South American cougar (Puma concolor concolor)

[Sully]

The importance of forests for an apex predator:

spatial ecology and habitat selection by pumas
in an agroecosystem

Abstract:


The maintenance of viable carnivore populations along human-dominated land-

scapes depends on the understanding of the species requirements that are critical to

the design of global actions focused on their conservation. Using resource selection

function and a spatial analysis approach, we evaluated large carnivore habitat use

in a disturbed landscape by studying pumas in a rapidly developing region in

Southeast Brazil. Pumas had a mean home-range size of 203.7  39.8 km

2

and

showed pronounced territorial behavior through intrasexual overlap (males 22%

and females 60%). Our results also revealed a strong habitat association with forest

vegetation both at population and individual levels, followed by pasture with

shrubs, a type of anthropized habitat that offers cover and prey; the use of this

type of landcover was more frequent during night hours. Our study is the rst

robust home-range estimation of pumas in Brazil and lls a gap in puma’s ecology

knowledge in anthropized tropical environments, highlighting the importance of

natural habitat patches to this predator along human-modied areas and reinforcing

the species demand for vast and forested areas to thrive. In areas where conserva-

tion goals include the maintenance or increase in large predator populations, identi-

fying the limits imposed by anthropogenic landscape changes, and ensuring that
these are not exceeded, is paramount for conservation initiatives. Reply