Supplementary_Scats sampling reveals habitat use adaptation

Anthropogenic activities have modified landscapes
leading to environmental damages and to a threatened biodiversity. As a result,
protected areas have become the last refuge for many species. Protected areas
surrounded by a highly modified landscape may accumulate species, especially
large mammals, which may alter their habitual habitat use. Here we used
non-invasive DNA analysis, molecular species identification, and landscape
analyses to assess the habitat use of medium-sized carnivore species in an
isolated protected area, Itatiaia National Park (PNI). Two species were by far
the most sampled within PNI, Chrysocyon
brachyurus and Leopardus guttulus.
The spatial distribution of each species was assessed to the following
landscape variables: digital elevation model; land use and land cover; slope
and Euclidean distances from water and from urban buildings. The habitat use of
C. brachyurus and L. guttulus was related to altitude,
land use, and land coverage. We tested whether there were differences in the
environmental indicators considering both species, which showed that higher
altitudes, forest and/or grassland formation were indeed associated with them.
We highlighted the unprecedented presence of both species at altitudes up to
2,631 meters. Our results indicated habitual habitat use adaptation for both
species that could be a consequence of the highly modified landscape where PNI
is inserted. Therefore, the results can be helpful for better understanding the
species dynamics and their conservation in the face of landscape changes. Further,
this study may be of help for management and conservation policies of this
emblematic protected area.