Intraguild interactions and abiotic conditions mediate occupancy of mammalian carnivores: co-occurrence of coyotes-fishers-martens

The widespread eradication of large carnivores and subsequent expansion of top mesopredators have the potential to impact species and community interactions with ecosystem-wide implications. An example of these trophic dynamics is the widespread establishment of coyotes following the extirpation of wolves and mountain lions in eastern North America. Here, we examined the occupancy of three carnivores in northern New York considering both environmental/habitat factors and interspecific interactions. We estimated the co-occurrence of coyotes, fishers, and martens from a landscape-scale winter camera trap survey repeatedly annually for three years. Martens occurred independently of both coyotes and fishers, while fishers and coyotes displayed positive intraguild interactions that were constant across the landscape. Both marten and fisher first-order occupancy was driven by a combination of biotic and abiotic factors, with both species displaying positive associations with forest cover but ..., We conducted camera trap surveys for carnivores from January-March 2016-2018 throughout the Adirondack and Tug Hill regions of northern New York State (Figure S1). The study area is an approximately 32,000 km2 region dominated by contiguous mature stands of deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests along an elevational gradient ranging from 24 – 1448m. We used a stratified random sampling design to select 15-km2 sample units and a standardized methodology across all surveys which included the same 195 sample units in each of the three years (except for 13 sites that were not sampled in 2017). At each site, a camera trap was deployed randomly within the 15 km2 grid.  Camera traps were secured to trees approximately 1.0-1.5 m above ground. A bait station was placed on a tree opposite the camera trap and secured to the tree using wire mesh. The bait used varied and included beaver (Castor canadensis), moose (Alces alces), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), muskrat (Ondatra zibethic..., , # Intraguild interactions and abiotic conditions mediate occupancy of mammalian carnivores: co-occurrence of coyotes-fishers-martens

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pc866t1rz](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pc866t1rz)

The data stems from a large-scale camera trapping project conducted for 3-weeks annually at approximately 195 sites over 3 years in the Adirondacks and Tug Hill region of New York State, USA. The target species were fisher, marten, and coyote. Camera traps were secured to trees approximately 1.0-1.5 m above ground. A bait station was placed on a tree opposite the camera trap and secured to the tree using wire mesh. The bait used varied and included beaver, moose, white-tailed deer, muskrat, raccoon, cow, and chicken.

## Description of the data and file structure

## The data folder

This folder has ten files.

**1. 7dayoccDetectionscoyoteNZ.csv**

This file contains detection/non-detection data for coyotes between the years of 2016-2018 in New York state. 0 is not detecte...