Origin and genetic structure of a recovering bobcat (Lynxrufus) population

Abstract

Genetic analyses can provide important insights into the demographic processes that underlie recovering populations of mammals of conservation concern such as felid species. To better understand the recent and rapid recovery of bobcats (Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777)) in Ohio, we analyzed samples from four states in the lower Great Lakes Region using 12 microsatellite DNA loci and a portion of the mtDNA control region. Our results showed that a newly established population of bobcats in the eastern part of Ohio was genetically distinct from a multistate population distributed across Kentucky, southern Ohio, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania. There was no direct genetic evidence of a bottleneck or inbreeding in this population. A lack of private alleles and only slightly lower levels of allelic richness and heterozygosity compared with its neighbors suggest that the eastern Ohio population likely originated from the migration of relatively large numbers of individuals from a source population rather than re-emerging from an undetected residual population. We recommend that a management plan should define the areas occupied by the two populations in Ohio as separate management units at least for the near future.

Relative Importance of Habitat Characteristics and Interspecific Relations in Determining Terrestrial Carnivore Occurrence

“…comm.). L. rufus had a probability of occupancy of approximately 0.5, consistent with existing knowledge that L. rufus are reclaiming their former range in Ohio (Anderson et al, 2015). The patterns of occurrence in the six carnivore species can partly be explained by the strength and direction of interspecific relations.…”

“…On the one hand, the two native species, which are listed as species of concern in Ohio, may be affected to some extent by non-native carnivores. Recovery rates of the bobcat population in the area are unknown, but anecdotal data from verified sightings and roadkill, as well as genetic analyses (Anderson et al, 2015) point toward a successful pathway to population recovery. The negative relation between bobcats and coyotes observed in our system, which corroborates other studies, raise further questions on whether direct competition from C. latrans has the potential to affect L. rufus population recovery.…”

“…For example, because of the seemingly low occupancy found for U. cinereoargenteus, a bag limit would be advisable, in an effort to decrease the human-caused mortality, and ensure species viability in the long term. For L. rufus, caution must be exercised prior to opening a trapping season, and studies evaluating population size and identifying source and sink populations (Anderson et al, 2015) should be implemented. In this context, a better understanding of the carnivore intraguild relations can further hone management and conservations actions targeted at minimizing the impact of competition on at-risk native species from non-native species.…”

“…Over a century ago, several carnivore species have been extirpated from Ohio, including black bears (Ursus americanus), wolves (Canis lupus), fishers (Pekania pennanti), and bobcats (Lynx rufus). Bobcats disappeared from the state in the mid-Nineteenth century, but they have been reclaiming their former range in Ohio in the last 4-5 decades; bobcats have established a selfsustaining population from founder animals originating from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania (Anderson et al, 2015). At the same time, another native species, the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), has been declining in Ohio in recent years, likely due to disease (S. Prange, pers.…”

Genetic population structure of fishers (Pekania pennanti) in the Great Lakes region: remnants and reintroductions

“…It is possible that the number of animals used in the reintroduction along with trapping restrictions that began in 1922 in Wisconsin (Williams et al 2006), allowed fishers to recover rapidly eliminating any evidence of past decline. This same rapid recovery following a bottleneck has also been reported in other species such as bobcat (Lynx rufus; Anderson et al 2015) and elk (Cervus elaphus; Hundertmark et al 2010). Alternatively, we may have lacked power to detect recent bottlenecks based on our sample size and the presence of a number of factors (e.g.…”