Moderate anthropogenic impacts alter temporal niche without affecting spatial distribution of ocelots in the Amazon rainforest

The Amazon rainforest faces escalating human disturbances such as logging, mining, agriculture, and urbanization, leading to the conversion of primary forest into matrix habitat. This transformation's impact on mesocarnivores, specifically ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), is still largely unknown. In 2021, we deployed camera traps across a 174 km² study area in Las Piedras, Madre de Dios, Peru, containing mixed land use and protected forests. Utilizing kernel density functions, we compared temporal activity patterns and employed spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models to assess density, encounter probability, and movement by habitat and trail type, as well as sex. Of the 293 captures, we identified 39 ocelots (21 females, 18 males), estimating an average density of 31.46 (SE 5.15) individuals per 100 km² with no significant difference between protected and mixed-use areas. Baseline detection and movement varied by sex, with male and female home ranges estimated at 17.14 and 4.10 km², respectively. Ocelot temporal activity patterns differed between the protected area and the mixed-use area, with increased nocturnality in areas of higher human impact. Our SECR results highlight that matrix habitats can support ocelot populations, emphasizing the need for further research on ocelot demographics in human-modified Amazon rainforest areas facing varying degrees of anthropogenic disturbance.

Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.