Multi-scale effects of habitat structure and landscape context on a vertebrate with limited dispersal ability (the brown-throated sloth, Bradypus variegatus)​

As human population, food consumption, and demand for forest products continue to rise over the next century, the pressures of land use change on biodiversity are projected to intensify. In tropical regions, countryside habitats that retain abundant tree cover and structurally complex canopies may complement protected areas by providing suitable habitats and landscape connectivity for a significant portion of the native biota. Species with low dispersal capabilities are among the most at risk of extinction as a consequence of land use change. We assessed how the spatial distribution of the brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus), a model species for a vertebrate with limited dispersal ability, is shaped by differences in habitat structure and landscape patterns of countryside habitats in north-central Costa Rica using a multi-scale framework. We quantified the influence of local habitat characteristics and landscape context on sloth occurrence using mixed-effects logistic regression ...未来百年间，随着人类人口、食品消费及林产品需求持续增长，土地利用变化对生物多样性的压力预计将进一步加剧。在热带区域，保留充足林木覆盖且林冠结构复杂的乡村生境，可为本土生物群落的重要类群提供适宜栖息环境与景观连通性，从而对保护地形成有效补充。受土地利用变化影响，扩散能力较弱的物种是最易面临灭绝风险的类群之一。本研究以褐喉树懒（brown-throated sloth, *Bradypus variegatus*）——一种扩散能力有限的脊椎动物研究模式物种——为对象，采用多尺度分析框架，评估哥斯达黎加中北部乡村生境的结构差异与景观格局如何塑造其空间分布，并通过混合效应逻辑回归模型，量化了本地生境特征与景观背景对树懒出现概率的影响……