Species characteristics modulate tropical mammal responses to forest quality in Southeast Asia

Anthropogenic activities such as forest loss and degradation threaten many species-rich tropical forests. However, how species respond to forest quality and the role of species characteristics (i.e., body mass, carnivory, and habitat breadth) in mediating such responses remain poorly understood. We assessed how the occupancy of 61 mammal species in tropical forests of Southeast Asia responded to forest cover, canopy height, and disturbance history. We used data from 627 camera trap sites across 11 landscapes in Southeast Asia and applied a customized Bayesian multi-species occupancy modelling framework. Higher forest quality was positively related to the occupancy of 77 % mammal species while 5 % showed a negative relationship. Species with limited habitat breadths (habitat specialists) showed the strongest positive relationships, such as the dusky monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus). Similarly, large-bodied species like the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) also exhibited strong positive relationships. Our study highlights the critical need to maintain and restore forests with dense canopies and with old and tall trees, especially for large-bodied and habitat-dependent species. Despite recent suggestions that Asian wildlife may not always be negatively influenced by forest degradation, our study underscores the dependency of most mammal species on relatively undisturbed interior forests for long-term conservation.

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