Spatial ecology and species richness of Argentina's felids

Abstract

Understanding spatial patterns of species richness and the factors shaping species distributions is essential for conservation planning. Felids are key components of terrestrial ecosystems, yet their distributions and potential interactions remain poorly studied in many regions. Argentina hosts 11 felid species, 28% of South America’s diversity, across habitats ranging from subtropical forests to arid and montane environments, making it a critical region for felid conservation. We used MaxEnt models with uncorrelated climatic and growing-season variables to estimate the potential distributions of all 11 felid species and combined them to assess richness patterns and potential interspecific competition. Overall, our models performed well (AUC > 0.9; Boyce Index 0.75–0.91). Felid richness decreased along a north– south gradient, with hotspots in the Yungas (8 species, 73%) and the Atlantic Forest (7 species, 64%), while nearly half of Argentina supports three species. Geographic overlap and interaction models suggested seven species pairs with potential competition, while Schoener’s D index quantified niche overlap across all pairs. Our results demonstrate the value of integrating SDMs with spatial and ecological overlap metrics to identify biodiversity patterns and potential species interactions. This framework is particularly useful for elusive or data-deficient species and provides practical guidance for multispecies conservation across heterogeneous landscapes.