Jeffrey J. Thompson

CONACYT-Guyra Paraguay

We employed least-cost and circuit theory modeling to model connectivity among previously defined Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) at the southern limit of the jaguar’s range in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay, to assess the effects of deforestation and land use change from 2000 to 2014. Due to uncertainty over possible limitations to jagua...

Home range and core area size were estimated for jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay in the Dry Chaco, Humid Chaco and Pantanal using an autocorrelated kernel density estimator. Mean home range size was 818 km² (95% confidence interval: 425–1981) in the Dry Chaco and 237 km² (95% confidence interval: 90–427) in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal. Core...

The field of movement ecology has rapidly grown during the last decade, with important advancements in tracking devices and analytical tools that have provided unprecedented insights into where, when, and why species move across a landscape. Although there has been an increasing emphasis on making animal movement data publicly available, there has...

Using GPS telemetry, we quantified space use and movements of Jaguars (Panthera onca) in remnant populations in the Paraguayan Atlantic forest, within a comparative context with populations in the Argentine and Brazilian Atlantic forest. Mean estimated home range size was 160 km², estimated to be nearly equal to Jaguars in the Morro do Diabo State...

Maintaining population connectivity is an important component of jaguar (Panthera onca) conservation. However, the effectiveness of connectivity corridors can be affected by anthropogenic factors. At the southwestern limit of the jaguar's current distribution in the Yungas and Dry Chaco ecoregions, connectivity among jaguar populations has been com...

Monitoring species distribution over time and understanding factors and mechanisms that determine it is crucial for effective conservation planning. We estimated the current jaguar Panthera onca distribution in South America based on a large set of records (2,557) from 2000–2020 and a set of absence points (both field collected and randomly selecte...

Jaguars Panthera onca in South America are now found in only about half of the area they occupied in the early 20th century, and the rate of their decline is still high. The two most important drivers of the current decline are: a) deforestation and other habitat transformation and fragmentation, and b) killing jaguars related to conflicts with cat...

In recent years, advances in equipment and analytical tools have provided opportunities to unveil several aspects of the jaguar Panthera onca biology and ecology. Here, we made use of the most recent publications to update the knowledge about this iconic species. From Arizona to Northern Argentina, the jaguar “accommodates” its behaviour to survive...

Monitoring species distribution over time and understanding factors and mechanisms that determine it is crucial for effective conservation planning. We estimated the current jaguar Panthera onca distribution in South America based on a large set of records (2,557) from 2000–2020 and a set of absence points (both field collected and randomly selecte...

Large parts of the formerly continuous jaguar Panthera onca range have been lost or fragmented. We performed an analysis with Linkage Mapper to evaluate connectivity between all 92 patches of the 2020 jaguar range in South America. We used two Linkage Mapper tools: (1) the Linkage Paths to calculate the cost-distance values and to select least-cost...

The jaguar Panthera onca is widely distributed throughout South America with its stronghold in the Amazon. It is protected by law in all countries, but some countries have legal loopholes and all lack a strict enforcement of the laws in place. Jaguar killing is common, even in strictly protected areas, but detailed records are lacking. Jaguars have...

Habitat loss and human-caused mortality have led to an approximate 50% reduction of the distribution of the jaguar (Panthera onca). The large contraction in the jaguar’s occurrence points to a need to understand its population size and habitat preferences to apply to the species’ conservation. Typically, jaguar densities are estimated with capture–...

COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no c...

Aim Land‐use change and overexploitation are major threats to biodiversity, and climate change will exert additional pressure in the 21st century. Although there are strong interactions between these threats, our understanding of the synergistic and compensatory effects on threatened species' range geography remains limited. Our aim was to disentan...

Activity is an important aspect of animal behavior. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors can shape species activity patterns, which can alter and reshape several ecological aspects of the species. Human disturbance is known to modify the activity patterns of various species. The Marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) is the largest Neotropical cervid, and...

