Meeting Abstract
Understanding community composition and distribution of species is vital for implementing sound management and conservation techniques. In particular, carnivores play vital roles in maintaining ecosystem integrity as top-down trophic pyramid regulators. Without the appropriate balance of predators, populations at lower trophic levels often explode and shortly crash, making the system unstable and conservation problematic. Many regions in the US are witnessing a comeback of terrestrial carnivores after >100 years of absence, yet the trophic relations in these ecosystems have not been quantified. To address this problem, we investigated the carnivore community composition in southeast Ohio, a forested area where species such as black bears, bobcats, and fishers are currently expanding their ranges, using baited camera traps. We monitored 48 trail cameras for approximately 3,0000 trap nights between May and July 2016 within 300 km2. Using an occupancy modeling framework we investigated local and landscape predictors of occurrence for red and gray foxes (Vulpes vulpes, Procyon cinereoargenteus), bobcats (Lynx rufus), coyotes (Canis latrans), as well as minks (Mustela vision) and long-tailed weasels (Mustela frenata). Using a multi-species approach, we determined patterns of species co-occurrence and concluded that interference competition shaped mesocarnviore relations. Our results shed light on the carnivore community composition in SE Ohio and provide critical information for state and federal wildlife management agencies.
