Relationships between survival and habitat suitability of semi-aquatic mammals

Spatial distribution and habitat selection are integral to the study of animal ecology. Habitat selection may optimize the fitness of individuals. Hutchinsonian niche theory posits the fundamental niche of species would support the persistence or growth of populations. Although niche-based species distribution models and habitat suitability models (HSMs) such as maximum entropy (Maxent) have demonstrated fair to excellent predictive power, few studies have linked the prediction of HSMs to demographic rates. We aimed to test the prediction of Hutchinsonian niche theory that habitat suitability (i.e., likelihood of occurrence) would be positively related to survival of American beaver (Castor canadensis), a North American semi-aquatic, herbivorous, habitat generalist. We also tested the prediction of ideal free distribution that animal fitness, or its surrogate, is independent of habitat suitability at the equilibrium. We estimated beaver monthly survival probability using the Barker mode...

空间分布与生境选择是动物生态学研究的核心组成部分。生境选择可优化个体的适合度。哈钦森生态位理论（Hutchinsonian niche theory）提出，物种的基础生态位可支撑种群的存续与增长。尽管基于生态位的物种分布模型与生境适宜性模型（habitat suitability models, HSMs），如最大熵模型（maximum entropy, Maxent），已展现出中等至极佳的预测能力，但鲜有研究将生境适宜性模型的预测结果与种群统计率挂钩。本研究旨在验证哈钦森生态位理论的预测假说：生境适宜性（即物种出现概率）与北美河狸（Castor canadensis，一种北美半水生植食性广适生境物种）的存活率呈正相关关系。本研究同时对理想自由分布（ideal free distribution）的预测假说进行了检验，该假说认为在平衡状态下，动物适合度及其替代指标与生境适宜性无关。本研究采用巴克模型（Barker model）估算河狸的月存活率……