Sex-specific effects of reproductive season on bobcat space use, movement, and resource selection in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia.

David C Mcnitt,Robert S Alonso,Michael L Fies,Marcella J Kelly,Michael J Cherry,W David Walter

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0225355

David C Mcnitt, Robert S Alonso + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225355

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Abstract

Across taxa, sex-specific demands vary temporally in accordance with reproductive investments. In solitary carnivores, females must provision and protect young independently while meeting increased energetic demands. Males seek to monopolize access to females by maintaining large territories and defending them from other males. For many species, it is poorly understood how these demands relate to broad-scale animal movements. To investigate predictions surrounding the reproductive strategies of solitary carnivores and effects of local conditions on bobcat (Lynx rufus) spatial ecology, we examined the effects of sex and reproductive season on home range size, movement rate, and resource selection of bobcats in the central Appalachian Mountains. Male seasonal home ranges were approximately 3 times larger than those of females (33.9 ± 2.6 vs. 12.1 ± 2.4 km2, x±SE), and male movement rates were 1.4 times greater than females (212.6 ± 3.6 vs. 155 ± 8.2 m/hr), likely reflecting male efforts to maximize access to females. Both sexes appear to maintain relatively stable seasonal home ranges despite temporally varying reproductive investments, instead adjusting movements within home ranges. Males increased movements during the dispersal period, potentially reflecting increased territoriality prior to breeding. Females increased movements during the kitten-rearing period, when foraging more intensively, and frequently returning to den sites. Both sexes selected home ranges at higher elevations. However, females selected deciduous forest and avoided fields, whereas males selected fields and avoided deciduous forest, perhaps explained by male pressure to access multiple females across several mountain ridges and higher risk tolerance. Seasonal changes in home range selection likely reflect changes in home range shape. Increased female avoidance of fields during kitten rearing may indicate female avoidance of presumably resource rich, yet risky, fields at the time when kittens are most vulnerable. Our results indicate that while reproductive chronology influences the spatial ecology of solitary carnivores, effects may be constrained by territoriality.

Highlights

An animal’s use of a landscape represents a series of life history tradeoffs, in which energy expenditure and mortality risk reduce fitness, and energy acquisition and reproductive success increase fitness [1]
Considering these factors, the spatial ecology of male solitary carnivores is expected to be driven by the distribution of females and energy acquisition needs, whereas energy acquisition and protection of young should be the primary drivers of female spatial ecology
We examined the sex- and season-specific aspects of bobcat spatial ecology in western Virginia to gain insight into the life history tradeoffs of solitary carnivores, how these tradeoffs may vary from other regions, and what conditions drive those variations

Summary

Introduction

An animal’s use of a landscape represents a series of life history tradeoffs, in which energy expenditure and mortality risk reduce fitness, and energy acquisition and reproductive success increase fitness [1]. Males sustain the highest costs during the breeding season when they must locate and breed females while defending territories against male competitors, in addition to foraging [2]. Considering these factors, the spatial ecology of male solitary carnivores is expected to be driven by the distribution of females and energy acquisition needs, whereas energy acquisition and protection of young should be the primary drivers of female spatial ecology. Understanding how the reproductive chronology of solitary carnivores influences their spatial ecology can provide insight into fundamental ecological processes, since space use and resource selection can influence processes such as population dynamics, behavioral interactions, and foraging behavior [6,7,8]

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