Space use and resource selection of bobcats in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia

Abstract

2 15 ABSTRACT 16 Bobcats are an apex predator and a species of socio-cultural importance in the central 17 Appalachian Mountains. Despite their importance, knowledge of bobcat spatial ecology in the 18 region is sparse. We examined space use and resource selection of bobcats in the Appalachian 19 Mountains of western Virginia during 3 biological seasons: breeding (January-March), kitten-20 rearing (April-September), and dispersal (October-December). We observed sex effects on all 21 space use metrics, with male seasonal areas of use (SAU) approximately 3 times larger than 22 female SAUs and male movement rates 1.5 times higher than females during all seasons. We 23 found no seasonal effect on SAU size for either sex. Female movement rates increased during the 24 kitten-rearing season, and male movement rates increased during the dispersal season. We 25 examined seasonal bobcat resource selection at 2 hierarchical scales, selection of home ranges 26 within the landscape (2 nd order) and selection of locations within home ranges (3 rd order).27 Female bobcats exhibited 2 nd order selection for higher elevations and deciduous forest and 28 avoidance of fields. Males exhibited 2 nd order selection for higher elevations and fields. Male 2 nd 29 order selection appears to be driven largely by the spatial distribution of females, which is 30 mediated through the valley and ridge topography of the study area. Sample size precluded 3 rd 31 order analysis for females, however males exhibited 3 rd order selection for higher elevations, 32 fields, and deciduous forest. Resource selection patterns varied seasonally for both sexes, 33 possibly driven by seasonal shifts in prey availability. Our findings highlight the importance of 34 forested ridges to bobcats in the region. Our findings also illustrate the differences in space use 35 between sexes, which future research efforts should consider. Further research should investigate 36 seasonal shifts in bobcat prey selection, which may further explain the seasonal resource 37 selection shifts we observed, and highlight potential implications for prey species. 3 38 41 An understanding of animal spatial ecology is critical for managing and conserving 42 wildlife populations [1,2]. Knowledge regarding space use and habitat requirements of wildlife 43 provides insight into fundamental ecological processes such as population dynamics, behavioral 44 interactions, and foraging behavior [3-5]. This information can be vital for informing wildlife 45 management decisions and understanding a species role within food webs may vary across space. 46 Bobcat (Lynx rufus) populations are increasing throughout much of their range, both 47 through recolonizing areas of previous extirpation and increasing in abundance where they have 48 persisted [6]. These trends are evident in the central Appalachian Mountains [6]. Although 49 bobcats largely persisted, wolves (Canis spp.) and cougars (Puma concolor) remain extirpated 50 from ecosystems in the Appalachian Mountains, leaving bobcats as an apex p...

Sex-specific effects of reproductive season on bobcat space use, movement, and resource selection in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia

“…This aligns with Sikes and Kennedy [61] findings that eastern bobcats are more sexually dimorphic in size in mountainous areas, and their suggestion that this is caused by selective pressure for smaller female body size to minimize increased energetic costs of locomotion in rugged terrain. On average, males had 1.5 times greater body mass than females in our study [62]. Further, we found females avoided steep slopes during the breeding and kitten-rearing seasons, but we did not observe this pattern in males.…”