Understanding Fluctuations in Bobcat Harvest at the Northern Limit of Their Range

Lavoie, Maxime; Collin, Pierre‐Yves; Lemieux, Florent; Jolicoeur, Hélène; Canac-Marquis, Pierre; Larivière, Serge

doi:10.2193/2008-275

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…when a negative abiotic factor decreased along with a corresponding increase in positive unlinked biotic factors (Dawe & Boutin, 2016;Lavoie et al, 2009 (Baker & Hobbs, 1985) and New England cottontails Sylvilagus transitionalis (Weidman & Litvaitis, 2011). These studies support the iRLT prediction of range expansion along upper limits, where the strength of biotic factors ameliorate harsh abiotic conditions ( Figure 2b).…”

Section: Range Expansion Along Upper Limits Was Especially Evidentsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…Range expansion along upper limits was especially evident when a negative abiotic factor decreased along with a corresponding increase in positive unlinked biotic factors (Dawe & Boutin, ; Lavoie et al, ). Some of the best examples include the northward expansion of opossum Didelphis virginiana and raccoons Procyon lotor in response to increasing food availability in conjunction with warming climate (Kanda, Fuller, Sievert, & Kellogg, ; Larivière, ; Pitt et al, ).…”

Section: Review Of Evidence For Irltmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interactive range‐limit theory (iRLT): An extension for predicting range shifts

Sirén

Morelli

2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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A central theme of range‐limit theory (RLT) posits that abiotic factors form high‐latitude/altitude limits, whereas biotic interactions create lower limits. This hypothesis, often credited to Charles Darwin, is a pattern widely assumed to occur in nature. However, abiotic factors can impose constraints on both limits and there is scant evidence to support the latter prediction. Deviations from these predictions may arise from correlations between abiotic factors and biotic interactions, as a lack of data to evaluate the hypothesis, or be an artifact of scale. Combining two tenets of ecology—niche theory and predator–prey theory—provides an opportunity to understand how biotic interactions influence range limits and how this varies by trophic level. We propose an expansion of RLT, interactive RLT (iRLT), to understand the causes of range limits and predict range shifts. Incorporating the main predictions of Darwin's hypothesis, iRLT hypothesizes that abiotic and biotic factors can interact to impact both limits of a species’ range. We summarize current thinking on range limits and perform an integrative review to evaluate support for iRLT and trophic differences along range margins, surveying the mammal community along the boreal‐temperate and forest‐tundra ecotones of North America. Our review suggests that range‐limit dynamics are more nuanced and interactive than classically predicted by RLT. Many (57 of 70) studies indicate that biotic factors can ameliorate harsh climatic conditions along high‐latitude/altitude limits. Conversely, abiotic factors can also mediate biotic interactions along low‐latitude/altitude limits (44 of 68 studies). Both scenarios facilitate range expansion, contraction or stability depending on the strength and the direction of the abiotic or biotic factors. As predicted, biotic interactions most often occurred along lower limits, yet there were trophic differences. Carnivores were only limited by competitive interactions (n = 25), whereas herbivores were more influenced by predation and parasitism (77%; 55 of 71 studies). We highlight how these differences may create divergent range patterns along lower limits. We conclude by (a) summarizing iRLT; (b) contrasting how our model system and others fit this hypothesis and (c) suggesting future directions for evaluating iRLT.

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Section: Range Expansion Along Upper Limits Was Especially Evidentsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Review Of Evidence For Irltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactive range‐limit theory (iRLT): An extension for predicting range shifts

Sirén

Morelli

2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…These abundances were divided by the area of the trapline/county to obtain number of individuals harvested per km 2 . We make the assumption that these harvest estimates reflect actual variability in coyote abundance between areas (Litvaitis et al ., ; Lavoie et al ., ; Kapfer & Potts, ). Although many factors outside of density patterns may affect harvest levels (e.g.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of hybridization on niche shifts in expanding coyote populations

