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Abstract Carnivores are decreasing globally due in part to anthropogenic ecological disturbances. In Argentina, human activities have fragmented wildlife habitat, thereby intensifying puma–livestock conflict and leading to population control of the predator species by hunting. We investigated genetic variability and population structure of pumas (Puma concolor) from three south-central Argentine provinces with two different management policies for the species: full protection versus legal hunting. All genetic estimates were based on 83 individuals genotyped at 25 species-specific microsatellite loci. The overall genetic diversity was high (observed heterozygosity = 0.63), but lower than in other South American populations. Spatial analyses revealed the presence of two bottlenecked genetic clusters with very similar diversity and low gene flow (3% per generation) between them. However, analyses based on a priori separated groups showed that gene flow follows increasing values of hunting pressure, converging to the area with the greatest number of individuals harvested. Our results suggest that hunting pressure likely is contributing to the gene flow pattern, limiting pumas’ movements and creating a metapopulation dynamic among geographic subpopulations. Integrated demographic and genetic approaches are needed to better understand pumas’ movements across the landscape and adopt successful management plans to achieve long-term population viability.

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In Reply We appreciate the interest shown by Ori et al in our article. 1 It seems to us that the criticisms about ambiguities in our study being misleading are unfounded and unsubstantiated. First, our conclusions in the article are clear about their relevance to daytime sleepiness within the range observed in our study. Second, it is unclear to us what statistical biases are introduced by a study population comprising residents at different levels of training, which Ori et al mention in their letter. We would appreciate clarification on the source of bias in this context and its presumed direction. Third, we used statistical methods appropriate for our study design, specifically, generalized estimating equations to allow inferences despite differences in number of procedures performed by trainees. We refer Ori et al to a standard source for details of the statistical methods used in our article. 2 Fourth, we explicitly reported in the article that our study did not involve evaluating the association of surgeons' daytime sleepiness with patient outcomes. However, we are grateful to Ori et al for their specific suggestions on relevant outcomes.Finally, on behalf of our clinical coauthors, we note the following: it is unclear to us what is unique about the quick septoplasty technique. To our knowledge, limited elevation on the opposite side of the septum and cross-septal sutures described as part of the quick septoplasty technique are not new. Additionally, we find it difficult to understand how a quick technique or the speed of surgery alone mitigates the effect of fatigue or sleepiness on surgeons' performances, particularly when septoplasty is often accompanied with other procedures such as rhinoplasty. Furthermore, the purpose of septoplasty is not the removal of septal cartilage or reshaping the septum. It is to improve the subjective experience of nasal breathing. To this end, surgery for nasal obstruction often does not lend itself to a specific repeatable technique, and instead involves technical adaptations to reconcile subjective experience of patients with objective findings on examination. So we are unable to understand how any single technique offers something of value across the entire patient population. We did not restrict our study to any particular technique of septoplasty.