Conservation strategies that rely on umbrella species depend on spatial overlap with target species of concern, yet the temporal and spatial scale at which co-occurrence is assessed is rarely considered. In seasonal environments, shifts in space use across seasons could alter patterns of co-occurrence, especially at regional and local scales that are relevant to land management. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), which currently serve as an umbrella species for sagebrush ecosystems across the western United States, move between seasonal habitats. Our goal was to evaluate the degree to which sage-grouse general and seasonal habitats overlap with habitat for another sagebrush-dependent species of conservation concern, the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). We created inductive species distribution models for both species in east-central Idaho. We used maximum entropy methods to build models incorporating environmental factors representing topography, vegetation, climate, and soil characteristics. Despite both species being sagebrush obligates, we documented a relatively modest degree of spatial overlap between these species across the region; only 49% of highly suitable habitat for pygmy rabbits overlapped with areas mapped as highly suitable for sage-grouse when considering general habitat, and overlap was lower (18−31%) when we evaluated seasonal sage-grouse distributions. Our models predicted that pygmy rabbits would also occur in narrow (1−2 km) sagebrush corridors between steep terrain features where sage-grouse are typically absent. This work suggests that additional habitat conservation for pygmy rabbits will be needed to support their long-term persistence, especially where their habitat falls outside of areas designated as primary habitat for sage-grouse. Our models provide useful information for land management and habitat restoration within the study region and also offer a cautionary tale for application of simplified conservation strategies like the designation of umbrella species. Incorporating spatial and temporal scales into assessments of co-occurrence may increase effectiveness of conservation strategies involving surrogate species.

依赖伞形物种的保护策略取决于与关注的目标物种的空间重叠，但很少考虑评估共现的时间和空间尺度。在季节性环境中，跨季节空间使用的变化可能会改变共同发生的模式，尤其是在与土地管理相关的区域和地方尺度上。更大的鼠尾草松鸡（Centrocercus urophasianus）目前是美国西部山艾树生态系统的保护伞物种，在季节性栖息地之间移动。我们的目标是评估鼠尾草松鸡一般和季节性栖息地与另一种受保护关注的山艾树依赖物种，侏儒兔（Brachylagus idahoensis）的栖息地重叠的程度。我们为爱达荷州中东部的两个物种创建了归纳物种分布模型。我们使用最大熵方法来构建包含代表地形、植被、气候和土壤特征的环境因素的模型。尽管这两个物种都是山艾树专种，但我们记录了该地区这些物种之间相对适度的空间重叠；在考虑一般栖息地时，只有 49% 的高度适合侏儒兔的栖息地与映射为非常适合鼠尾草松鸡的区域重叠，而当我们评估季节性鼠尾草松鸡分布时，重叠率较低（18-31%）。我们的模型预测，侏儒兔也会出现在陡峭的地形特征之间的狭窄（1-2 公里）山艾树走廊中，通常没有鼠尾草松鸡。这项工作表明，需要对侏儒兔进行额外的栖息地保护，以支持它们的长期生存，尤其是当它们的栖息地不在指定为鼠尾草松鸡主要栖息地的地区时。我们的模型为研究区域内的土地管理和栖息地恢复提供了有用的信息，并且还为应用简化的保护策略（例如指定保护伞物种）提供了警示。将空间和时间尺度纳入对共现的评估可能会提高涉及替代物种的保护策略的有效性。我们的模型为研究区域内的土地管理和栖息地恢复提供了有用的信息，并且还为应用简化的保护策略（例如指定保护伞物种）提供了警示。将空间和时间尺度纳入对共现的评估可能会提高涉及替代物种的保护策略的有效性。我们的模型为研究区域内的土地管理和栖息地恢复提供了有用的信息，并且还为应用简化的保护策略（例如指定保护伞物种）提供了警示。将空间和时间尺度纳入对共现的评估可能会提高涉及替代物种的保护策略的有效性。