Abstract
Knowledge regarding the spatial behavior of the Eurasian lynx is mainly inferred from populations in Europe. We used GPS telemetry to record the spatial behavior of nine individuals in northwestern Anatolia obtaining eleven home ranges (HRs). Analyses revealed the smallest mean HR sizes (nHR ♀ = 4) at 57 km2 (95% kernel utilization distribution, KUD) and 56 km2 (95% minimum convex polygon, MCP), ever reported for adult female Eurasian lynx. Adult males either occupied small permanent territories (nHR♂.T = 2), with a mean of 176 km2 (95% KUD) and 150 km2 (95% MCP), or were residents without territories (floaters, nHR♂. F = 2) roaming across large, stable HRs with a mean size of 2,419 km2 (95% KUD) and 1,888 km2 (95% MCP), comparable to HR sizes of Scandinavian lynx populations. Three disperser subadult males did not hold stable HRs (mean 95% KUD = 203 km2, mean 95% MCP = 272 km2). At 4.9 individuals per 100 km2, population density was one of the highest recorded, suggesting that the presence of adult male floaters was a consequence of a landscape fully occupied by territorials and revealing a flexibility of spatial behavior of Eurasian lynx not previously recognized. Such a high population density, small HRs, and behavioral flexibility may have been aided by the legal protection from and apparent low levels of poaching of this population. The observed spatial tactics are unlikely to be seen in most of the previously studied Eurasian lynx populations, as they either suffer medium to high levels of human‐caused mortality or were unlikely to be at carrying capacity. For effective and appropriate conservation planning, data from felid populations in a reasonably natural state such as ours, where space, density, prey, and pathogens are likely to be the key drivers of spatial dynamics, are therefore essential.
Highlights
After obtaining the lynx population density in our study area, we investigated the relationship between female home ranges (HRs) size and lynx population density using data from eight lynx populations located in a north to south latitudinal gradient
We report for the first time HR sizes and spatial behavior of Eurasian lynx from Southwest Asia using high frequency GPS tracking data, focusing on the potentially isolated yet unexploited northwest Anatolian population
As it is a high-density lynx population, our results provide crucial information on spatial ecology and behavior of a felid population within a natural state
Summary
Many carnivores are solitary (Gittleman, 1989), with males and females maintaining independent home ranges (HRs). In most of Anatolia, the Eurasian lynx (L.l. dinniki) occurs in xeric coniferous forests, open steppe habitats with scattered trees, and open rocky habitats distributed over mountains and plateaus (Figure 1; Mengüllüoğlu et al, 2018) These ecosystems generally exhibit lower primary production than north Anatolian (Black Sea coast) or central European humid and temperate mixed and deciduous forests (Evrendilek et al, 2007). If the high-density hypothesis was driving the spatial behavior of Eurasian lynx in Anatolia, we expected territorial lynx to maintain relatively small HRs. We expected to observe floater individuals roaming over large areas in queue for territory ownership. If the primary production hypothesis was driving the spatial behavior of Eurasian lynx in Anatolia, we expected the population to be at relatively low density, that territorial lynx would maintain large HRs, and we would not observe adult floater individuals. We used camera trap data to assess lynx density and used GPS telemetry to observe the spatial behavior of male and female adult lynx, and record their movements and sizes of their HRs
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