Topography shapes the internal organisation of tiger home ranges in the plateau-gorge landscapes of central India

Abstract Accurate home-range estimation is central to understanding animal space use, yet most telemetry studies represent terrestrial movement on two-dimensional planimetric surfaces and may therefore overlook the effects of terrain. Although digital elevation model (DEM)-based three-dimensional correction can improve home-range estimates in steep mountainous environments, its ecological relevance in plateau-gorge landscapes remain unclear. We examined how topography influences both home-range estimation and the internal organisation of space use by resident tigers ( Panthera tigris ) in the Vindhyan plateau-gorge landscape of central India. Using long-term GPS telemetry data, we compared two-dimensional and DEM-corrected three-dimensional autocorrelated kernel density estimates for 50% core areas and 95% home ranges across sexes and seasons. We also classified the landscape into six functional landform classes using DEM-derived geomorphometric variables and applied a Bayesian Dirichlet core–shell model to quantify landform enrichment within 50% core areas relative to the surrounding 95 − 50% home-range shell. Topographic correction produced only negligible increases in estimated home-range area, with 3D-to-2D ratios close to unity, indicating that vertical relief contributed little to the geometric extent of tiger home ranges in this landscape. Terrain nevertheless strongly influenced where intensive space use occurred. Core areas were consistently enriched in rugged refuge and low-drainage landforms, whereas open plateau was systematically under-represented. These patterns were strongest during summer and monsoon and were more pronounced and seasonally consistent in females than in males, suggesting sex-specific differences in the spatial organisation of core use. By contrast, general slope showed little evidence of consistent enrichment across seasons. Our results show that a limited effect of topographic correction on total home-range area should not be interpreted as evidence that terrain is ecologically unimportant. In this plateau–gorge system, topography shaped the internal distribution of tiger space use more strongly than the outer geometry of the home range. Combining DEM-derived landform classification with Bayesian compositional analysis therefore reveals ecological structure that conventional home-range metrics alone may miss. This framework is broadly transferable to wide-ranging terrestrial mammals in heterogeneous landscapes and can help identify terrain features that contribute disproportionately to habitat quality and conservation value.