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| Nielsen, C.K.; Woolf, A. | |
| Habitat-relative abundance relationship for bobcats in southern Illinois | |
| 2002 Wildlife Society Bulletin (30): 222-230 | |
Large-scale multivariate models of habitat suitability have been developed for several carnivore species. However, rarely have habitat models been combined with demographic information to create habitat-relative abundance relationships. We used remotely sensed land-cover information, bobcat habitat use data, multivariate distance statistics, and a geographic system to provide wildlife managers a spatially explicit depiction of bobcat (_Lynx rufus)_ relative abundance in a 12,512-km2 portion of southern Illinois. We used the Penrose distance statistic to model regional habitat similarity to areas within core of 52 radiocollared bobcats captured during1995-1999. Bobcat core areas were comprised primarily of forest cover (61%). Conversely, the southern Illinois region consisted of a more even mix of agricultural (36%), forest (29%), and grass cover (22%). Mean patch size of forest cover and proportion of forest cover were most correlated (r>0.39) to Penrose distance. The Penrose distance model was validated using an independent data set of bobcat sighting locations (n=248). Thirty-one percent and 81% of independent bobcat sightings occurred in the top 10% and 25% of distributions of Penrose distances, respectively. We then modeled relative abundance for the region based on Penrose distance, abundance information from areas occupied by radiocollared bobcats, and sighting locations. Given the collection of radiotelemetry data, this modeling technique can provide a better alternative than more traditional methods (e.g., scent station surveys) to assess large-scale distribution and abundance of solitary carnivores. |
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