IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Perrin, S. | |
| Effects of puma sex, season, and habitat type on diet | |
| 2014 Conference Proceeding | |
Our objective was to determine whether puma sexes responded differently to season and habitat type with respect to diet. From February 26, 2008 to June 6, 2012, we investigated 392 prey caches, representing the diets of 15 adult puma total across tow study areas in south-central New Mexico. We used log-linear analyses and post-hoc Chi-Square tests of independence to elucidate the interactive effects of season (cold-dry versus hot-wet), habitat type (riparian flood plain on Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (BDA) versus canyon-land foothills on the Ladder Ranch (LR)), and puma sex on diet. We found a marginally significant sex x habitat type x prey size effect (G=-7.661; df=3; p=0.053). Both male and female puma ate more small and medium sized prey items on the BDA. This pattern was statistically significant for females (G=58.7; df=2; p<0.001) but not for males. On the BDA we found marginally significant sex x season y prey size effect (G=-7.1008; df =3; p. 0.076). ON the lR we found a significant sex X season x prey size effect (G = -11.023; df=3; p=0.012). Females tended to consume more large and medium prey in the warm-wet season whereas males consumed more medium and small prey during this time. This was trend was statistically significant for males (G=16.099; df=3; p= 0.001) but not for females. In general, male puma diet demonstrated more dramatic temporal changes than spatial changes. On both the BDA and LR male puma diet shifts corresponded to the ungulate birth pulse. While female puma also responded to the ungulate birth pulse on both study areas, female puma exploited the increased availability of small prey species in the flood plain to a greater extent than males. |
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