Landscape feature-based permeability models relate to puma occurrence

Gray, Morgan; Wilmers, Christopher C.; Reed, Sarah E.; Merenlender, Adina M.

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.11.009

Cited by 23 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…, Gray et al. ), cougars in urban environments have also demonstrated the capacity to adapt by changing their foraging behavior and temporal activity patterns (Knopff et al. , Wang et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, cougars were associated with wildland environments, but recent studies have revealed that cougars are capable of utilizing areas with an extensive human presence (Beier et al 2010, Kertson et al 2013, Wilmers et al 2013. Though some studies across the western United States and southern Canada have indicated that cougar presence decreases as urbanization intensifies (Kertson et al 2011b, Lewis et al 2015a, Gray et al 2016, cougars in urban environments have also demonstrated the capacity to adapt by changing their foraging behavior and temporal activity patterns (Knopff et al 2014, Blecha et al 2018). Cougars in urbanized ecosystems have also been found to increase their consumption of nonungulate prey, which is presumably a by-product of increased availability due to landscape development (Smith et al 2015, Moss et al 2016a.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of urbanization on cougar foraging ecology along the wildland–urban gradient of western Washington

et al. 2019

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Humans have dramatically altered ecosystem structure through landscape manipulation, often leaving refuge patches of suitable habitat for wildlife amidst inhospitable terrain. Large carnivores are especially vulnerable to such habitat modification because they tend to have low population densities and wide‐ranging movements necessitated by their food requirements. Cougars (Puma concolor), unlike many other large carnivores, have demonstrated an ability to exploit resources in fragmented and managed landscapes. The influence of increasing landscape development on cougar foraging behavior, however, has yet to be fully elucidated. Accordingly, we investigated variation in cougar use of three prey types (synanthropes, ungulates, and rodents) along a wildland–urban gradient in western Washington to determine how urbanization affects the foraging ecology of this apex predator. We predicted that cougar diets would comprise more synanthropic prey (e.g., prolific urban species) and fewer deer as a function of increasing residential development. Generalized linear mixed model results showed that the odds of cougar predation on synanthropic prey did increase with urbanization. The odds of ungulate predation, however, remained relatively consistent across the wildland–urban gradient despite cougar use of black‐tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) and elk (Cervus canadensis) increasing over time. These results suggest that cougar–ungulate predator–prey systems can persist in landscapes with substantial human presence. The odds of forest‐associated rodent (Castor sp., Aplodontia sp.) predation decreased with increasing development, suggesting that urbanization may coincide with more intensive beaver management near residences and thereby reduce beaver and mountain beaver presence in exurban landscapes in western Washington. Most cougars exhibited similar diets, but certain individuals deviated significantly from the population averages characterizing use of all three major prey categories. This variation suggests that cougar population responses to urbanization are unlikely to be uniform and that cases of human–cougar conflict may be linked to individual cats, rather than the population as a whole.

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“…, Gray et al. ), cougars in urban environments have also demonstrated the capacity to adapt by changing their foraging behavior and temporal activity patterns (Knopff et al. , Wang et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of urbanization on cougar foraging ecology along the wildland–urban gradient of western Washington

et al. 2019

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“…Urban wildlife needs to perceive spatio-temporal variation in risk (Valeix et al, 2012). The urban landscape of fear should correspond to landscape features such as roads, because of vehicle, and pedestrian traffic (Dowding et al, 2010;Bonnot et al, 2013;Lowry et al, 2013;Morelle et al, 2013;Thurfjell et al, 2015;Gray et al, 2016), sealed built-up areas (=areas with a high density of housing; Bonnot et al, 2013;Magle et al, 2014;Beninde et al, 2015;Gray et al, 2016) and open areas with high human activity. Resource hotspots for food and shelter may often be found in more natural habitats as forests, parks, water bodies or swamp areas close to water (Beninde et al, 2015;Morelle et al, 2015) and in areas with a high vegetation density (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) (Bino et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secrets of Success in a Landscape of Fear: Urban Wild Boar Adjust Risk Perception and Tolerate Disturbance

