Endangered Florida Panther Research Articles

Multi-generational benefits of genetic rescue

Genetic rescue—an increase in population fitness following the introduction of new alleles—has been proven to ameliorate inbreeding depression in small, isolated populations, yet is rarely applied as a conservation tool. A lingering question regarding genetic rescue in wildlife conservation is how long beneficial effects persist in admixed populations. Using data collected over 40 years from 1192 endangered Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) across nine generations, we show that the experimental genetic rescue implemented in 1995—via the release of eight female pumas from Texas—alleviated morphological, genetic, and demographic correlates of inbreeding depression, subsequently preventing extirpation of the population. We present unequivocal evidence, for the first time in any terrestrial vertebrate, that genetic and phenotypic benefits of genetic rescue remain in this population after five generations of admixture, which helped increase panther abundance (> fivefold) and genetic effective population size (> 20-fold). Additionally, even with extensive admixture, microsatellite allele frequencies in the population continue to support the distinctness of Florida panthers from other North American puma populations, including Texas. Although threats including habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and infectious diseases are challenges to many imperiled populations, our results suggest genetic rescue can serve as an effective, multi-generational tool for conservation of small, isolated populations facing extinction from inbreeding.

Seasonal changes in network connectivity and consequences for pathogen transmission in a solitary carnivore

Seasonal variation in habitat use and animal behavior can alter host contact patterns with potential consequences for pathogen transmission dynamics. The endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) has experienced significant pathogen-induced mortality and continues to be at risk of future epidemics. Prior research has found increased panther movement in Florida’s dry versus wet seasons, which may affect panther population connectivity and seasonally increase potential pathogen transmission. Our objective was to determine if Florida panthers are more spatially connected in dry seasons relative to wet seasons, and test if identified connectivity differences resulted in divergent predicted epidemic dynamics. We leveraged extensive panther telemetry data to construct seasonal panther home range overlap networks over an 11 year period. We tested for differences in network connectivity, and used observed network characteristics to simulate transmission of a broad range of pathogens through dry and wet season networks. We found that panthers were more spatially connected in dry seasons than wet seasons. Further, these differences resulted in a trend toward larger and longer pathogen outbreaks when epidemics were initiated in the dry season. Our results demonstrate that seasonal variation in behavioral patterns—even among largely solitary species—can have substantial impacts on epidemic dynamics.

Noninvasive camera data and spatial capture–recapture models reveal strong temporal variation in fawn survival

AbstractIn south Florida, white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are the primary prey of the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). Deer populations in some regions of south Florida have declined in recent years, and the role of fawn survival and recruitment in these declines is unknown. Determining known‐fate survival of fawns is challenging, requires invasive and costly methods, and often has a limited geographic scope. We deployed 180 cameras throughout the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and the Big Cypress National Preserve to understand how environmental variables influence fawn survival. We identified 271 fawns from 12,715 photographs in 2015 and 2016. We utilized a noninvasive sampling method coupled with a spatial capture–recapture model to estimate the number of fawns born, the spatial distribution of birth locations, and the number of fawns that survived to recruitment (180 days old) during two fawning seasons. We found strong evidence of temporal variation in survival, but little evidence of spatial variation. Within the 10,941‐ha study area, we estimated that 305 (95% CI: 245–385) fawns were born in 2015 and 278 (212–381) fawns were born in 2016. In 2015, 36% (110) of the estimated 305 fawns survived to 180 days. However, in 2016, only 13% (36) of the estimated 278 fawns survived to 180 days. The large difference in recruitment between years was likely driven by record flooding in 2016. Our data suggest that extreme weather events, coupled with high adult mortality, likely contributed to recent deer population decline in south Florida through reduced fawn recruitment. Unlike studies of known‐fate fawn survival that require labor‐intensive and invasive capture of both adults and neonates, our approach relies exclusively on camera data, which makes it possible to conduct studies over broad spatiotemporal scales in challenging environments to illuminate the drivers of variation in juvenile survival.

