Human disturbance and prey occupancy as predictors of carnivore richness and biomass in a Himalayan hotspot

Abstract

AbstractCarnivores are of high ecological importance and often serve as flagship species for conservation. Yet, the direct and indirect effects of trophic interactions and human disturbance on carnivore communities and the occurrence of their prey in temperate forests remain poorly understood. Here we evaluate the direct and indirect effects of net primary productivity, prey (Muntjac spp) occupancy and human disturbance in shaping carnivore richness and biomass based on camera‐trap data and path analysis. Path analysis indicated that muntjac occupancy and proximity of human settlements were the main factors structuring carnivore communities. Carnivore biomass was directly affected by muntjac occupancy, while carnivore richness increased with distance from the nearest residential site. Muntjac occupancy per se directly depended on net primary productivity. We also identified several indirect effects on carnivore biomass. Increasing distance to the nearest residential site had a positive indirect effect on carnivore biomass that was mediated by increasing carnivore richness. Net primary productivity was positively associated with carnivore biomass indirectly via increasing muntjac occupancy. There were no significant correlations between the occurrence probability of livestock and muntjac. Our results point to the importance of incorporating prey occurrence and human disturbance in modelling biodiversity patterns of carnivore communities. Carnivore conservation management practices should include efforts to stop hunting and to restrict human presence in the core zones of protected areas.