Abstract
Spilogale putorius (Eastern Spotted Skunk) experienced range-wide population declines beginning in the mid-1900s with no clear understanding of the causal mechanism or whether such declines were associated with range contractions. Species-distribution models can provide a powerful framework to assess changes in landscape suitability in response to changing environmental conditions. Herein, we modeled time-stepped distributions of suitable environmental conditions for Eastern Spotted Skunks from 1938 to 2016 in Maxent, incorporating climate and land-cover predictors. Climate and land-cover variables reliably predicted landscape suitability of Eastern Spotted Skunks over time. We found a 37% decline in suitable area from historic predictions, consistent with reports of population declines in these areas. Our predicted landscape-suitability maps can be used to evaluate the current distribution of environmentally suitable conditions for the species as well as guide research and conservation efforts.
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