Subecoregional Influence on Swift Fox Habitat Suitability. Olimb, S. K, Schwalm, D. L, & Bly, K. L S 2021.
Subecoregional Influence on Swift Fox Habitat Suitability [pdf]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
Grassland-dependent Vulpes velox Say (Swift Foxes) occupy only a portion of their historical range in the North American Great Plains and remaining subpopulations are functionally disconnected due to habitat fragmentation and other barriers. Modeling habitat suitability is critical to identifying sites for habitat conservation and reintroduction and increasing subpopulation connectivity. We used mixed-effects modeling to simultaneously evaluate Swift Fox presence against habitat variables and subecoregional location. Our results show that habitat suitability is dependent on geographic location. Individual subecoregional models were each influenced by land cover and soil composition but varied by dominant soil component and correlation with surrounding land uses. These findings prioritize localized data for species management and predict how changing landscape composition may impact Swift Fox distribution.

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