Fire regime and landscape structure drive habitat use by large herbivores in a Neotropical savanna

ABSTRACT: Fire plays a key role in shaping the dynamics of biological communities. However, in the Cerrado biome, important gaps remain regarding how this ecological process influences mammal habitat use across multiple spatial scales. In this study, we investigated how pyrodiversity and landscape structure influence habitat use intensity (HUI) of three medium- to large-sized mammal species (Tapirus terrestris, Mazama americana, and Subulo gouazoubira) within a protected area in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso, Brazil. We used camera trap data combined with a multiscale analytical framework to assess the effects of fire regime attributes, namely fire frequency diversity and time since fire diversity, as well as the extent of areas burned within the previous two years across different land use and land cover classes. Our results revealed species specific responses. T. terrestris showed negative associations with both fire frequency diversity and the land cover associated with cover of pasture and silviculture, but a positive association with time since fire diversity. In contrast, cervid species were more strongly associated with landscape structure, exhibiting greater use of open and human modified areas, as well as positive responses to time since fire diversity. Additionally, species responses varied across spatial scales. These findings indicate that fire effects are not uniform and are mediated by species specific ecological traits. Therefore, effective management strategies should promote heterogeneous fire mosaics encompassing different post fire stages, while maintaining relatively stable areas, in order to support mammal conservation in fire prone landscapes.