# Global determinants of home range sizes in felids: Evidence of human disturbance impact

## TL;DR

This study finds that human activities and species diversity significantly affect the home range sizes of wild cats globally, offering insights for better conservation strategies.

## Contribution

The study is the first to analyze global home range size variation in felids, incorporating both well-known and less-studied factors like agricultural land use and felid richness.

## Key findings

- Home range size increases with body mass and is larger in males than in females.
- Home range size decreases with higher productivity, felid richness, croplands, and pastures.
- Human land use and interspecific competition are significant drivers of home range size variation in felids.

## Abstract

Home range (HR) is a key indicator of animal spatial ecology. HR size, shape, location and habitat composition reflect both species' ecological requirements and their responses to anthropogenic stressors. Felidae, a charismatic taxon, faces escalating threats mainly due to habitat degradation and human–wildlife conflict. Understanding the ecological and anthropogenic drivers of HR size variation is therefore critical for their conservation.To address this gap and explore these factors at a global scale for the entire taxon, we used the HomeRange database—a global database with HR values across 960 different mammal species—complemented with about 20% additional records, to compile 1137 individual HR size estimates from 29 out of 40 recognized wild felid species. We applied generalized linear mixed models to assess the influence of intrinsic, methodological, ecological and anthropogenic factors on space use.HR size was shaped by multiple drivers. It increased with body mass (0.94 ± 0.16; p < 10−8) and was larger in males than in females (0.51 ± 0.07; p < 10−13), consistent with higher energy demands and sex‐specific reproductive strategies. HR size decreased with increasing productivity (−0.37 ± 0.07; p < 10−7) and felid richness (−0.24 ± 0.10; p = 0.02), suggesting reduced spatial requirements in resource‐rich areas and under interspecific competition. HR size also decreased with increasing croplands (HR: −0.50 ± 0.14; p < 10−3) and pastures (HR: −0.16 ± 0.07; p = 0.02)—both human footprint proxies—which may reflect multiple causes such as anthropogenic food sources, habitat loss or movement restriction from infrastructures associated with agriculture.Our results reinforce the role of well‐known established HR size's predictors such as body mass, sex and primary productivity while highlighting the impact of less frequently investigated factors (i.e. felid richness and agricultural land‐use). Our findings emphasize the importance of incorporating a broad range of biological, environmental and methodological predictors when studying space use across a taxonomic group. Our approach provides novel insights into habitat requirements and the effects of anthropogenic pressures, which can ultimately lead to improved conservation strategies for felids.

Home range (HR) is a key indicator of animal spatial ecology. HR size, shape, location and habitat composition reflect both species' ecological requirements and their responses to anthropogenic stressors. Felidae, a charismatic taxon, faces escalating threats mainly due to habitat degradation and human–wildlife conflict. Understanding the ecological and anthropogenic drivers of HR size variation is therefore critical for their conservation.

To address this gap and explore these factors at a global scale for the entire taxon, we used the HomeRange database—a global database with HR values across 960 different mammal species—complemented with about 20% additional records, to compile 1137 individual HR size estimates from 29 out of 40 recognized wild felid species. We applied generalized linear mixed models to assess the influence of intrinsic, methodological, ecological and anthropogenic factors on space use.

HR size was shaped by multiple drivers. It increased with body mass (0.94 ± 0.16; p < 10−8) and was larger in males than in females (0.51 ± 0.07; p < 10−13), consistent with higher energy demands and sex‐specific reproductive strategies. HR size decreased with increasing productivity (−0.37 ± 0.07; p < 10−7) and felid richness (−0.24 ± 0.10; p = 0.02), suggesting reduced spatial requirements in resource‐rich areas and under interspecific competition. HR size also decreased with increasing croplands (HR: −0.50 ± 0.14; p < 10−3) and pastures (HR: −0.16 ± 0.07; p = 0.02)—both human footprint proxies—which may reflect multiple causes such as anthropogenic food sources, habitat loss or movement restriction from infrastructures associated with agriculture.

Our results reinforce the role of well‐known established HR size's predictors such as body mass, sex and primary productivity while highlighting the impact of less frequently investigated factors (i.e. felid richness and agricultural land‐use). Our findings emphasize the importance of incorporating a broad range of biological, environmental and methodological predictors when studying space use across a taxonomic group. Our approach provides novel insights into habitat requirements and the effects of anthropogenic pressures, which can ultimately lead to improved conservation strategies for felids.

This study is the first to demonstrate the influence of anthropogenic factors and species richness in felids on home range size across the entire felid taxon. Felids are a taxon of major interest in conservation biology, and gaining a comprehensive view of their spatial ecology will help derive global conservation recommendations.