Give and take: Effects of genetic admixture on mutation load in endangered Florida panthers.

Genetic admixture is a biological event inherent to genetic rescue programs aimed at the long-term conservation of endangered wildlife. Although the success of such programs can be measured by the increase in genetic diversity and fitness of subsequent admixed individuals, predictions supporting admixture costs to fitness due to the introduction of novel deleterious alleles are necessary. Here, we analyzed nonsynonymous variation from conserved genes to quantify and compare levels of mutation load (i.e. proportion of deleterious alleles and genotypes carrying these alleles) among endangered Florida panthers and non-endangered Texas pumas. Specifically, we used canonical (i.e. non-admixed) Florida panthers, Texas pumas, and F1 (canonical Florida × Texas) panthers dating from a genetic rescue program and Everglades National Park panthers with Central American ancestry resulting from an earlier admixture event. We found neither genetic drift nor selection significantly reduced overall proportions of deleterious alleles in the severely bottlenecked canonical Florida panthers. Nevertheless, the deleterious alleles identified were distributed into a disproportionately high number of homozygous genotypes due to close inbreeding in this group. Conversely, admixed Florida panthers (either with Texas or Central American ancestry) presented reduced levels of homozygous genotypes carrying deleterious alleles but increased levels of heterozygous genotypes carrying these variants relative to canonical Florida panthers. Although admixture is likely to alleviate the load of standing deleterious variation present in homozygous genotypes, our results suggest that introduced novel deleterious alleles (temporarily present in heterozygous state) in genetically rescued populations could potentially be expressed in subsequent generations if their effective sizes remain small.

Balancing carnivore conservation and sustainable hunting of a key prey species: A case study on the Florida panther and white‐tailed deer

Abstract Large carnivore restoration programs are often promoted as capable of providing ecosystem services. However, these programs rarely measure effects of successful restoration on other economically and ecologically important species. In South Florida, while the endangered Florida panther Puma concolor coryi population has increased in recent years due to conservation efforts, the population of its main prey, the white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus, has declined in some regions. The extent to which panther predation has affected deer populations has been difficult to assess because several other factors have changed during this period, including hydrology and hunting regulations. We collected known‐fate survival data on 241 GPS‐collared adult deer (156 females and 85 males) from 2015 to 2018 in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and the Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, USA, to assess effects of panther predation on the deer population, while also evaluating the impacts of hunting and hydrology. Predation was the primary cause of death (110 of 134 mortalities), and 87% of predation events were attributed to panthers, a much greater rate than reported by studies conducted before the panther genetic restoration effort initiated in 1995. One deer was legally harvested, and two were likely killed by poachers. Increasing water depth decreased female survival but had little impact on male survival, and drowning was never a cause of mortality. Females had greater survival probability than males, except during fawning season. From 2015 to 2018, annual survival rates increased from 0.61 (0.52–0.70) to 0.86 (0.79–0.91) for females, and from 0.45 (95% CI: 0.33–0.58) to 0.79 (0.69–0.86) for males. Synthesis and applications. High predation rates, coupled with previous evidence of low recruitment of deer in South Florida, suggest that it will be challenging to meet society's competing demands for large predator restoration and sustainable deer harvest. Deer hunting in the area must remain tightly controlled, for now, if it is to be sustainable, and managers should seek to mitigate effects of high waters and improve deer habitat quality to increase deer population viability. Future work should closely monitor the deer population to assess if management actions can increase vital rates and abundance in the context of high predation rates.

Paradoxes and synergies: optimizing management of a deadly virus in an endangered carnivore.

