Bobcat and rabbit habitat use in an urban landscape

Karels, Tim J.; Moriarty, Joanne Gale; Brown, Justin L.; Riley, Seth P. D.

doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyz062

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…To more directly address our hypothesis of the selection of development being related to abundance and activity of deer, we would need more information on how mule deer interact with urban and suburban landscapes in our system. Unfortunately, there are very few studies about urban mule deer generally, or about their movements and habitat use in urban landscapes specifically (Bender et al 2004 If mountain lions are indeed selecting urban edges because of heavy use of those edges by mule deer that are taking advantage of anthropogenic vegetation, then this would be an example of a secondary urban resource subsidy (Dunagan et al 2019). Omnivorous species such as raccoons and coyotes that reach high densities in urban areas Riley 2010, Hadidian et al 2010) can receive a primary urban resource subsidy by directly consuming anthropogenic resources such as trash, ornamental fruit, or pets (Larson et al 2020), and obligate carnivores such as mountain lions or bobcats may benefit indirectly from urbanization if their prey populations are augmented (e.g., bobcats and rabbits; Dunagan et al 2019).…”

Section: Response To Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big Cats in the Big City: Spatial Ecology of Mountain Lions in Greater Los Angeles

Riley

Sikich

Benson³

2021

J Wildl Manag

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Large carnivores can represent the ultimate challenge for conservation in developed landscapes because of their large area requirements and potential for conflict with humans. Some large carnivores such as mountain lions (Puma concolor) can use a wide range of biomes and vegetation types, and in southern California, USA, they persist in metropolitan Los Angeles, a megacity of 18 million people. Understanding how large carnivores use highly altered landscapes is important for their conservation and management. We estimated home range size, landscape use, and landscape selection for mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding areas for 29 subadult and adult animals from 2002 to 2016, using 128,133 locations from global positioning system (GPS)-collars. Home range size was similar to that reported by other researchers; home ranges averaged 372 km 2 for adult males and 134 km 2 for adult females, except for 2 adult males in isolated habitat fragments that maintained 2 of the smallest adult male home ranges ever recorded (24 km 2 and 54 km 2 ). Mountain lions very rarely entered developed areas, consistently avoided altered open areas such as golf courses, cemeteries, or other landscaped spaces, and showed a positive relationship between home range size and amount of development, all indicating that developed areas have reduced value for mountain lions. Mountain lions from all sex and age classes selected areas closer to development than expected by chance, which could be related to the presence of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) or other prey in or adjacent to urbanization. For 2 adult males that occupied home ranges within the most urban portions of our study area, their response to urban development differed strongly across diurnal periods, ranging from avoidance during the day to selection at night. Shrub vegetation types, especially chaparral, were important in terms of habitat use and resource selection, highlighting their importance for conservation of the species in southern California. North America's largest felid can thrive in shrublands and persist even in one of the world's largest cities, although they only very rarely venture into developed areas within that city.

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Section: Response To Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big Cats in the Big City: Spatial Ecology of Mountain Lions in Greater Los Angeles

Riley

Sikich

Benson³

2021

J Wildl Manag

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“…Anthropogenic food sources directly available to wildlife, such as discarded human food, pet food, human-associated fruits, and domestic animals, are considered primary urban resource subsidies. However, urbanization can also enhance the abundance of native (or non-native) prey species, thus providing a secondary resource subsidy to consumers [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This species readily colonizes urban areas and learns to consume the resources found in those areas (reviewed in [21]). Their natural prey base in cities can be limited, as native rodents are sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation [22,23], however some prey populations can be as abundant in urban areas as in nearby natural areas (e.g., rabbits; [19]). Coyotes may subsidize their diet with anthropogenic items in increasingly urban (i.e., isolated) patches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of urbanization on resource use and individual specialization in coyotes (Canis latrans) in southern California

