IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Lopez-Vidal, J.C.; Elizalde-Arellano, C.; Laundr‚, J.W.; Hern ndez, L. | |
| Using the Landscape of Fear to Analyze Habitat Use of Bobcats in the Chihuahuan Desert of M‚xico | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
Bobcats are one of the wider ranging felids in North America, living in diverse ecosystems from temperate and tropical forests to deserts. They are a stalking predator often associated with rocky habitat and dense vegetation. Although those habitat characteristics are uncommon in deserts, in the Mapim¡ Biosphere reserve, Chihuahuan desert, bobcats are common predators. The question is how they survive in this environment. Based on the theory of optimal foraging, we predicted that bobcats are seeking out the limited rocky and densely vegetated "islands" that occur in the desert. Based on the theory of the landscape of fear, we further predicted that their prey (lagomorphs and rodents) will use these islands less than surrounding areas. We tested the first prediction by fitting bobcats with GPS collars to track their half-hourly movements over 24 hours. We are testing the second prediction by estimating the abundance of prey inside and out of areas of high use of bobcats. Preliminary data support the first prediction in that bobcats are using areas of dense vegetation. If the prey abundance data support the second prediction, then the landscape of fear model can help explain how bobcats are surviving in the desert environment. |
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