Spatiotemporal diversity of medium and large-sized terrestrial mammals in the Maya Forest, Mexico

Abstract

Global change poses a threat to terrestrial species worldwide. In particular, tropical mammal communities—characterized by their high diversity—are increasingly vulnerable to disturbances, including habitat loss and extreme droughts driven by anthropogenic activities and climate change. Mammal species exhibit diverse responses to such stressors, distributing themselves differentially across ecosystems according to resource availability and suitable environmental conditions. While protected areas are crucial for biodiversity conservation, the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (CBR) —the largest tropical reserve in Mexico— is currently facing land-use change, hunting pressure, and increasingly atypical climatic conditions. To assess the resulting spatial and temporal shifts in mammal assemblages, we monitored medium and large-sized mammals, both inside and outside the CBR, over a six-year period (2016–2022). We recorded 28 species of mammals, with the highest richness and relative abundances occurring inside the CBR. Differences in communities’ composition were observed between areas inside and outside the CBR, reflecting distinct patterns of habitat use. Temporal fluctuations in relative abundance suggest that water availability and extreme climatic events influence mammal communities. Our results underscore the pivotal role of the CBR as a refuge for a high number of species within its boundaries, while also highlighting the importance of the surrounding community-managed territories in supporting the persistence of most species within transformed sites. The presence of threatened species such as Panthera onca , Tapirus bairdii and Tayassu pecari reaffirms the strategic importance of the CBR for the conservation large terrestrial mammals in Mexico.

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