IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Ernest, H.B.; Vickers, T.W.; Boyce, W.M.; Riley, S.P.D.; Wilmers, C.C. | |
| California's cougar connectivity: genetics informing conservation and management | |
| 2014 Conference Proceeding | |
Mountain lions (_Puma concolor_) in California live amongst habitat mosaics spanning a range between extremes of urbanized fragmented coastal environments and vast montane wild lands in the north state and inland. Coast regions extending between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego have burgeoning human populations while the North Coast Range, Sierra Nevada, and Modoc Plateau encompass vast sections of intact puma habitat less impacted by human developments. In order to assess population connectivity and genetic health of California mountain lions across these extremes, we conducted a detailed appraisal of the genetic diversity, relatedness, and population structure of California puma populations using 354 samples and a 46-locus microsatellite DNA panel. This study follows up on work conducted ten years ago and employs an expanded genetic tool set and larger coast region sample size. We evaluated and compared levels of genetic diversity, inbreeding, relatedness, effective population sizes, and tested whether genetic data supported hypotheses of recent bottlenecks in key populations including the Santa Cruz Mountains (n=78), Santa Monica Mountains (n=26), Santa Ana Mountains (n=42) and adjacent Peninsular Ranges (N=55). We found that coast populations near large urban centers had much lower genetic diversity than inland populations such as those in Sierra Nevada. Specific instances of repeated inbreeding and signs of potential genetic defects were detected. These findings raise major concerns about the current status of California coastal mountain lion populations, and the longer-term outlook for pumas in southern and central coastal California. In particular, the finding highlight the urgency to maintain and enhance what connectivity remains for pumas (and presumably numerous other species) across human barriers including multilane highways and developments. |
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