本地猎物,而不是景观变化或新型猎物,驱动美洲狮 (Puma concolor) 在北极森林范围边缘的分布
Millicent V Gaston1, Andrew F Barnas1, Rebecca M Smith1
1School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada.
Ecology and evolution
|April 4, 2024
概括
熊猫 (Puma concolor) 在北极森林的扩张是由本地猎物驱动的,而不是开发或狼. 在北美食肉动物恢复期间,监测这些顶级捕食者对于保护管理至关重要.
科学领域:
- 生态生态学 生态生态学
- 野生动物保护 野生动物保护
- 哺乳动物学 哺乳动物学
背景情况:
- 大型食肉动物种群在历史上下降后,在北美正在恢复.
- 美洲狮 (Puma concolor) 正在扩张到新的领土,包括北极森林.
- 了解影响美洲狮分布的因素对于有效的保护至关重要.
研究的目的:
- 调查影响美洲狮在加拿大阿尔伯塔省北极范围边缘出现的生态因素.
- 测试关于自然土地覆盖,人为发展和猎物/竞争对手活动在美洲狮分布中的作用的假设.
- 为扩大美洲狮种群的保护战略提供信息.
主要方法:
- 一个摄像头陷调查在一个具有不同人类发展的景观中进行.
- 在一个随机分层的设计中部署了47个摄像头陷.
- 一个信息理论框架被用来分析相对于环境变量发生的情况.
主要成果:
- 本地猎物活动,特别是雪鞋 (Lepus americanus),是美洲狮出现的最强有力的预测因素.
- 人类发育和白尾鹿 (Odocoileus virginianus) 的活动并不能显著解释美洲狮的分布.
- 在这个范围边缘的美洲狮和灰狼 (Canis lupus) 活动之间没有发现强烈的关系.
结论:
- 在北极生态系统中,小型的猎物对美洲狮种群至关重要,特别是雌性和亚成年人.
- 美洲狮的扩张可能会影响其他保护目标,例如林地鹿的恢复,特别是在狼控制的地区.
- 持续监测美洲狮分布对于适应性保护管理至关重要.
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