Globally, fragmented landscapes and other anthropogenic pressures are causing declines in large carnivore populations. Conservation organizations are working to counteract these trends through the translocations of large carnivores, for example by reintroducing them to their historic ranges or by reinforcing existing populations to promote gene flo...

Extreme stochastic perturbations can affect population dynamics, but quantitative assessments are scarce for threatened species. The 2015-2016 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) caused extreme flooding in the Delta of the Paraná River in Argentina where the southernmost population of the regionally endangered marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) oc...

Animals moving through landscapes need to strike a balance between finding sufficient resources to grow and reproduce while minimizing encounters with predators. Because encounter rates are determined by the average distance over which directed motion persists, this trade-off should be apparent in individuals’ movement. Using GPS data from 1,396 in...

Habitat destruction and overexploitation are the main threats to biodiversity and where they co-occur, their combined impact is often larger than their individual one. Yet, detailed knowledge of the spatial footprints of these threats is lacking, including where they overlap and how they change over time. These knowledge gaps are real barriers for...

The Pantanal wetland harbours the second largest population of jaguars in the world. Alongside climate and land-use changes, the recent mega-fires in the Pantanal may pose a threat to the jaguars' long-term survival. To put these growing threats into perspective, we addressed the reach and intensity of fires that have affected jaguar conservation i...

The distribution of the jaguar has decreased by approximately 50% with its conservation highly dependent upon its persistence and mobility in anthropogenic landscapes. Consequently, understanding the effects of land use on jaguar populations and their connectivity is a necessary precursor for effective conservation of the species. We simultaneously...

The Dry Chaco has one of the highest deforestation rates of the world. The chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri; ChP) is endemic to the forests of this region and faces a high risk of extinction. However, we lack sufficient information about this species to develop effective conservation actions. This is the first study to determine the relevance of...

The Pantanal wetland harbours the second largest population of jaguars in the world. Alongside climate and land-use changes, the recent mega-fires in the Pantanal may pose a new threat to the jaguars’ long-term survival. To put these growing threats into perspective, we addressed the reach and intensity of fires that have affected jaguar conservati...

Globally, fragmented landscapes and anthropogenic pressures are causing steep declines in large carnivore populations. Conservation organizations are working to counteract these trends through the reintroduction of large carnivores and translocations within existing populations to promote gene flow and resilience. This study analyzes a dataset we g...

Large terrestrial carnivores have undergone some of the largest population declines and range reductions of any species, which is of concern as they can have large effects on ecosystem dynamics and function.1, 2, 3, 4 The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the apex predator throughout the majority of the Neotropics; however, its distribution has been reduce...

Large terrestrial carnivores have undergone some of the largest population declines and range reductions of any species, which is of concern as they can have large effects on ecosystem dynamics and function.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the apex predator throughout the majority of the Neotropics; however, its distribution has been red...

Jaguars (Panthera onca), like other apex predators, are highly susceptible to habitat loss and fragmentation given their low demographic potential and large habitat area requirements. Across their range, the Pantanal is considered critical for the jaguar's long-term conservation. Here we provide the first multi-scale path selection function model f...

Background Reconciling agriculture and biodiversity conservation is a challenge given the growing demand for agricultural products. In recent decades, Argentina has witnessed agricultural expansion and intensification affecting biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Within agroecosystems, the level of habitat quality is critical for birds,...

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In...

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropica...

The range-wide management of the jaguar (Panthera onca) depends upon maintaining core populations connected through multi-national, transboundary cooperation, which is dependent upon understanding the movement ecology and space use of jaguars throughout their range. Using 117 telemetry trajectories from 12 ecoregions, we examined the landscape-leve...

Accurately quantifying species’ area requirements is a prerequisite for effective area‐based conservation. This typically involves collecting tracking data on species of interest and then conducting home‐range analyses. Problematically, autocorrelation in tracking data can result in space needs being severely underestimated. Based on the previous w...

