IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| RodrĄguez, A.; Revilla, E.; Fern ndez, N. | |
| Ecology of the lynx at the regional, population, and individual levels | |
| 2002 Conference Proceeding | |
The knowledge accumulated during the last decades on the biology and ecology of the Iberian lynx has generated several hypothesis on the main factors generating the pronounced decline of the species. This knowledge should be also the basis for the species recovery. First, the lynx is a species with a low recruitment rate, due to a low reproductive rate and a high mortality of juveniles. Population persistence is achieved through low levels of adult mortality and a relatively long life-span. Therefore, any human induced mortality added, especially of adults, destabilises the dynamic equilibrium of lynx population, anything else held the same. Second, it is a specialised stalking predators, thriving on European rabbits, and virtually excluding young rabbits and other prey. This attribute predicts a numberic response after a decline of rabbit populations. Third, lynx are linked to Mediterranean shrubland, probably because this is the type of vegetation where rabbits occur and because it offers other essential resources, such as stalking, breeding and denning sites. To these three potential factors we have to add the extinction risk due to stochastic factors. |
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