Pathogen management strategies in wildlife are typically accompanied by an array of uncertainties such as the efficacy of vaccines or potential unintended consequences of interventions. In the context of such uncertainties, models of disease transmission can provide critical insight for optimizing pathogen management, especially for species of conservation concern. The endangered Florida panther experienced an outbreak of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in 2002-04, and continues to be affected by this deadly virus. Ongoing management efforts aim to mitigate the effects of FeLV on panthers, but with limited information about which strategies may be most effective and efficient.We used a simulation-based approach to determine optimal FeLV management strategies in panthers. We simulated use of proactive FeLV management strategies (i.e., proactive vaccination) and several reactive strategies, including reactive vaccination and test-and-removal. Vaccination strategies accounted for imperfect vaccine-induced immunity, specifically partial immunity in which all vaccinates achieve partial pathogen protection. We compared the effectiveness of these different strategies in mitigating the number of FeLV mortalities and the duration of outbreaks.Results showed that inadequate proactive vaccination can paradoxically increase the number of disease-induced mortalities in FeLV outbreaks. These effects were most likely due to imperfect vaccine immunity causing vaccinates to serve as a semi-susceptible population, thereby allowing outbreaks to persist in circumstances otherwise conducive to fadeout. Combinations of proactive vaccination with reactive test-and-removal or vaccination, however, had a synergistic effect in reducing impacts of FeLV outbreaks, highlighting the importance of using mixed strategies in pathogen management.Synthesis and applications: Management-informed disease simulations are an important tool for identifying unexpected negative consequences and synergies among pathogen management strategies. In particular, we find that imperfect vaccine-induced immunity necessitates further consideration to avoid unintentionally worsening epidemics in some conditions. However, mixing proactive and reactive interventions can improve pathogen control while mitigating uncertainties associated with imperfect interventions.

Impacting habitat connectivity of the endangered Florida panther for the transition to utility‐scale solar energy

AbstractThe only breeding population of the endangered Florida pantherPuma concolor coryiis restricted to <5% of its historic range in South Florida, but this area may be at carrying capacity and three viable populations within the historic range are needed for species recovery. The number of utility‐scale solar energy (USSE) facility installations is increasing rapidly throughout Florida, and while important in combatting carbon emissions and climate change, they pose additional threats to Florida panther habitat and dispersal corridors.We compared Florida panther habitat suitability and connectivity pre‐ and post‐installation of 45 USSE facilities within Peninsular Florida using random forest to predict probability of presence in 1 km2cells and circuit theory (Circuitscape 4.0) to predict movement probability between the areas of suitable habitat.We found that most often solar facilities were installed on grasslands and pastures (45.7% of total area replaced by solar facilities) and agricultural lands (34.9%). Forest was the third most impacted land cover category (13.2%). Probability of presence in the 351 impacted cells decreased by 0.03.The major changes in current density occurred within the cells overlapped by the facilities and within their vicinity. Post‐installation effective resistance between core areas increased by 0.07%.Nine facilities were located within major corridors connecting the only breeding population with other areas with the potential to support populations of Florida panther, 26 facilities were located within lesser current density areas that maintain some dispersal capacity and six facilities had no, or very minimal, potential expected impact on connectivity (four were excluded from the analysis).Our findings suggest a substantial bias in the locating of USSE facilities within rural and undeveloped lands that may provide connectivity sufficient for Florida panther dispersal to habitat suitable for population establishment. Our research is the first study documenting the effect of USSE facilities on both habitat suitability and regional‐scale connectivity of suitable habitat for any large carnivore.Synthesis and applications. Current permitting review methodologies resulting in USSE (utility‐scale solar energy) facilities installation approval may be inadequate, and facility siting should consider landscape‐level connectivity in addition to environmental impacts within facility boundaries.

PSEUDORABIES (AUJESZKY'S DISEASE) IS AN UNDERDIAGNOSED CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE FLORIDA PANTHER (PUMA CONCOLOR CORYI)

Feral swine (Sus scrofa), an important prey species for the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi), is the natural host for pseudorabies virus (PRV). Prior to this study, PRV had been detected in just three panthers. To determine the effect of PRV on the panther population, we prospectively necropsied 199 panthers and retrospectively reviewed necropsy and laboratory findings, reexamined histology, and tested archived tissues using real-time PCR from 46 undiagnosed panther mortalities. Seven additional infections (two prospective, five retrospective) were detected for a total of 10 confirmed panther mortalities due to PRV. To further evaluate the effect of PRV, we categorized radio-collared (n=168) and uncollared panther mortalities (n=367) sampled from 1981 to 2018 based on the likelihood of PRV infection as confirmed, probable, suspected, possible, or unlikely/negative. Of 168 radio-collared panthers necropsied, PRV was the cause of death for between eight (confirmed; 4.8%) and 32 (combined confirmed, probable, suspected, and possible categories; 19.0%) panthers. The number of radio-collared panther mortalities due to PRV was estimated to be 15 (95% empirical limits: 12-19), representing 8.9% (confidence interval: 4.6-13.2%) of mortalities. Gross necropsy findings in 10 confirmed cases were nonspecific. Microscopic changes included slight to mild perivascular cuffing and gliosis (primarily in the brain stem), lymphoplasmacytic meningoencephalitis (cerebral cortex), and intranuclear inclusion bodies (adrenal medulla). The PRV glycoprotein C gene sequences from three positive panthers grouped with the sequence from a Florida feral swine. Our findings indicate that PRV may be an important and underdiagnosed cause of death in Florida panthers.

Alternative 2070: Mitigating the effects of projected sea level rise and urbanization on Florida black bear and Florida panther habitat

Historically ubiquitous throughout the state, Florida’s only two extant large carnivores, the federally endangered Florida panther and black bear, are now geographically restricted with small populations. Rapid human population growth and sea level rise (SLR) threaten to diminish these species’ habitats. To aid landscape-scale conservation efforts, we estimated changes in habitat across a set of alternative future land-use and SLR projections. Intermediate-high (0.9 m) to extreme (1.8 m) SLR projections inundated 2.2–4.8% of panther and 3.3–5.4% of bear habitat by 2070. Unmitigated urban sprawl with minor protection policies (a Trend 2070 land-use projection) eliminated 8.8% of panther and 11.3% of bear habitat but increased protected habitat by 3.3%. In contrast, increased urban densities coupled with extensive land protection policies (an Alternative 2070 land-use projection) eliminated 4.1% of panther and 7.3% of bear habitat, and it increased protected habitat 52.1% for panther and 64.1% for bear. In combination, the Trend 2070 and extreme SLR projections reduced protected habitat 3.4% for panther and 6.6% for bear. However, the Alternative 2070 projection offset habitat area lost to extreme SLR, increasing protected habitat 45.3% for panther and 51.6% for bear. Protecting land along the Caloosahatchee River may accommodate panther dispersal to large habitat patches in northern Florida, while protecting inland habitat corridors may compensate for black bear habitat connectivity lost to inundation along the Gulf Coast. These alternative future projections prognosticate the impacts of climate and land-use change on the viability of Florida’s two large carnivores.

Samc: an R package for connectivity modeling with spatial absorbing Markov chains

Quantifying landscape connectivity is fundamental to better understand and predict how populations respond to environmental change. Currently, popular methods to quantify landscape connectivity emphasize how landscape features provide resistance to movement. While many tools are available to quantify landscape resistance, these do not discern between two fundamentally different sources of resistance: movement behavior and mortality. To address this issue, we developed the samc R package that quantifies landscape connectivity using absorbing Markov chain theory. Within this mathematical framework, movements are represented as transient states in the Markov chain, while mortality is represented by transitions to absorbing states. Not only does this framework explicitly account for these different issues, it provides a probabilistic approach that can incorporate both short‐term and long‐term dynamics, as well as species distribution and abundance. The package includes functions to quantify life expectancy, long‐term visitation rates, and various spatially and temporally explicit measures of mortality and movement at the local and landscape scales. These functions in samc have been optimized to find computationally practical solutions in landscapes comprised of > 2 × 106cells. Here, we illustrate the workflow of the samc package with publicly available movement and mortality data on the endangered Florida pantherPuma concolor coryi. This analysis showed that movement and mortality are generally correlated except for locations near roads (areas of high mortality risk) that are within the dispersal range of source locations. This pattern would have been undetectable with current methods that quantify movement resistance. Overall, the samc package provides a means for implementing spatial absorbing Markov chains that can distinguish between movement behavior and mortality resulting in more reliable landscape connectivity measures.