Assessments of the role that small (<500 km²) protected areas play in conservation of large carnivores in landscapes where the species are persecuted are scarce. Using camera-trap sampling we estimated puma (Puma concolor) population abundance, site use intensity, and relative abundance of prey in Lihué Calel National Park (320 km²) and two neighbo...

Habitat destruction and overexploitation are the main threats to biodiversity and where they co‐occur, their combined impact is often larger than their individual one. Yet, detailed knowledge of the spatial footprints of these threats is lacking, including where they overlap and how they change over time. These knowledge gaps are real barriers for...

Field information is essential for developing conservation actions, but standard methods for surveying wildlife are often inefficient in large, remote areas. Without efficient methods, surveying is difficult or even impossible. Consequently, some of the most threatened species and regions remain un- or under-surveyed, e.g. South American Chaco. Sur...

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across...

Satellite telemetry is an increasingly utilized technology in wildlife research, and current devices can track individual animal movements at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. However, as we enter the golden age of satellite telemetry, we need an in-depth understanding of the main technological, species-specific and environmental fact...

R-code for boosted beta regression (Fix acquisition rate). (R)

Covariate partial effects on the variability of the fix acquisition rate. (PDF)

Tagged individuals per species. (PDF)

Covariate partial effects on the variability of the Overall fix success rate. (PDF)

Trends in observed data. (PDF)

Global dataset for boosted beta regressions. (CSV)

Description of data fields in S1 Data. (CSV)

Satellite telemetry articles published. (PDF)

Distribution of response variables and covariates. (PDF)

Unit purchase and operation costs. (PDF)

R-code for boosted beta regression (Overall fix success rate). (R)

Standardized data collection questionnaire. (PDF)

Satellite telemetry evaluations. (PDF)

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across...

Aim Understanding how habitat loss and overhunting impact large carnivores is important for broad‐scale conservation planning. We aimed to assess how these threats interacted to affect jaguar habitat (Panthera onca) between 1985–2013 in the Gran Chaco, a deforestation hotspot. Location Gran Chaco ecoregion in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. Meth...

Redlist for threatened species of mammals of Paraguay. Chapter related to Carnivora species.

Redlist species of threatened mammals of Paraguay: Cetartiodactyla and Perissodactyla, ungulates.

Se evaluaron 179 especies, teniendo al tapiti Sylvilagus brasiliensis y al Dasypus septemcinctus como especies no evaluadas NE (ver capítulo Xenarthra). Entre las especies evaluadas, se resalta que 29 especies fueron catalogadas como Datos Insuficientes o DD, esto significa que la información disponible sobre estas especies en nuestro país es tan e...

The field of movement ecology has rapidly grown during the last decade, with important advancements in tracking devices and analytical tools that have provided unprecedented insights into where, when, and why species move across a landscape. Although there has been an increasing emphasis on making animal movement data publicly available, there has...

We analyzed the distribution patterns of primates and their conservation status Alouatta caraya, Aotus azarae, Mico melanurus, Sapajus cay, and Callicebus pallescens in Paraguay. We employed a maximum likelihood estimator to understand species distributions based upon observational records. Threats and the presence of species in protected areas wer...

Este libro contiene información sobre la categorización de especies de mamíferos del Paraguay. Introduce a los antecedentes de este tipo de categorización de especies silvestres de nuestro país y explica la metodología utilizada para la misma (UICN versión 3.1). Se describe para las especies amenazadas su situación actual, las amenazas que enfrenta...

We estimated home range and core area size for jaguar ( Panthera onca ) in western Paraguay in the Dry Chaco, Humid Chaco and Pantanal using an autocorrelated kernel density estimator. Mean home range size was 818 km ² (95% CI:425-1981) in the Dry Chaco and 237 km ² (95% CI:90-427) in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal. Core areas, defined as the home range...

Human–wildlife conflict and habitat loss are threatening carnivore populations in southern Africa, where the bulk of research focuses on large predators. However, scant research exists on medium and small carnivore (mesocarnivore) ecology. We employed hierarchical community modelling to estimate the effect of habitat on species occurrence and the e...