Fine‐scale habitat selection by sympatric Canada lynx and bobcat

Morin, Samantha J.; Bowman, Jeff; Marrotte, Robby R.; Fortin, Marie‐Josée

doi:10.1002/ece3.6626

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 125 publications

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“…Habitat quality was a proxy for the presence of carnivore hosts, and was a continuous variable calculated as the product of: percent forest cover 53 , percent area with slope ≤ 20° 54 , and density of hard edges (e.g., cutblocks, pipeline cuts, forest edges; R package landscapemetrics 55 ). These habitat characteristics were selected because they were considered positive predictors of carnivore presence, such as grizzly bears, lynx, bobcat, coyotes, with a focus on wolves [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68] . While this proxy for carnivore presence is imperfect as carnivore distributions varied over our sampling distribution, and carnivores may select for different landscape features at different scales, it captures important features where wolves and other carnivores may interact, and therefore where cross-species pathogen transmission may occur.…”

Section: Pack Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and processes of pathogen exposure in gray wolves across North America

Brandell

Cross

Craft

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The presence of many pathogens varies in a predictable manner with latitude, with infections decreasing from the equator towards the poles. We investigated the geographic trends of pathogens infecting a widely distributed carnivore: the gray wolf (Canis lupus). Specifically, we investigated which variables best explain and predict geographic trends in seroprevalence across North American wolf populations and the implications of the underlying mechanisms. We compiled a large serological dataset of nearly 2000 wolves from 17 study areas, spanning 80° longitude and 50° latitude. Generalized linear mixed models were constructed to predict the probability of seropositivity of four important pathogens: canine adenovirus, herpesvirus, parvovirus, and distemper virus—and two parasites: Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii. Canine adenovirus and herpesvirus were the most widely distributed pathogens, whereas N. caninum was relatively uncommon. Canine parvovirus and distemper had high annual variation, with western populations experiencing more frequent outbreaks than eastern populations. Seroprevalence of all infections increased as wolves aged, and denser wolf populations had a greater risk of exposure. Probability of exposure was positively correlated with human density, suggesting that dogs and synanthropic animals may be important pathogen reservoirs. Pathogen exposure did not appear to follow a latitudinal gradient, with the exception of N. caninum. Instead, clustered study areas were more similar: wolves from the Great Lakes region had lower odds of exposure to the viruses, but higher odds of exposure to N. caninum and T. gondii; the opposite was true for wolves from the central Rocky Mountains. Overall, mechanistic predictors were more informative of seroprevalence trends than latitude and longitude. Individual host characteristics as well as inherent features of ecosystems determined pathogen exposure risk on a large scale. This work emphasizes the importance of biogeographic wildlife surveillance, and we expound upon avenues of future research of cross-species transmission, spillover, and spatial variation in pathogen infection.

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Section: Pack Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and processes of pathogen exposure in gray wolves across North America

Brandell

Cross

Craft

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…A study in Switzerland had similar findings whereby wildcats moved to areas free of snow in winter and spring and moved back to high elevations in summer (Mermod & Liberek, 2002). Similarly, in North America, the relationship between Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis ) and bobcat (Lynx rufus ), is mediated by snowpack, with the distribution of the smaller-bodied species, the bobcat, being limited by snow depth at the northern edge of its range (Morin et al, 2020;Reed et al, 2017). Our results for marginal occupancy of lynx, wildcats, and wolf provide insights into both habitat selection and spatial relations for these elusive carnivores in Romania.…”

Section: Determinants Of Occupancymentioning

confidence: 84%

Dracula’s menagerie: A multispecies occupancy analysis of lynx, wildcat, and wolf in the Romanian Carpathians

