Data from: 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 models. We recorded 27 sloths within countryside habitats and found that both local and landscape factors significantly influenced their spatial distribution. Locally, sloths favored structurally complex habitats, with greater canopy cover and variation in tree height and basal area. At the landscape scale, sloths demonstrated a preference for habitats with high proportions of forest and nearly large tracts of forest. Although mixed-use areas and tree plantations are not substitutes for protected forests, our results suggest they provide important supplemental habitats for sloths. To promote the conservation and long-term viability of sloth populations in the tropical countryside, we recommend for land managers to retain structurally complex vegetation and large patches of native habitat.未来一个世纪内，随着人类人口、食品消费以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。在热带地区，保留丰富林木覆盖且冠层结构复杂的乡村生境（countryside habitats），可通过为大量本土生物区系（native biota）提供适宜生境与景观连通性（landscape connectivity），对保护区形成补充。扩散能力较弱的物种是土地利用变化导致灭绝风险最高的类群之一。我们采用多尺度框架，评估了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褐喉树懒（Bradypus variegatus）的空间分布——该物种是扩散能力有限的脊椎动物模式物种。我们采用混合效应逻辑回归模型（mixed-effects logistic regression models），量化了局域生境特征与景观背景对树懒出现概率的影响。我们在乡村生境中记录到27只树懒，并发现局域与景观因子均对其空间分布产生了显著影响。局域尺度上，树懒偏好结构复杂的生境，这类生境拥有更高的冠层覆盖度，且树高与胸高断面积（basal area）的变异程度更高。在景观尺度上，树懒偏好森林占比高且拥有大面积近乎连片森林的生境。尽管混合利用区域与人工林无法替代保护林，但我们的研究结果表明，它们可为树懒提供重要的补充生境。为推动热带乡村地区树懒种群的保护与长期存续，我们建议土地管理者保留结构复杂的植被与大面积本土生境斑块。