A Landscape Analysis of Cougar Distribution and Abundance in Montana, USA

“In contrast, long distance movements (Pierce et al. 1999) and rapid expansion of range (Riley and Malecki 2001) should facilitate gene flow and reduce genetic substructure.”

“The importance of surface ruggedness agrees with studies on cougars Puma concolor (Riley & Malecki, 2001), jaguars (Hatten et al., 2005) and leopards (Gavashelishvili & Lukarevskiy, 2008), which highlights the importance of rugged topography as suitable habitat.”

“Statewide, annual mortality estimates from hunting, vehicle collisions, animal damage control, and natural causes increased from 68 in 1981 to 617 in 1994 indicating likely increases in mountain lion abundance during this time (Riley and Malecki 2001).”

“large-scale assessments of habitat availability have been proposed for a number of species in order to identify their potential to persist or recover (Beier 1993, Smith et al. 1998, Riley and Malecki 2001, Woolf et al. 2002, Kramer-Schadt et al. 2004, Hoving et al. 2005).”

“Mountain caribou are the southernmost remaining caribou in North America and are found only in mountainous ecosystems of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and extreme northern Idaho, United States.”

“The altitudinal range of the paddock reflects the spatial heterogeneity of the landscape and its relevance for puma is explained by a higher availability of refuge areas (Riley and Malecki 2001).”

“Cougars are capable of exploiting valley and foothill habitats because of relatively new, abundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations (Riley and Malecki, 2001).”

“In North America, species such as the mountain lion Puma concolor have begun to recover, and others including the bobcat Lynx rufus remain abundant even in areas with high human densities (Nielsen & Wolf, 2001; Riley & Malecki, 2001; Pimm, Dollar & Bass, 2006; Ruell et al., 2009).”

“Introduction To efficiently respond to changing conditions that may alter population dynamics such as carnivore recovery (Pletscher et al. 1997, Riley and Malecki 2001, Kendall et al. 2009), climate change (Gaillard et al. 2013, Zimova et al. 2014), or habitat degradation (DeCesare et al. 2012),…”

“The response to elevation may have stemmed from the cougars’ adaptations for movement in rugged mountainous terrain (Riley & Malecki, 2001) and access to alternative prey.”

“Mountain lions may select steep, rugged topography (Logan and Irwin 1985, Riley and Malecki 2001) but while hunting or traveling also may use terrain less rugged than general surroundings (Dickson et al. 2005).”

“Due to the large habitat requirements (food and space) of top carnivores (Eisenberg 1980; Mac Nab 1963; Robinson and Redford 1986), the identification of factors that define and limit carnivore distribution and abundance are a current topic in ecology (e.g., Beier 1995; Carroll and others 2000; Comiskey and others 200…”

“Nevertheless, some populations still occur at moderate population densities in relatively non-fragmented habitat (Seidensticker et al. 1973; Riley and Malecki 2001) and due to their ability to disperse distances greater than 400 km (Logan and Sweanor 2000, 2001; Thompson and Jenks 2005), pumas are…”

“In the western states, the distribution of cougars is influenced by the amount of topographic heterogeneity and the quantity of forested cover [37], and in south Florida forested habitats have been shown to be important to panthers [4–9, 38], although it is topographically flat [39].”

“Mountain lions select for forested and woody cover with aversion to flat open areas (Logan and Irwin 1985; Koehler and Hornocker 1991; Riley and Malecki 2001; McRae et al. 2005; Nicholson 2009).”

“Abundant prey availability in eastern North America may limit cougar density, but not restrict cougar recolonization of the region (Riley and Malecki 2001; Cooley et al.”

“…systematic searches along transect lines, aerial searches of areas designated for industrial activity, backtracking bears in the snow, tracking radio-collared bears to their dens, searching randomized grids, and opportunistically while conducting ecological studies on grizzly bears and…”

“…parecen seguir una estructura metapoblacional (Beier 1996, Sweanor et al. 2000), pero en otras zonas los animales muestran desplazamientos extremadamente largos (Pierce et al. 1999) o rápidas expansiones poblacionales (Riley & Malecki 2001), lo que, indudablemente, facilita un elevado flujo génico.”

“Felids may prefer more rugged terrain because their ambush style of hunting is facilitated by features such as rocks, steeper slopes, and thicker vegetation (Logan and Irwin 1985; Riley and Malecki 2001; Rieth 2010).”

“…America, bobcats (Lynx rufus) (Tucker et al. 2008), gray wolves (Canis lupus) (Fuller et al. 1992), brown bears (Ursus arctos) (Pyare et al. 2004), and cougars (Puma concolor) (Riley & Malecki 2001) have experienced recent range expansions, partly due to improved protection and habitat management.”