Data from: Assessing the co-occurrence of European pine marten (Martes martes) with humans and domestic cats on a Mediterranean island

Anthropogenic activities often lead to changes in the distribution and
behaviour of wild species. The mere presence of humans and free-roaming
domestic cats (Felis catus) can affect wildlife communities; however,
responses to these disturbances might not be ubiquitous and may vary with
local conditions. We investigated European pine martens' (Martes
martes) distribution on Elba Island, Italy, where the species is the only
wild carnivore. In this system, pine martens act as the top predator, and
human presence is mostly driven by seasonal tourism. We evaluated 1. pine
marten’s occurrence in relation to vegetation type and elevation and the
potential effects of proximity to settlements, 2. whether pine marten’s
distribution was associated with the co-occurrence of humans and domestic
cats, and, if so, 3. whether these co-occurrence patterns were associated
with proximity to anthropogenic infrastructures. Additionally, we explored
similarities in activity patterns between pine marten and the other two
species. We collected camera-trap data at 77 locations throughout Elba
Island in February-July 2020. Using single-season multi-state occupancy
models, we found evidence that pine martens’ occupancy was generally high
across all vegetation types and elevation, and proximity to settlements
was only weakly associated with the species occurrence. Contrary to
expectations, we found no evidence of an association between pine martens’
distribution and the presence of either humans or free-roaming domestic
cats on Elba Island. Opposing activity patterns might have facilitated
pine martens' co-existence with humans, with pine martens being
active at ground level almost exclusively during nighttime. On the
contrary, cats and pine martens showed similar activity patterns, and
further studies are needed to define the co-existence mechanisms. These
findings have important management implications and suggest that response
to direct and indirect anthropogenic pressures can be highly
context-dependent and mediated by the availability of resources and
competition mechanisms.