New England and eastern cottontail data for Maxent and niche overlap modeling

When introduced species invade new environments, they often overlap with native species currently occupying those spaces, either spatially through suitable habitat or environmentally through their realized niches. The goal of this research is to determine the overlap between native New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) and introduced eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) to identify potential areas of invasion by the eastern cottontail and potential areas of refuge for the New England cottontail from the eastern cottontail (Connecticut, USA). Using presence data from a regional, standardized monitoring protocol, we developed habitat suitability models using Maxent and conducted niche overlap analyses using environmental principal component analysis. We used several covariates that reflected proximity to habitat characteristics, such as young forest, shrubland, and understory, as well as proximity to threats, such as development. We also included topographic and climati..., , , # New England and eastern cottontail data for Maxent and niche overlap modeling

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3kx](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3kx)

## Description of the data and file structure

The data provided was used in the paper \"High Overlap in Niches and Suitable Habitat Between an Imperiled and Introduced Cottontail.\" The location data was derived from the New England Cottontail Regional Monitoring Program, where biologists from each state in the current New England cottontail  (*Sylvilagus transitionalis*; NEC) range (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island) collected cottontail fecal pellets at designated sites. Pellets for the introduced eastern cottontail (*Sylvilagus flroidanus*; EC) were also collected for this effort. The species location data included was only for pellets collected in Connecticut and at a coarser resolution (1 km) to prevent harm to the New England cottontail. The environmental covariates for both th...,