Spatial and temporal interactions of sympatric mountain lions in Arizona

Nicholson, Kerry L.; Krausman, Paul R.; Munguía‐Vega, Adrián; Culver, Melanie

doi:10.1007/s10344-011-0528-8

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast, and different from jaguars, male pumas did not show evidence of positive spatial autocorrelation at any geographic distance tested, suggesting that dispersal in pumas across this landscape is male-biased, which is consistent with previous studies [ 106 , 107 ]. However, the spatial extent of positive autocorrelation described by our study was smaller in comparison to North American pumas (e.g., [ 74 , 106 , 108 ]), suggesting that dispersal movements in Neotropical pumas, especially in females may be more restricted. Furthermore, contemporary gene flow analysis found evidence for four male first-generation migrants (i.e.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 77%

A Comparative Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Structure in Jaguars (Panthera onca), Pumas (Puma concolor), and Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) in Fragmented Landscapes of a Critical Mesoamerican Linkage Zone

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With increasing anthropogenic impact and landscape change, terrestrial carnivore populations are becoming more fragmented. Thus, it is crucial to genetically monitor wild carnivores and quantify changes in genetic diversity and gene flow in response to these threats. This study combined the use of scat detector dogs and molecular scatology to conduct the first genetic study on wild populations of multiple Neotropical felids coexisting across a fragmented landscape in Belize, Central America. We analyzed data from 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci in 1053 scat samples collected from wild jaguars (Panthera onca), pumas (Puma concolor), and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis). We assessed levels of genetic diversity, defined potential genetic clusters, and examined gene flow for the three target species on a countrywide scale using a combination of individual- and population-based analyses. Wild felids in Belize showed moderate levels of genetic variation, with jaguars having the lowest diversity estimates (HE = 0.57 ± 0.02; AR = 3.36 ± 0.09), followed by pumas (HE = 0.57 ± 0.08; AR = 4.20 ± 0.16), and ocelots (HE = 0.63 ± 0.03; AR = 4.16 ± 0.08). We observed low to moderate levels of genetic differentiation for all three target species, with jaguars showing the lowest degree of genetic subdivision across the country, followed by ocelots and pumas. Although levels of genetic diversity and gene flow were still fairly high, we detected evidence of fine-scale genetic subdivision, indicating that levels of genetic connectivity for wild felids in Belize are likely to decrease if habitat loss and fragmentation continue at the current rate. Our study demonstrates the value of understanding fine-scale patterns of gene flow in multiple co-occurring felid species of conservation concern, which is vital for wildlife movement corridor planning and prioritizing future conservation and management efforts within human-impacted landscapes.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 77%

A Comparative Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Structure in Jaguars (Panthera onca), Pumas (Puma concolor), and Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) in Fragmented Landscapes of a Critical Mesoamerican Linkage Zone

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In fact, our long‐term study following family lineages over time did record several cougar matrilineal lines in the study system, but we also recorded females that immigrated into the study area from elsewhere and then became resident (Elbroch, Quigley & Caragiulo ). Nicholson, Krausman & Munguia‐Vega () did not find evidence that genetic relatedness explained home range overlap in cougars as well. Our findings could serve to strengthen arguments that relatedness fails to influence the spatial organization of individuals in carnivore populations (Schenk, Obbard & Kovacs ; Nicholson, Krausman & Munguia‐Vega ), or alternatively, our results may have been biased by pressures of human hunting, which is permissible within our study area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Nicholson, Krausman & Munguia‐Vega () did not find evidence that genetic relatedness explained home range overlap in cougars as well. Our findings could serve to strengthen arguments that relatedness fails to influence the spatial organization of individuals in carnivore populations (Schenk, Obbard & Kovacs ; Nicholson, Krausman & Munguia‐Vega ), or alternatively, our results may have been biased by pressures of human hunting, which is permissible within our study area. Beausoleil et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Spatial overlap in a solitary carnivore: support for the land tenure, kinship or resource dispersion hypotheses?

