Landscape Features and Panthers in Florida.

Abstract

We used a geographic information system (GIS) to document spatial associations of Florida panthers, land cover, and other geographical features. Panther radio locations (n = 14,548) occurred in hardwood hammock, mixed hardwood swamp, and cypress swamp in greater proportion than in randomly positioned points (n = 8500). Panther radio locations occurred less frequently in agricultural, barren, and shrub and brush land cover. Panther home ranges consisted of a combination of preferred and avoided cover types, including freshwater marsh, cypress swamp, hardwood swamp, and agricultural land. These cover types accounted for 62% of the area in panther home ranges. We used correlation and discriminant function analyses to assess the potential importance of 20 landscape features. These panther locations were effectively distinguished from random points using four landscape variables: (1) the size of a contiguous patch of preferred land cover; (2) the proximity to preferred land cover; (3) the diversity of three preferred cover types within a window 120 × 120 m, and (4) the matrix within which preferred cover types occurred. Eighty-three percent of the panther locations and 81.9% of the random points were correctly classified based on a linear model constructed using these four variables. Large, contiguous areas of preferred land-cover types were especially important because 96% of all panther locations occurred within 90 m of preferred land cover. The average preferred forest patch size that was used by these panthers was 20,816 ha, and a regression equation suggests that patches larger than 500 ha are important. Maps of panther habitat suitability were developed using coefficients derived from discriminant analysis. Large areas of suitable land cover that are heavily used by panthers occur on private ranches covering 3606 km2 . Conservation of preferred habitat on these private lands is essential to maintaining a free-ranging population of panthers in southwest Florida. Características del paisaje y las panteras en Florida.