Thornton

Murray

2014

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim The degree to which niches of species change over time or space has important implications for ecology and evolutionary biology. However, conditions that give rise to niche shifts remain poorly understood. In particular, the relative influence of release from predation or competition (change in realized niche) vs. genetically based alterations (change in fundamental niche) has received little attention. We studied niche shifts in expanding coyote (Canis latrans) populations. During expansion from their historic range, coyotes experienced marked changes in competitive regimes and also genetic changes (i.e. hybridization), and these alterations occurred unevenly across the expanding front. The goal of this study was to determine the presence and degree of niche shifts in expanding coyote populations and the potential influence of hybridization on these patterns. Location North America.Methods We developed species distribution models and compared climatic niche overlap between historic and expanding coyote populations with different levels of genetic introgression with wolves. We also developed harvest models to examine differences in how coyote and coyote hybrids responded to human disturbance and land use.Results Niche differentiation is most pronounced for expanding coyote populations that have experienced substantial hybridization with wolves. An examination of response curves suggests that coyotes in the north-east may have shifted to a more wolflike niche.Main conclusions Hybridization or other processes that promote genetic changes in populations may be associated with niche shifts. These findings help explain why hybridization often leads to increased invasiveness, and further support the notion that genetic differentiation below the level of species can lead to niche divergence. Our results also highlight the caution needed when predicting distributional changes due to invasion or climate change, particularly among populations exposed to genetic change.

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“…First, many predator individuals may be captured incidentally (or not) in snares intended for others (see e.g. Lavoie et al 2009). Secondly, it may be commonplace for trappers to trap less during years where one of their primary targets is scarce (see Novak et al 1987), thereby yielding low returns for other species too.…”

Section: -Trapline-level Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of coyote on Canada lynx populations assessed at two different spatial scales

et al. 2015

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Previous studies have suggested that the attenuation of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) cyclic dynamics with decreasing latitude may be the consequence of a reduced specialization on the lynx's primary prey, snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus). However, intraguild competitive interactions remain largely unexplored in situations where the temporal dynamics of food resources is pronounced, and lynx populations in the south of their distribution may be negatively affected by interspecific competition with other carnivores. In this paper, we used spectral analysis of fur harvest data collected at the state (US) and province (Canada) level to explore the spatial gradient of cyclic dynamics in lynx. Although some patterns were consistent with the 'diet specialization' hypothesis, we found that temporal variance of cycling propensity peaked at mid-latitudes, where transient, non-cyclic periods, coexisted with regular 10-year cycles. In these mid-latitude zones, non-cyclic periods did not coincide with loss of snowshoe hare cycling as demonstrated by historical records, and were not more frequent in recent decades as could be expected under a 'climatic forcing' scenario. Instead, we show that non-cyclic periods tended to coincide with periods of high coyote (Canis latrans) abundance and periods when coyotes apparently tracked snowshoe hare abundance as suggested by significant 10-year cycles lagging one or two years behind hare peaks. We used landscape-scale (trapline) fur harvest returns from five provinces in Canada to further probe the importance of interspecific competition in Canada lynx population dynamics. Accounting for coyote distribution and abundance did not bring additional explanatory and predictive power to models based solely on environmental and autecological predictors, suggesting that competition with coyote is not a force driving population abundance and cyclicity among lynx. We discuss the possible factors behind the apparent lack of consistency across spatial scales and recommend that further studies examine species interactions at a smaller (local) scale.Abbreviations: GLM-Generalized Linear Model, IAD-N-inflation-adjusted + detrended harvest number, IA-N-inflation-adjusted harvest number, HPD-Highest Posterior Density, RLRT-Restricted Loglikelihood Ratio Test.

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Understanding Fluctuations in Bobcat Harvest at the Northern Limit of Their Range

Cited by 12 publications

References 16 publications

Interactive range‐limit theory (iRLT): An extension for predicting range shifts

Interactive range‐limit theory (iRLT): An extension for predicting range shifts

Influence of hybridization on niche shifts in expanding coyote populations

The influence of coyote on Canada lynx populations assessed at two different spatial scales

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