Elbroch

Lendrum

Quigley

et al. 2015

Journal of Animal Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There are several alternative hypotheses about the effects of territoriality, kinship and prey availability on individual carnivore distributions within populations. The first is the land-tenure hypothesis, which predicts that carnivores regulate their density through territoriality and temporal avoidance. The second is the kinship hypothesis, which predicts related individuals will be clumped within populations, and the third is the resource dispersion hypothesis, which suggests that resource richness may explain variable sociality, spatial overlap or temporary aggregations of conspecifics. Research on the socio-spatial organization of animals is essential in understanding territoriality, intra- and interspecific competition, and contact rates that influence diverse ecology, including disease transmission between conspecifics and courtship behaviours. We explored these hypotheses with data collected on a solitary carnivore, the cougar (Puma concolor), from 2005 to 2012 in the Southern Yellowstone Ecosystem, Wyoming, USA. We employed 27 annual home ranges for 13 cougars to test whether home range overlap was better explained by land tenure, kinship, resource dispersion or some combination of the three. We found support for both the land tenure and resource dispersion hypotheses, but not for kinship. Cougar sex was the primary driver explaining variation in home range overlap. Males overlapped significantly with females, whereas the remaining dyads (F-F, M-M) overlapped significantly less. In support for the resource dispersion hypothesis, hunting opportunity (the probability of a cougar killing prey in a given location) was often higher in overlapping than in non-overlapping portions of cougar home ranges. In particular, winter hunt opportunity rather than summer hunt opportunity was higher in overlapping portions of female-female and male-female home ranges. Our results may indicate that solitary carnivores are more tolerant of sharing key resources with unrelated conspecifics than previously believed, or at least during periods of high resource availability. Further, our results suggest that the resource dispersion hypothesis, which is typically applied to social species, is applicable in describing the spatial organization of solitary carnivores.

show abstract

“…3). In cougars, most males disperse from their natal range, while females are more philopatric and often establish their home ranges within, or in close proximity to their mother's range (Sweanor et al 2000, Logan and Sweanor 2001, Nicholson et al 2011). In general, the SRP is of lower habitat suitability for cougars relative to the rest of the study area primarily because of human development and intensive agriculture along the Snake River.…”

Section: Implications For Landscape Genetic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this correlation can also arise due to species-specific space-use behavior; for example, when related individuals stay in close proximity to each other (Kitchen et al 2005). In cougars, most males disperse from their natal range, while females are more philopatric and often establish their home ranges within, or in close proximity to their mother's range (Sweanor et al 2000, Logan and Sweanor 2001, Nicholson et al 2011). Thus, we suggest that the significance of geographic distance at the second and third level of the hierarchical genetic structure is not only due to the limits of cougar dispersal (i.e.…”

Section: Implications For Landscape Genetic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi‐method approach for analyzing hierarchical genetic structures: a case study with cougars Puma concolor

Balkenhol¹,

Holbrook²,

Onorato³

et al. 2014

Ecography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Genetic data are increasingly used to describe the structure of wildlife populations and to infer landscape influences on functional connectivity. To accomplish this, genetic structure can be described with a multitude of methods that vary in their assumptions, advantages and limitations. While some methods discriminate distinct subpopulations separated by sharp genetic boundaries (i.e. barrier detection or clustering methods), other methods estimate gradient genetic structures using individual-based genetic distances. We present an analytical framework based on individual ancestry values that combines these different approaches and can be used to a) test for local barriers to gene flow and b) evaluate effects of landscape gradients through individual-based genetic distances that account for hierarchical genetic structure. We illustrate the approach with a data set of 371 cougars Puma concolor from a 217 000 km 2 study area in Idaho and western Montana (USA) that were genotyped at 12 microsatellite loci. Results suggest that cougars in the region show a complex, hierarchical genetic structure that is influenced by a local barrier to gene flow (an urban population cluster connected by high traffic volumes), different landscape features (the Snake River Plain, forested habitat), and geographic distance. Our novel approach helped to elucidate the relative influence of these factors on different hierarchical levels of population structure, which was not possible when using either clustering methods or standard genetic distances. Results obtained with our analytical framework highlight the need for multi-scale management of cougars in the region and show that landscape heterogeneity can create complex genetic structures, even in generalist species with high dispersal capabilities.

show abstract

Spatial and temporal interactions of sympatric mountain lions in Arizona

Cited by 11 publications

References 46 publications

A Comparative Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Structure in Jaguars (Panthera onca), Pumas (Puma concolor), and Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) in Fragmented Landscapes of a Critical Mesoamerican Linkage Zone

A Comparative Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Structure in Jaguars (Panthera onca), Pumas (Puma concolor), and Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) in Fragmented Landscapes of a Critical Mesoamerican Linkage Zone

Spatial overlap in a solitary carnivore: support for the land tenure, kinship or resource dispersion hypotheses?

A multi‐method approach for analyzing hierarchical genetic structures: a case study with cougars Puma concolor

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About