Bed site selection by a subordinate predator: an example with the cougar (Puma concolor) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Abstract

As technology has improved, our ability to study cryptic animal behavior has increased. Bed site selection is one such example. Among prey species, bed site selection provides thermoregulatory benefits and mitigates predation risk, and may directly influence survival. We conducted research to test whether a subordinate carnivore also selected beds with similar characteristics in an ecosystem supporting a multi-species guild of competing predators. We employed a model comparison approach in which we tested whether cougar (Puma concolor) bed site attributes supported the thermoregulatory versus the predator avoidance hypotheses, or exhibited characteristics supporting both hypotheses. Between 2012–2016, we investigated 599 cougar bed sites in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and examined attributes at two scales: the landscape (second-order, n = 599) and the microsite (fourth order, n = 140). At the landscape scale, cougars selected bed sites in winter that supported both the thermoregulatory and predator avoidance hypotheses: bed sites were on steeper slopes but at lower elevations, closer to the forest edge, away from sagebrush and meadow habitat types, and on southern, eastern, and western-facing slopes. In the summer, bed attributes supported the predator avoidance hypothesis over the thermoregulation hypothesis: beds were closer to forest edges, away from sagebrush and meadow habitat classes, and on steeper slopes. At the microsite scale, cougar bed attributes in both the winter and summer supported both the predator avoidance and thermoregulatory hypotheses: they selected bed sites with high canopy cover, high vegetative concealment, and in a rugged habitat class characterized by cliff bands and talus fields. We found that just like prey species, a subordinate predator selected bed sites that facilitated both thermoregulatory and anti-predator functions. In conclusion, we believe that measuring bed site attributes may provide a novel means of measuring the use of refugia by subordinate predators, and ultimately provide new insights into the habitat requirements and energetics of subordinate carnivores.

Seasonal habitat selection of cougars Puma concolor by sex and reproductive state in west‐central Alberta, Canada

“…Similar to other studies (Logan and Irwin 1985, Arundel et al 2007, Kusler et al 2017, all cougars selected steeper terrain. White-tailed deer and mule deer tend to select sloped terrain (Pauley et al 1993, Armleder et al 1994 and Logan and Irwin (1985) suggest that cougar selection for such terrain may reflect use by deer, good stalking cover and prey caching areas.…”

“…White-tailed deer and mule deer tend to select sloped terrain (Pauley et al 1993, Armleder et al 1994 and Logan and Irwin (1985) suggest that cougar selection for such terrain may reflect use by deer, good stalking cover and prey caching areas. Furthermore, cougars may use steeper terrain to avert interactions with dominant carnivores as well as provide thermoregulatory benefits during winter (Kusler et al 2017). Steep embankments along rivers and sloped terrain in the west and southwest portion of the study area likely provide similar benefits to cougars.…”

Habitat selection when killing primary versus alternative prey species supports prey specialization in an apex predator

“…We considered topography (elevation, slope, aspect and ruggedness), vegetation (seven vegetation types), cover (canopy at base height) and edge density as biologically relevant covariates for puma habitat selection analyses (e.g. Elbroch et al , ; Robinson et al , ; Kusler et al , ).…”

“…Many studies use global positioning system (GPS) locations and resource selection functions (RSFs; Manly et al, 2002) to evaluate animal habitat selection (Sawyer et al, 2007;Dellinger et al, 2013;Ranglack & du Toit, 2015;Cristescu et al, 2016). However, habitat selection can vary according to behavioural state (Nathan et al, 2008;Cristescu, Stenhouse & Boyce, 2015;Kusler et al, 2017). Thus, analyses lacking behavioural context may offer generic insights into where animals are likely to occur, but miss the importance of lesser used habitats and their potential fitness benefits (Bose et al, 2018).…”

Habitat selection when killing primary versus alternative prey species supports prey specialization in an apex predator

“…We considered topography (elevation, slope, aspect and ruggedness), vegetation (seven vegetation types), cover (canopy at base height) and edge density as biologically relevant covariates for puma habitat selection analyses (e.g. Robinson et al, 2015;Kusler et al, 2017).…”