Variables influencing warthog occupancy, focusing on the presence of aardvark (Orycteropus afer) as a possible keystone supporting burrowing species

The dataset underpinned a study titled "Factors affecting warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) occupancy with presence of aardvark (Orycteropus afer) as a keystone species". The study investigated the dynamics of warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) occupancy across two diverse properties. Warthog are a common mammal species prevalent across diverse landscapes in Africa. Moreover, warthog are carriers of African swine fever, posing a threat to swine biosecurity. The primary objective of the study was to determine the variables influencing warthog occupancy, focusing on the presence of aardvark (Orycteropus afer) as a possible keystone due to its facilitative capabilities supporting burrowing species. The findings provide a foundation for future studies aiming to map potential warthog distribution based on influential covariates. Hypothesis considered a range of factors such as the presence of aardvark, the presence of predators, vegetation type, soil composition, distance to perennial water sources, proximity to roads, distance to the nearest 10 trees (tree cover at site level), and camera efficiency, was tested using occupancy modelling with camera trap data from Atherstone Private Game Reserve and Mountain Zebra National Park. The results revealed that warthog occupancy is positively influenced by the presence of aardvark and camera efficiency, while it is negatively influenced by the presence of predators (lion, Panthera leo and leopard, Panthera pardus), increased distance to perennial water sources, and shorter average distance to the nearest ten trees (potentially linked to vegetation structure/type). These covariates also impacted the detection probability of warthog at both study sites, highlighting the complexity of the factors influencing their occupancy.

本研究以一项名为《影响疣猪（Phacochoerus africanus）栖息地占据的因素：以食蚁兽（Orycteropus afer）作为关键物种的存在为研究重点》的研究为基础。该研究探讨了疣猪在两个不同景观中的栖息地占据动态。疣猪作为一种常见哺乳动物物种，广泛分布于非洲的多样景观中。此外，疣猪是非洲猪瘟的携带者，对猪的生物安全构成威胁。本研究的主要目标是确定影响疣猪栖息地的变量，重点关注食蚁兽（Orycteropus afer）的存在，因其促进挖掘物种栖息的能力，可能成为关键因素。研究结果为未来基于影响因素绘制疣猪潜在分布图的研究奠定了基础。假设考虑了多种因素，如食蚁兽的存在、捕食者的存在、植被类型、土壤成分、到永久水源的距离、道路的邻近性、到最近十棵树（在研究地点级别的树冠覆盖）的平均距离以及相机效率等，这些假设通过使用来自Atherstone私人野生动物保护区和山地斑马国家公园的相机陷阱数据进行的占据模型进行了测试。结果表明，食蚁猪的栖息地占据受食蚁兽的存在和相机效率的积极影响，而受捕食者（狮子，Panthera leo和豹子，Panthera pardus）的存在、到永久水源的距离增加以及到最近十棵树的平均距离缩短（可能与植被结构/类型有关）的消极影响。这些协变量还影响了两个研究地点中食蚁猪的检测概率，凸显了影响其栖息地的因素的复杂性。