et al. 2017

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In urban areas with a high level of human disturbance, wildlife has to adjust its behavior to deal with the so called "landscape of fear." This can be studied in risk perception during movement in relation to specific habitat types, whereby individuals trade-off between foraging and disturbance. Due to its high behavioral plasticity and increasing occurrence in urban environments, wild boar (Sus scrofa) is an excellent model organism to study adjustment to urbanization. With the help of GPS tracking, space use of 11 wild boar from Berlin's metropolitan region was analyzed: we aimed at understanding how animals adjust space use to deal with the landscape of fear in urban areas compared to rural areas. We compared use vs. availability with help of generalized linear mixed models. First, we studied landscape types selected by rural vs. urban wild boar, second, we analyzed distances of wild boar locations to each of the landscape types. Finally, we mapped the resulting habitat selection probability to predict hotspots of human-wildlife conflicts. A higher tolerance to disturbance in urban wild boar was shown by a one third shorter flight distance and by an increased re-use of areas close to the trap. Urban wild boar had a strong preference for natural landscapes such as swamp areas, green areas and deciduous forests, and areas with high primary productivity, as indicated by high NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) values. The areas selected by urban wild boar were often located closely to roads and houses. The spatial distribution maps show that a large area of Berlin would be suitable for urban wild boar but not their rural conspecifics, with the most likely reason being a different perception of anthropogenic disturbance. Wild boar therefore showed considerable behavioral plasticity suitable to adjust to human-dominated environments in a potentially evolutionarily adaptive manner.

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“…For faunal species, corridor networks act as necessary natural pathways for seasonal migration, food acquisition, and daily movements (Bright, 1998, Gilbert-Norton et al, 2010Shen et al, 2014). However, frequent human disturbance has resulted in the increased sensitivity and fragmentation of environments necessary for wildlife survival (Roever et al, 2013;Loro et al, 2015;Gray et al, 2016). For instance, the road construction can exert negative influences on the environment necessary for the survival of local species and affect landscape connectivity (Pan et al, 2009;Liu et al, 2014;Karlson and Mortberg 2015;Qu et al, 2015;Kang et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying multispecies dispersal corridor priorities based on circuit theory: A case study in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

et al. 2019

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Ecological corridor networks can efficiently improve regional landscape connectivity. Corridors for multiple faunal species movements are receiving increasing attention and graph theory is considered a promising way to explore landscape connectivity. In Xishuangbanna, the circuit theory was applied to explore the corridor networks for biodiversity for the first time. In addition, disturbances caused by the road network and the protection efficiency of National Nature Reserves and planned area for corridors were evaluated. Results indicated that the regional corridor networks could be estimated using a modified circuit method and Zonation model. Spatially, the key corridors were concentrated in the central-western, southeastern and northern regions. We detected 66 main intersections between key corridors and the road buffer. Of these points, 65% are forest, 23% grassland and 12% farmland. More than half of the area of National Nature Reserves constituted the top 50% of the corridors, and the planned corridor areas could efficiently protect some key corridors. However, these reserves only protected about 17% of regional key corridors, and the corridor conservation area in the western and northern regions were absent. The issues addressed in our study aided in the elucidation of the importance of regional landscape connectivity assessments and operational approaches in conservation planning.

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Landscape feature-based permeability models relate to puma occurrence

Cited by 23 publications

References 62 publications

Effects of urbanization on cougar foraging ecology along the wildland–urban gradient of western Washington

Effects of urbanization on cougar foraging ecology along the wildland–urban gradient of western Washington

Secrets of Success in a Landscape of Fear: Urban Wild Boar Adjust Risk Perception and Tolerate Disturbance

Identifying multispecies dispersal corridor priorities based on circuit theory: A case study in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

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