Anthropogenic Influences on Macro-Level Mammal Occupancy in the Appalachian Trail Corridor.
Erb P, McShea W, Guralnick R. 2012. Anthropogenic Influences on Macro-Level Mammal Occupancy in the Appalachian Trail Corridor.. PLos ONE. 7(8)
Anthropogenic effects on wildlife are typically assessed at the local level, but it is often difficult to extrapolate to larger spatial extents. Macro-level occupancy studies are one way to assess impacts of multiple disturbance factors that might vary over different geographic extents. Here we assess anthropogenic effects on occupancy and distribution for several mammal species within the Appalachian Trail (AT), a forest corridor that extends across a broad section of the eastern United States. Utilizing camera traps and a large volunteer network of citizen scientists, we were able to sample 447 sites along a 1024 km section of the AT to assess the effects of available habitat, hunting, recreation, and roads on eight mammal species. Occupancy modeling revealed the importance of available forest to all species except opossums (Didelphis virginiana) and coyotes (Canis latrans).
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Erb, Peter; McShea, William; Guralnick, Robert
- Units
- APPA , BLRI , SHEN
- Keywords
- Appalachian Trail, cameras, Mammals, Photography
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals