IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Moss, W.E.; Alldredge, M.W.; Logan, K.A.; Pauli, J.N. | |
| Human expansion precipitates niche expansion for an opportunistic apex predator (_Puma concolor_) | |
| 2017 Scientific Reports (6): 1-5 | |
There is growing recognition that developed landscapes are important systems in which to promote ecological complexity and conservation. Yet, little is known about processes regulating these novel ecosystems, or behaviours employed by species adapting to them. We evaluated the isotopic niche of an apex carnivore, the cougar (_Puma concolor_), over broad spatiotemporal scales and in a region characterized by rapid landscape change. We detected a shift in resource use, from near complete specialization on native herbivores in wildlands to greater use of exotic and invasive species by cougars in contemporary urban interfaces. We show that 25 years ago, cougars inhabiting these same urban interfaces possessed diets that were intermediate. Thus, niche expansion followed human expansion over both time and space, indicating that an important top predator is interacting with prey in novel ways. Thus, though human-dominated landscapes can provide sufficient resources for apex carnivores, they do not necessarily preserve their ecological relationships. |
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