The effects of urbanization on population density, occupancy, and detection probability of wild felids
The effects of urbanization on population density, occupancy, and detection probability of wild felids
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DOI：
10.1890/14-1664.1
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发表时间：
2015-10-01
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
Crooks, Kevin R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lewis, Jesse S.;Logan, Kenneth A.;Crooks, Kevin R.
城市化是景观转换的主要驱动力，对景观格局和过程产生深远影响，特别是与动物种群特征有关。城市化可以改变动物运动和栖息地质量，这两者都可以影响人口的丰富性和持久性。我们评估了三个重要的人口特征（人口密度，占地面积和物种检测概率）的中型和大型食肉动物在不同水平的城市化。具体来说，我们研究了山猫和美洲狮种群在荒地，郊区发展，和荒地-城市界面（WUI）采样网格来测试假设评估城市化如何影响野生猫科动物种群和他们的猎物。郊区的发展似乎对猫科动物种群的影响比邻近主要城市地区的栖息地更大（即，WUI）;与荒地地区相比，在远郊开发区，山猫和美洲狮的人口密度估计值较低，而WUI和荒地栖息地的人口密度相似。山猫和美洲狮是不太可能被检测到在栖息地的人类干扰量与住宅开发增加在一个网站，这是潜在的城市化导致栖息地质量下降。然而，占用这两个猫科动物在两个研究领域的网格之间是相似的，这表明人口指标是不敏感的密度。在采样网格的规模，山猫在城市化的栖息地的检测概率大于在荒地地区，可能是由于限制性的运动走廊和动物运动的景观受城市化的影响functionality。占有重要的猫科动物猎物（棉尾兔和黑尾鹿）是类似的城市化水平，虽然麋鹿占用率较低的城市化地区。我们的研究表明，与城市化相关的中型和大型猫科动物的保护可能是最成功的，如果大面积的荒地栖息地得到维护，即使在靠近城市地区，荒地栖息地不转换为低密度住宅开发。
Urbanization is a primary driver of landscape conversion, with far-reaching effects on landscape pattern and process, particularly related to the population characteristics of animals. Urbanization can alter animal movement and habitat quality, both of which can influence population abundance and persistence. We evaluated three important population characteristics (population density, site occupancy, and species detection probability) of a medium-sized and a large carnivore across varying levels of urbanization. Specifically, we studied bobcat and puma populations across wildland, exurban development, and wildland-urban interface (WUI) sampling grids to test hypotheses evaluating how urbanization affects wild felid populations and their prey. Exurban development appeared to have a greater impact on felid populations than did habitat adjacent to a major urban area (i.e., WUI); estimates of population density for both bobcats and pumas were lower in areas of exurban development compared to wildland areas, whereas population density was similar between WUI and wildland habitat. Bobcats and pumas were less likely to be detected in habitat as the amount of human disturbance associated with residential development increased at a site, which was potentially related to reduced habitat quality resulting from urbanization. However, occupancy of both felids was similar between grids in both study areas, indicating that this population metric was less sensitive than density. At the scale of the sampling grid, detection probability for bobcats in urbanized habitat was greater than in wildland areas, potentially due to restrictive movement corridors and funneling of animal movements in landscapes influenced by urbanization. Occupancy of important felid prey (cottontail rabbits and mule deer) was similar across levels of urbanization, although elk occupancy was lower in urbanized areas. Our study indicates that the conservation of medium-and large-sized felids associated with urbanization likely will be most successful if large areas of wildland habitat are maintained, even in close proximity to urban areas, and wildland habitat is not converted to low-density residential development.