Data and code

Changes in species occurrence and composition along tropical elevational gradients are poorly understood for many taxa. Here we elucidate the distribution of mid- to large-bodied mammals along elevational gradients in northwestern Borneo. We deployed camera traps at 209 stations using stratified sampling across seven elevation categories at six protected areas from November 2014 to April 2017, accumulating 29,449 camera trap nights. We recorded 33 mammal species, with the highest species richness at mid elevations (701 – 900 m). Two species, Hose's Civet (Diplogale hosei) and Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi), were only detected in the highlands (>700 m) while 20 others were distributed evenly across elevations; no taxa were restricted to the lowlands. Species tended to shift their activity patterns only slightly in low versus high elevation forests. Most species that we detected currently have broad elevational ranges; nevertheless, protecting forest across elevational gradients remains critical so that if climate change forces species to abandon the lowlands, they have habitat connections to higher-elevation refugia.