Abstract We estimated jaguar density and tenure, and investigated ranging behavior, using camera traps across the Maya Forest Corridor, a human-influenced landscape in central Belize that forms the only remaining connection for jaguar populations inhabiting two regional forest blocks: the Selva Maya and the Maya Mountain Massif. Jaguars were ubiquitous across the study area. Similar to the neighboring Selva Maya, mean density ranged from 1.5 to 3.1 jaguars per 100 km2, estimated by spatial capture-recapture models. Cameras detected almost twice as many males as females, probably reflecting detection bias, and males ranged more widely than females within the camera grid. Both sexes crossed two major rivers, while highway crossings were rare and male-biased, raising concern that the highway could prevent female movement if traffic increases. Jaguars were more transient where the landscape was fragmented with settlements and agriculture than in contiguous forest. Compared with jaguars in the protected forests of the Maya Mountains, jaguars in central Belize displayed a lower potential for investment in intraspecific communication, indicative of a lower quality landscape; however, we did detect mating behavior and juveniles. Tenure of individuals was shorter than in the protected forests, with a higher turnover rate for males than females. At least three-quarters of reported jaguar deaths caused by people were male jaguars, and the majority was retaliation for livestock predation. Jaguars seem relatively tolerant to the human-influenced landscape of central Belize. However, intensification of game hunting and lethal control of predators would threaten population persistence, while increased highway traffic and clear-cutting riparian forest would severely limit the corridor function. Our results show that the viability of the corridor, and thus the long-term survival of jaguar populations in this region, will depend on appropriate land-use planning, nonlethal control of livestock predators, enforcement of game hunting regulations, and wildlife-friendly features in future road developments.

中文翻译：

---

重要生物走廊中美洲虎（Panthera onca）的密度和保有权


摘要：我们估计了美洲豹的密度和保有期，并使用摄像机陷阱对玛雅森林走廊进行了测距行为调查。玛雅森林走廊是伯利兹中部受人类影响的景观，它构成了居住在两个区域森林块（塞尔瓦玛雅森林和热带雨林）的美洲虎种群唯一的联系。玛雅山地块。美洲虎在研究区域随处可见。与邻近的塞尔瓦玛雅类似，根据空间捕获-再捕获模型估计，美洲虎的平均密度为每 100 平方公里 1.5 至 3.1 只美洲虎。相机检测到的男性数量几乎是女性的两倍，这可能反映了检测偏差，并且相机网格内男性的范围比女性更广泛。男女都跨越两条主要河流，而高速公路交叉口很少且男性偏重，这引发了人们的担忧，即如果交通量增加，高速公路可能会阻碍女性的流动。与邻近的森林相比，在因定居点和农业而支离破碎的地区，美洲虎的活动范围更广。与玛雅山脉受保护森林中的美洲虎相比，伯利兹中部的美洲虎在种内交流方面的投资潜力较低，表明景观质量较低；然而，我们确实发现了交配行为和幼体。个体的保有期比受保护森林短，男性的流动率高于女性。据报告，人类造成的美洲虎死亡中至少有四分之三是雄性美洲虎，其中大多数是对牲畜捕食的报复。美洲虎似乎对伯利兹中部受人类影响的景观相对宽容。 然而，狩猎活动的加强和对掠食者的致命控制将威胁种群的持续存在，而公路交通的增加和河岸森林的砍伐将严重限制走廊的功能。我们的研究结果表明，走廊的生存能力以及美洲虎种群在该地区的长期生存将取决于适当的土地利用规划、对牲畜捕食者的非致命控制、狩猎法规的执行以及对野生动物友好的特征在未来的道路发展中。