Cougar predation in a multi-prey system in west-central Alberta
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Notice bibliographique
Résumé
Predation by cougars (Puma concolor) variously can structure ecosystems and preserve biodiversity, engender conflict where livestock and pets are killed, and even drive prey populations to extinction. Effective management requires a firm grasp of the ecological drivers of predation, but these remain poorly understood due to difficulty obtaining sufficient data. My objective was to test hypotheses about drivers of predation in a population of wild cougars foraging in a multi-prey system in west-central Alberta, Canada. To obtain necessary data, I began by refining Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry cluster techniques to monitor predation. I found that models alone were insufficient and that field visitation was required to estimate kill rate and prey composition accurately, but logistic regression models could direct field-work to improve efficiency, permitting continuous monitoring of cougar predation and generating large sample sizes. I assessed the role of scavenging as a foraging strategy and found that cougars scavenged opportunistically, reducing predation when carrion availability was high. Scavenging also made cougars susceptible to incidental snaring at wolf bait stations, and survival analysis revealed important consequences for cougar population trajectory and harvest management. I evaluated competing hypotheses about the magnitude of cougar predation and the influence of season and prey vulnerability on kill rate and prey composition. Cougars were effective predators, killing ungulates at rates near the upper end of the previously reported range. Cougar kill-rate increased by a factor of 1.5 in summer and cougars shifted prey composition seasonally as predicted by the juvenile and reproductive vulnerability hypotheses. Analysis of a multi-species functional response (MSFR) revealed that cougar impact on small populations of endangered prey is reduced by a tendency towards prey-switching but can be aggravated by the presence of individual specialists. Contrary to expectation, cougar MSFR was not driven by prey density, but rather by cougar demography and relative abundance of various prey. Finally, I reject the notion that cougars are nocturnal ambush predators, demonstrating instead that they hunt actively and make kills frequently during the day, exhibiting activity patterns loosely tied to those of their prey. I discuss the application of my findings for management and conservation.
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Prédiction distillée sur la base complète
Imitation des enseignantsNi prévalence calibrée, ni vérité terrain. Validation humaine à venir. Apprise à partir de 10 348 étiquettes directes de Codex et de 10 348 étiquettes directes de Gemma. Le mode candidate est l'union des têtes enseignantes seuillées; le consensus est leur intersection. Ces sorties portent le statut machine_predicted_unvalidated et ne sont ni des étiquettes humaines ni des étiquettes directes de modèles de pointe.
Scores Codex et Gemma par catégorie
| Catégorie | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Métarecherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens strict) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens large) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Bibliométrie | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Études des sciences et des technologies | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Communication savante | 0,000 | 0,001 |
| Science ouverte | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Intégrité de la recherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Charge utile insuffisante (le modèle a refusé de juger) | 0,003 | 0,000 |
Scores machine (provisoires)
Les deux têtes enseignantes du modèle étudiant, lues sur ce travail. Un score ordonne la base pour la relecture; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie, et le statut de validation accompagne chaque rangée tel quel.
Scores de référence d'un modèle non mature (critères de maturité non atteints, 7 itérations). Un score ordonne; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · tel quel depuis la passe de notation : score_only signifie que le nombre peut ordonner les travaux, et qu'aucune étiquette de catégorie n'en découle