Dispersal Characteristics of Juvenile Bobcats in South‐Central Indiana

Abstract

Bobcat (Lynx rufus) populations in the Midwestern United States experienced historic declines due to habitat loss and exploitation but have rebounded in recent decades. We investigated natal dispersal of juvenile bobcats from a population in south‐central Indiana, USA, from 1999 to 2006. We radiocollared 16 juvenile bobcats (11 M, 5 F) and monitored them for 237–1,014 days (x̄ = 506). One female (20%) and 11 males (100%) dispersed from natal home ranges that averaged 14.6 km2 in size. Most juveniles (70%) initiated dispersal from mid‐February through March, late in their first year. Only 5 bobcats (42%) ultimately established a final home range 63 ± 35 km2 in size 13–92 km (x̄ = 44) from their natal range 140 ± 45 days after initiating dispersal. Survival did not differ (P = 0.93) between dispersing (S = 0.73) and philopatric (S = 0.75) individuals, although 4 bobcats (3 M, 1 F) were killed in collisions with vehicles. We found dispersal of bobcats in fragmented landscapes is prolonged and often unsuccessful; the ability of dispersers to locate suitable vacant habitat patches may be vital to the continued growth of bobcat populations recolonizing the agricultural Midwest.

Unsustainable anthropogenic mortality disrupts natal dispersal and promotes inbreeding in leopards

“…While behavioral avoidance alone does not seem to be a strong enough driver of dispersal, as local inbreeding was observed (father–daughter and half‐sibling) in PMC, it may be muting even stronger population‐level inbreeding signals. Similar findings of reduced dispersal and outbreeding benefits linked to sustained harvest have been documented in pumas (Logan & Sweanor, ; Sweanor, Logan, & Hornocker, ), bobcats ( Lynx rufus ; Johnson, Walker, & Hudson, ), and black bears ( Ursus americanus ; Moore, Draheim, Etter, Winterstein, & Scribner, ). While the PMC leopard population is currently recovering from high levels of anthropogenically‐linked mortality (Rogan et al, ), demographic‐based metrics alone do not reveal the loss of genetic diversity and the consequences this may have for the future health and viability of the population (Kendall et al, ).…”

Climate connectivity of the bobcat in the Great Lakes region

“…From 2012 to the end of 2017, we collected bobcat pelt samples from the North American Fur Auction (NAFA), Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, researchers, and trappers (Figure ). We sampled bobcat pelts found within an area around the Great Lakes defined by the maximum dispersal distance of the bobcat of 300 km (Johnson, Walker, & Hudson, ). We sampled on both sides of the international border between Canada and the United States.…”

“…We then explored the spatial structure of these data using a spatial principal component analysis (sPCA; Jombart, Devillard, Dufour, & Pontier, ) and tested for patterns of spatial autocorrelation. We used a distance‐based nearest neighbor approach, where individuals within 300 km were assumed to be neighbors, since bobcat have been observed to disperse up to 288 km from their natal range (Johnson et al, ; Knick & Bailey, ). We also tested different neighborhood approaches and found similar spatial patterns.…”

Natal dispersal of tree sloths in a human‐dominated landscape: Implications for tropical biodiversity conservation

“…Natal dispersal, the movement of an individual animal from its birthplace to its first breeding location, can have particularly important consequences for population dynamics given the high mortality rates that young individuals typically experience when travelling through new environments (Howard, ; Johnson, Walker, & Hudson, ). Habitat fragmentation can disrupt natal dispersal by increasing required travel distances and exposure to unfavourable environments (Clobert, ; King & With, ).…”

“…Moreover, tropical species tend to be more impacted by habitat fragmentation than temperate species as a result of their narrower resource requirements and shorter history of exposure to patchily distributed habitats (Fahrig, 2003;Klingbeil & Willig, 2009). Natal dispersal, the movement of an individual animal from its birthplace to its first breeding location, can have particularly important consequences for population dynamics given the high mortality rates that young individuals typically experience when travelling through new environments (Howard, 1960;Johnson, Walker, & Hudson, 2010). Habitat fragmentation can disrupt natal dispersal by increasing required travel distances and exposure to unfavourable environments (Clobert, 2012;King & With, 2002).…”