regarding community
structure. We hypothesized that abundant aquatic prey either allow jaguars
to suppress terrestrial herbivores through apparent competition, or
alternatively, terrestrial mammals are released from predation and instead
regulated by bottom-up resources. We found that jaguar activity initially
declined post-fire but rebounded over time, with a significant increase in
abundance and recruitment one year post-fire. Annual recapture rates of
individual jaguars remained similar after fire, indicating that resident
jaguars survived the fires and maintained their home ranges, while a large
number of immigrants arrived from other areas. Mammal species richness and
relative abundance increased across the study period and were more
strongly correlated with drought-induced changes than with fire-related
impacts. Jaguars maintained their specialization on aquatic prey,
supporting the hypothesis that consumption of aquatic prey reduces
predation pressure on terrestrial mammals. Our findings suggest this area
may serve as a climate refuge for jaguars and other wildlife, providing
stability amid extreme climatic events. We emphasize the importance of
maintaining such refugia and implementing proactive fire management to
mitigate future disturbances.