et al. 2020

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Urban environments are unique because fragments of natural or semi-natural habitat are embedded within a potentially permeable matrix of human-dominated areas, creating increased landscape and, potentially, habitat heterogeneity. In addition, urban areas can provide diet subsidies for wildlife species in the form of fruiting ornamental plants, trash, and domestic animals. Ecological opportunity in the forms of habitat and food heterogeneity are thought to be important mechanisms in maintaining individual specialization. Identifying which contexts, traits, and mechanisms determine the success or failure of individuals within an urban wildlife population could potentially provide predictions about which populations may succeed in human-dominated landscapes and which may experience local extinction. We used both scat and stable isotope analysis of whiskers to investigate the degree to which coyotes (Canis latrans) utilized anthropogenic subsidies and exhibited individual diet specialization across the urban-rural gradient in southern California. Land use surrounding scat and isotope sample locations was also evaluated to determine the effect of land cover on diet. Human food constituted a significant portion of urban coyote diet (22% of scats, 38% of diet estimated by stable isotope analysis). Domestic cats (Felis catus) and ornamental fruit and seeds were also important items in urban coyote diets. Consumption of anthropogenic items decreased with decreasing urbanization. In suburban areas, seasonality influenced the frequency of occurrence of anthropogenic subsidies with increased consumption in the dry season. The amount of altered open space (areas such as golf courses, cemeteries, and landscaped parks) nearby had a negative effect on the consumption of anthropogenic items in both urban and suburban areas. Contrary to our hypothesis, urban coyotes displayed reduced between-individual variation compared to suburban and rural coyotes. It is possible that the core urban areas of cities are so densely developed and subsidized that wildlife inhabiting these areas actually have reduced ecological opportunity. Suburban animals had the broadest isotopic niches and maintained similar individual specialization to rural coyotes. Wildlife in suburban areas still have access to relatively undisturbed natural areas while being able to take advantage of anthropogenic subsidies in neighboring residential areas. Therefore, areas with intermediate urban development may be associated with increased ecological opportunity and specialization.

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“…While it is possible rabbits have acclimated to human presence (Samia et al, 2015;Dunagan et al, 2019), their response to domestic dogs indicates that they continue to perceive them as a threat. Domestic dogs are morphologically similar to coyotes, but occupy much higher densities in urban areas and may represent a novel threat similar enough to a natural predator to induce a stronger vigilance response.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vigilance Response of a Key Prey Species to Anthropogenic and Natural Threats in Detroit

et al. 2021

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Rapid urbanization coupled with increased human activity induces pressures that affect predator-prey relations through a suite of behavioral mechanisms, including alteration of avoidance and coexistence dynamics. Synergisms of natural and anthropogenic threats existing within urban environments exacerbate the necessity for species to differentially modify behavior to each risk. Here, we explore the behavioral response of a key prey species, cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus), to pressures from humans, domestic dogs, and a natural predator, coyotes (Canis latrans) in a human-dominated landscape. We conducted the first camera survey in urban parks throughout Detroit, Michigan in 2017–2020 to assess vigilance response corresponding to a heterogeneous landscape created from variation in the occupancy of threats. We predicted a scaled response where cottontail rabbits would be most vigilant in areas with high coyote activity, moderately vigilant in areas with high domestic dog activity, and the least vigilant in areas of high human activity. From 8,165 independent cottontail rabbit detections in Detroit across 11,616 trap nights, one-third were classified as vigilant. We found vigilance behavior increased with coyote occupancy and in locations with significantly high domestic dog activity, but found no significant impact of human occupancy or their spatial hotspots. We also found little spatial overlap between rabbits and threats, suggesting rabbits invest more in spatial avoidance; thus, less effort is required for vigilance. Our results elucidate strategies of a prey species coping with various risks to advance our understanding of the adaptability of wildlife in urban environments. In order to promote coexistence between people and wildlife in urban greenspaces, we must understand and anticipate the ecological implications of human-induced behavioral modifications.

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Bobcat and rabbit habitat use in an urban landscape

Cited by 18 publications

References 51 publications

Big Cats in the Big City: Spatial Ecology of Mountain Lions in Greater Los Angeles

Big Cats in the Big City: Spatial Ecology of Mountain Lions in Greater Los Angeles

Effects of urbanization on resource use and individual specialization in coyotes (Canis latrans) in southern California

Vigilance Response of a Key Prey Species to Anthropogenic and Natural Threats in Detroit

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