Seasonal occupancy of sympatric larger carnivores in the southern San Andres Mountains, south-central New Mexico, USA

We investigated factors facilitating coexistence of pumas ( Puma concolor ), coyotes ( Canis latrans ), and bobcats ( Lynx rufus ) in the arid San Andres Mountains of south-central New Mexico, during the season (winter and spring, prior to the annual monsoon) of greatest resource stress. We establis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mammal research 2017-10, Vol.62 (4), p.323-329
Main Authors: Bender, Louis C., Rosas-Rosas, Octavio C., Weisenberger, Mara E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Ecology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Carnivores
Coexistence
Competition
Evolutionary Biology
Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management
Life Sciences
Mountains
Original Paper
Predation
Predators
Prey
Seasons
Species
Sympatric populations
Zoology
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Summary:We investigated factors facilitating coexistence of pumas ( Puma concolor ), coyotes ( Canis latrans ), and bobcats ( Lynx rufus ) in the arid San Andres Mountains of south-central New Mexico, during the season (winter and spring, prior to the annual monsoon) of greatest resource stress. We established a camera-trapping grid in the San Andres, 2007–2011, and modeled occupancy of the three carnivores as a function of habitat, prey, and presence of the other carnivore species. Species interaction factors were >1.3 for each pair of carnivores, and the presence of the other carnivore species never significantly influenced occupancy of any other carnivore. Similarly, occupancy of the San Andres landscape was positively correlated among all carnivores. Occupancy of pumas was most influenced by proximity of water; coyote occupancy was influenced by terrain ruggedness and presence of medium (primarily lagomorph) prey, and bobcat occupancy was influence primarily small prey and proximity to water. The three carnivores also did not show temporal partitioning in use of habitats. Rather than segregation driven by competition, predation, or despotism, our results appeared to reflect preferences for differing habitat characteristics between ambush and cursorial predators and preferred habitats for travel.
ISSN:2199-2401
2199-241X
DOI:10.1007/s13364-017-0318-0