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Snider MH, Athreya VR, Balme GA, Bidner LR, Farhadinia MS, Fattebert J, Gompper ME, Gubbi S, Hunter LTB, Isbell LA, Macdonald DW, Odden M, Owen CR, Slotow R, Spalton JA, Stein AB, Steyn V, Vanak AT, Weise FJ, Wilmers CC, Kays R. Home range variation in leopards living across the human density gradient. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Home range size is a fundamental measure of animal space use, providing insight into habitat quality, animal density, and social organization. Human impacts increasingly are affecting wildlife, especially among wide-ranging species that encounter anthropogenic disturbance. Leopards (Panthera pardus) provide a useful model for studying this relationship because leopards coexist with people at high and low human densities and are sensitive to human disturbance. To compare leopard home range size across a range of human densities and other environmental conditions, we combined animal tracking data from 74 leopards in multiple studies with new analytical techniques that accommodate different sampling regimes. We predicted that home ranges would be smaller in more productive habitats and areas of higher human population density due to possible linkage with leopard prey subsidies from domestic species. We also predicted that male leopards would have larger home ranges than those of females. Home ranges varied in size from 14.5 km2 in India to 885.6 km2 in Namibia, representing a 60-fold magnitude of variation. Home range stability was evident for 95.2% of nontranslocated individuals and 38.5% of translocated individuals. Leopard home range sizes were negatively correlated with landscape productivity, and males used larger areas than females. Leopards in open habitats had a predicted negative correlation in home range size with human population density, but leopards in closed habitats used larger home ranges in areas with more people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H Snider
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Laura R Bidner
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Mohammed S Farhadinia
- Oxford Martin School and Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Future4Leopards Foundation, Tehran, Iran
| | - Julien Fattebert
- Center for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Matthew E Gompper
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
| | - Sanjay Gubbi
- Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, Karnataka, India
- Kuvempu University, Shankarghatta, Karnataka, India
| | - Luke T B Hunter
- Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Lynne A Isbell
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya
- Department of Anthropology and Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Oxfordshire, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Morten Odden
- Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2418 Elverum, Norway
| | - Cailey R Owen
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Rob Slotow
- School of Life Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus, Scottsville, South Africa
| | | | - Andrew B Stein
- CLAWS Conservancy, 32 Pine Tree Drive, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
- Landmark College, Putney, VT, USA
| | | | - Abi T Vanak
- DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, Hyderabad, Telengana, India
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Christopher C Wilmers
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Roland Kays
- Biodiversity Research Lab, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
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Milleret C, Bischof R, Dupont P, Brøseth H, Odden J, Mattisson J. GPS collars have an apparent positive effect on the survival of a large carnivore. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210128. [PMID: 34186003 PMCID: PMC8241484 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Are instrumented animals representative of the population, given the potential bias caused by selective sampling and the influence of capture, handling and wearing bio-loggers? The answer is elusive owing to the challenges of obtaining comparable data from individuals with and without bio-loggers. Using non-invasive genetic data of a large carnivore, the wolverine (Gulo gulo) in Scandinavia, and an open-population spatial capture-recapture model, we found a 16 (credible interval: 4-30) percentage points lower mortality probability for GPS-collared individuals compared with individuals without GPS collars. While the risk of dying from legal culling was comparable for collared and non-collared wolverines, the former experienced lower probability of mortality due to causes other than legal culling. The aforementioned effect was pronounced despite a potentially lower age-and therefore likely higher natural mortality-of collared individuals. Reports of positive effects of bio-loggers on the survival of individuals are uncommon and we argue that GPS collars could shield animals from poaching. Our results highlight the challenges of drawing population-level inferences for populations subjected to poaching when using data from instrumented individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Milleret
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Richard Bischof
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Pierre Dupont
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Henrik Brøseth
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - John Odden
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), 0855 Oslo, Norway
| | - Jenny Mattisson
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), 7485 Trondheim, Norway
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Guerisoli MDLM, Luengos Vidal E, Caruso N, Giordano AJ, Lucherini M. Puma–livestock conflicts in the Americas: a review of the evidence. Mamm Rev 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria de las Mercedes Guerisoli
- GECOBI (Grupo de Genética y Ecología en Conservación y Biodiversidad) División Mastozoología Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” Angel Gallardo 490 Buenos Aires1405Argentina
- Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia e Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur Universidad Nacional del Sur ‐ CONICET San Juan 670 Bahía Blanca8000Argentina
- S.P.E.C.I.E.S P.O. Box 7403 Ventura California USA
| | - Estela Luengos Vidal
- Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia e Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur Universidad Nacional del Sur ‐ CONICET San Juan 670 Bahía Blanca8000Argentina
| | - Nicolás Caruso
- Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia e Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur Universidad Nacional del Sur ‐ CONICET San Juan 670 Bahía Blanca8000Argentina
| | | | - Mauro Lucherini
- Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia e Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur Universidad Nacional del Sur ‐ CONICET San Juan 670 Bahía Blanca8000Argentina
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Metz MC, SunderRaj J, Smith DW, Stahler DR, Kohl MT, Cassidy KA, Hebblewhite M. Accounting for imperfect detection in observational studies: modeling wolf sightability in Yellowstone National Park. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C. Metz
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula Montana 59812 USA
- Yellowstone Wolf Project Yellowstone Center for Resources Yellowstone National Park Wyoming 82190 USA
| | - Jeremy SunderRaj
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula Montana 59812 USA
| | - Douglas W. Smith
- Yellowstone Wolf Project Yellowstone Center for Resources Yellowstone National Park Wyoming 82190 USA
| | - Daniel R. Stahler
- Yellowstone Wolf Project Yellowstone Center for Resources Yellowstone National Park Wyoming 82190 USA
| | - Michel T. Kohl
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA
| | - Kira A. Cassidy
- Yellowstone Wolf Project Yellowstone Center for Resources Yellowstone National Park Wyoming 82190 USA
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula Montana 59812 USA
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Treves A, Artelle KA, Darimont CT, Parsons DR. Mismeasured mortality: correcting estimates of wolf poaching in the United States. J Mammal 2017; 98:1256-1264. [PMID: 30135609 PMCID: PMC6093422 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Measuring rates and causes of mortalities is important in animal ecology and management. Observing the fates of known individuals is a common method of estimating life history variables, including mortality patterns. It has long been assumed that data lost when known animals disappear were unbiased. We test and reject this assumption under conditions common to most, if not all, studies using marked animals. We illustrate the bias for 4 endangered wolf populations in the United States by reanalyzing data and assumptions about the known and unknown fates of marked wolves to calculate the degree to which risks of different causes of death were mismeasured. We find that, when using traditional methods, the relative risk of mortality from legal killing measured as a proportion of all known fates was overestimated by 0.05–0.16 and the relative risk of poaching was underestimated by 0.17–0.44. We show that published government estimates are affected by these biases and, importantly, are underestimating the risk of poaching. The underestimates have obscured the magnitude of poaching as the major threat to endangered wolf populations. We offer methods to correct estimates of mortality risk for marked animals of any taxon and describe the conditions under which traditional methods produce more or less bias. We also show how correcting past and future estimates of mortality parameters can address uncertainty about wildlife populations and increase the predictability and sustainability of wildlife management interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Treves
- Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 30A Science Hall, 550 North Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA (AT)
| | - Kyle A Artelle
- Earth2Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University , 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, and Hakai Institute and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Canada (KAA)
| | - Chris T Darimont
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 1700, Stn CSC, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 2Y2, and Hakai Institute and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Canada (CTD)
| | - David R Parsons
- Project Coyote, 2723 Decker Avenue NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107, USA (DRP)
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Cross-jurisdictional management of a trophy-hunted species. J Theor Biol 2017; 420:41-52. [PMID: 28188735 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Gray wolves (Canis lupus) are managed for competing uses in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Tourism benefits Yellowstone National Park (YNP) visitors while trophy hunting benefits hunters outside of the park. We investigate the policy scope of gray wolf management across jurisdictional boundaries by incorporating three foundations of the behavioral ecology of wolves: refuge-seeking behavior, optimal foraging group size and territoriality. Tradeoffs between and within consumptive and non-consumptive human benefits and wolf population fitness and life history indicators are quantified as a set of elasticities, providing clear implications to resource managers. Our approach highlights that hunting intensity affects the provision of consumptive and non-consumptive human benefits across jurisdictional boundaries and ought to be managed accordingly. We also show that population levels are an incomplete indicator of species fitness, which may depend on how hunting policies impact underlying group ecology. Our findings suggest traditional optimization approaches to wildlife management may lead to suboptimal policy recommendations when the boundaries on the natural system are oversimplified. Highlighting the human element of wildlife management, we show that understanding tourist and hunter responses to wildlife population abundances is critical to balancing provision of consumptive and non-consumptive human uses.
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