Rates of Survival and Sources of Mortality of Cougars in Hunted Populations in North-central Arizona

McKinney, T. D.; Smith, Thorry W.; Waddell, Robert B.

doi:10.1894/clg-14.1

“…Puma populations are of concern to many conservation and resource management stakeholders interested in conserving wide-ranging species and the remaining landscapes they inhabit. In Arizona and New Mexico, pumas are managed by state wildlife agencies as a game animal, and their population dynamics are adversely impacted by sport harvest [20] , [21] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Models of Regional Habitat Quality and Connectivity for Pumas (Puma concolor) in the Southwestern United States

Dickson

¹

,

Roemer

²

,

McRae

³

et al. 2013

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The impact of landscape changes on the quality and connectivity of habitats for multiple wildlife species is of global conservation concern. In the southwestern United States, pumas (Puma concolor) are a well distributed and wide-ranging large carnivore that are sensitive to loss of habitat and to the disruption of pathways that connect their populations. We used an expert-based approach to define and derive variables hypothesized to influence the quality, location, and permeability of habitat for pumas within an area encompassing the entire states of Arizona and New Mexico. Survey results indicated that the presence of woodland and forest cover types, rugged terrain, and canyon bottom and ridgeline topography were expected to be important predictors of both high quality habitat and heightened permeability. As road density, distance to water, or human population density increased, the quality and permeability of habitats were predicted to decline. Using these results, we identified 67 high quality patches across the study area, and applied concepts from electronic circuit theory to estimate regional patterns of connectivity among these patches. Maps of current flow among individual pairs of patches highlighted possible pinch points along two major interstate highways. Current flow summed across all pairs of patches highlighted areas important for keeping the entire network connected, regardless of patch size. Cumulative current flow was highest in Arizona north of the Colorado River and around Grand Canyon National Park, and in the Sky Islands region owing to the many small habitat patches present. Our outputs present a first approximation of habitat quality and connectivity for dispersing pumas in the southwestern United States. Map results can be used to help target finer-scaled analyses in support of planning efforts concerned with the maintenance of puma metapopulation structure, as well as the protection of landscape features that facilitate the dispersal process.

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“…To account for non‐harvest mortality causes, such as vehicle collisions, intra‐specific strife, and authorized removals by livestock operators, and to obtain an auxiliary estimate of harvest mortality rates, we obtained data on the fate of mountain lions that were monitored with GPS collars as part of several independent studies in Arizona conducted during 2003–2017 (Fig. ; McKinney et al ; Nicholson et al ; AZGFD, unpublished data). When a collar emitted a mortality signal or GPS data indicated a mortality, researchers investigated the cause of death for the animal.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating Mountain Lion Abundance in Arizona Using Statistical Population Reconstruction

Howard

¹

,

Clement

²

,

Peck

³

et al. 2019

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Directly monitoring abundance of cryptic species, such as mountain lions (Puma concolor), over large areas is a challenge for wildlife managers because traditional population estimation techniques may be impractical and expensive. We generated annual estimates of mountain lion abundance in Arizona, USA, for 2004–2018 by employing statistical population reconstruction methods, which use available age‐at‐harvest data and auxiliary information such as estimated survival rates, harvest probabilities, and hunter effort. Using PopRecon 2.0 software, we estimated that the statewide abundance of all mountain lions including kittens ranged from 1,848 (95% CI = 650–3,046) to 4,661 (95% CI = 393–9,030) during 2004–2018. Abundance for subadults and adults was more stable and precisely estimated, ranging from 1,166 (95% CI = 622–1,709) to 1,715 (95% CI = 872–2,558). Our results suggest a stable statewide mountain lion population. This approach provides a practical and cost‐effective option for monitoring Arizona's mountain lion population, and will improve the ability of managers to monitor the population annually to respond to changes in abundance and to evaluate factors that influence mountain lion abundance. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

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“…Puma populations are of concern to many conservation and resource management stakeholders interested in conserving wide-ranging species and the remaining landscapes they inhabit. In Arizona and New Mexico, pumas are managed by state wildlife agencies as a game animal, and their population dynamics are adversely impacted by sport harvest [20,21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correction: Models of Regional Habitat Quality and Connectivity for Pumas (Puma concolor) in the Southwestern United States

Dickson¹,

Roemer²,

McRae³

et al. 2014

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The impact of landscape changes on the quality and connectivity of habitats for multiple wildlife species is of global conservation concern. In the southwestern United States, pumas (Puma concolor) are a well distributed and wide-ranging large carnivore that are sensitive to loss of habitat and to the disruption of pathways that connect their populations. We used an expert-based approach to define and derive variables hypothesized to influence the quality, location, and permeability of habitat for pumas within an area encompassing the entire states of Arizona and New Mexico. Survey results indicated that the presence of woodland and forest cover types, rugged terrain, and canyon bottom and ridgeline topography were expected to be important predictors of both high quality habitat and heightened permeability. As road density, distance to water, or human population density increased, the quality and permeability of habitats were predicted to decline. Using these results, we identified 67 high quality patches across the study area, and applied concepts from electronic circuit theory to estimate regional patterns of connectivity among these patches. Maps of current flow among individual pairs of patches highlighted possible pinch points along two major interstate highways. Current flow summed across all pairs of patches highlighted areas important for keeping the entire network connected, regardless of patch size. Cumulative current flow was highest in Arizona north of the Colorado River and around Grand Canyon National Park, and in the Sky Islands region owing to the many small habitat patches present. Our outputs present a first approximation of habitat quality and connectivity for dispersing pumas in the southwestern United States. Map results can be used to help target finer-scaled analyses in support of planning efforts concerned with the maintenance of puma metapopulation structure, as well as the protection of landscape features that facilitate the dispersal process.

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Rates of Survival and Sources of Mortality of Cougars in Hunted Populations in North-central Arizona

Cited by 5 publications

References 20 publications

Models of Regional Habitat Quality and Connectivity for Pumas (Puma concolor) in the Southwestern United States

Models of Regional Habitat Quality and Connectivity for Pumas (Puma concolor) in the Southwestern United States

Estimating Mountain Lion Abundance in Arizona Using Statistical Population Reconstruction

Correction: Models of Regional Habitat Quality and Connectivity for Pumas (Puma concolor) in the Southwestern United States

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