Dyck

Iosif²,

Promberger–Fürpass³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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1. The recovery of terrestrial carnivores in Europe is a conservation success story. Initiatives focused on restoring top predators, require information on how resident species may interact with the re-introduced species as their interactions have the potential to alter food webs, yet such data are scarce for Europe. 2. In this study, we assessed patterns of occupancy and interactions between three carnivore species in the Romanian Carpathians. Romania houses one of the few intact carnivore guilds in Europe, making it an ideal system to assess intraguild interactions, and serve as a guide for reintroductions elsewhere. 3. We used camera trap data from two seasons in Transylvanian forests to assess occupancy and co-occurrence of carnivores using multispecies occupancy models. 4. Mean occupancy in the study area was highest for lynx ( winter= 0.76 95% CI: 0.42-0.92; autumn= 0.71 CI: 0.38-0.84) and wolf (winter= 0.60 CI: 0.34-0.78; autumn= 0.81 CI: 0.25-0.95) and lowest for wildcat (winter= 0.40 CI: 0.19-0.63; autumn= 0.52 CI: 0.17-0.78) 5. We found that marginal occupancy predictors for carnivores varied between seasons. We also found differences in predictors of co-occupancy between seasons for both lynx-wolf and wildcat-wolf co-occupancy. For both seasons, we found that conditional occupancy probabilities of all three species were higher when another species was present. 6. Our results indicate that while there are seasonal differences in predictors of occupancy and co-occupancy of the three species, co-occurrence in our study area is high, and is dependent on the existence of continuous, relatively undisturbed forests. 7. Terrestrial carnivore recovery efforts are ongoing worldwide. Insights into interspecific relations between carnivore species are critical when considering the depauperate communities they are introduced in. Our work showcases that apex carnivore coexistence is possible, but dependent on protection afforded to forest habitats and their prey base.

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“…A study in Switzerland had similar findings whereby wildcats moved to areas free of snow in winter and spring and moved back to high elevations in summer (Mermod & Liberek, 2002). Similarly, in North America, the relationship between Canadian lynx ( Lynx canadensis ) and bobcat ( Lynx rufus ) is mediated by snowpack, with the distribution of the less snow‐adapted, the bobcat, being limited by snow depth at the northern edge of its range (Morin et al, 2020; Reed et al, 2017). Our results for marginal occupancy of lynx, wildcats, and wolf provide insights into both habitat selection and spatial relations for these elusive carnivores in Romania.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dracula’s ménagerie: A multispecies occupancy analysis of lynx, wildcat, and wolf in the Romanian Carpathians

Dyck

Iosif²,

Promberger–Fürpass³

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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The recovery of terrestrial carnivores in Europe is a conservation success story. Initiatives focused on restoring top predators require information on how resident species may interact with the re‐introduced species as their interactions have the potential to alter food webs, yet such data are scarce for Europe. In this study, we assessed patterns of occupancy and interactions between three carnivore species in the Romanian Carpathians. Romania houses one of the few intact carnivore guilds in Europe, making it an ideal system to assess intraguild interactions and serve as a guide for reintroductions elsewhere. We used camera trap data from two seasons in Transylvanian forests to assess occupancy and co‐occurrence of carnivores using multispecies occupancy models. Mean occupancy in the study area was highest for lynx (Ψwinter = 0.76 95% CI: 0.42–0.92; Ψautumn = 0.71 CI: 0.38–0.84) and wolf (Ψwinter = 0.60 CI: 0.34–0.78; Ψautumn = 0.81 CI: 0.25–0.95) and lowest for wildcat (Ψwinter = 0.40 CI: 0.19–0.63; Ψautumn = 0.52 CI: 0.17–0.78) We found that marginal occupancy predictors for carnivores varied between seasons. We also found differences in predictors of co‐occurrence between seasons for both lynx‐wolf and wildcat‐wolf co‐occurrence. For both seasons, we found that conditional occupancy probabilities of all three species were higher when another species was present. Our results indicate that while there are seasonal differences in predictors of occupancy and co‐occurrence of the three species, co‐occurrence in our study area is high. Terrestrial carnivore recovery efforts are ongoing worldwide. Insights into interspecific relations between carnivore species are critical when considering the depauperate communities they are introduced in. Our work showcases that apex carnivore coexistence is possible, but dependent on protection afforded to forest habitats and their prey base.

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Fine‐scale habitat selection by sympatric Canada lynx and bobcat

Cited by 12 publications

References 125 publications

Patterns and processes of pathogen exposure in gray wolves across North America

Patterns and processes of pathogen exposure in gray wolves across North America

Dracula’s menagerie: A multispecies occupancy analysis of lynx, wildcat, and wolf in the Romanian Carpathians

Dracula’s ménagerie: A multispecies occupancy analysis of lynx, wildcat, and wolf in the Romanian Carpathians

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