Dynamics, Persistence, and Genetic Management of the Endangered Florida Panther Population

ABSTRACTAbundant evidence supports the benefits accrued to the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) population via the genetic introgression project implemented in South Florida, USA, in 1995. Since then, genetic diversity has improved, the frequency of morphological and biomedical correlates of inbreeding depression have declined, and the population size has increased. Nevertheless, the panther population remains small and isolated and faces substantial challenges due to deterministic and stochastic forces. Our goals were 1) to comprehensively assess the demographics of the Florida panther population using long‐term (1981–2015) field data and modeling to gauge the persistence of benefits accrued via genetic introgression and 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of various potential genetic management strategies. Translocation and introduction of female pumas (Puma concolor stanleyana) from Texas, USA, substantially improved genetic diversity. The average individual heterozygosity of canonical (non‐introgressed) panthers was 0.386 ± 0.012 (SE); for admixed panthers, it was 0.615 ± 0.007. Survival rates were strongly age‐dependent (kittens had the lowest survival rates), were positively affected by individual heterozygosity, and decreased with increasing population abundance. Overall annual kitten survival was 0.32 ± 0.09; sex did not have a clear effect on kitten survival. Annual survival of subadult and adult panthers differed by sex; regardless of age, females exhibited higher survival than males. Annual survival rates of subadult, prime adult, and old adult females were 0.97 ± 0.02, 0.86 ± 0.03, and 0.78 ± 0.09, respectively. Survival rates of subadult, prime adult, and old adult males were 0.66 ± 0.06, 0.77 ± 0.05, and 0.65 ± 0.10, respectively. For panthers of all ages, genetic ancestry strongly affected survival rate, where first filial generation (F1) admixed panthers of all ages exhibited the highest rates and canonical (mostly pre‐introgression panthers and their post‐introgression descendants) individuals exhibited the lowest rates. The most frequently observed causes of death of radio‐collared panthers were intraspecific aggression and vehicle collision. Cause‐specific mortality analyses revealed that mortality rates from vehicle collision, intraspecific aggression, other causes, and unknown causes were generally similar for males and females, although males were more likely to die from intraspecific aggression than females. The probability of reproduction and the annual number of kittens produced varied by age; evidence that ancestry or abundance influenced these parameters was weak. Predicted annual probabilities of reproduction were 0.35 ± 0.08, 0.50 ± 0.05, and 0.25 ± 0.06 for subadult, prime adult, and old adult females, respectively. The number of kittens predicted to be produced annually by subadult, prime adult, and old adult females were 2.80 ± 0.75, 2.67 ± 0.43, and 2.28 ± 0.83, respectively. The stochastic annual population growth rate estimated using a matrix population model was 1.04 (95% CI = 0.72–1.41). An individual‐based population model predicted that the probability that the population would fall below 10 panthers within 100 years (quasi‐extinction) was 1.4% (0–0.8%) if the adverse effects of genetic erosion were ignored. However, when the effect of genetic erosion was considered, the probability of quasi‐extinction within 100 years increased to 17% (0–100%). Mean times to quasi‐extinction, conditioned on going quasi‐extinct within 100 years, was 22 (0–75) years when the effect of genetic erosion was considered. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the probability of quasi‐extinction and expected time until quasi‐extinction were most sensitive to changes in kitten survival parameters. Without genetic management intervention, the Florida panther population would face a substantially increased risk of quasi‐extinction. The question, therefore, is not whether genetic management of the Florida panther population is needed but when and how it should be implemented. Thus, we evaluated genetic and population consequences of alternative genetic introgression strategies to identify optimal management actions using individual‐based simulation models. Releasing 5 pumas every 20 years would cost much less ($200,000 over 100 years) than releasing 15 pumas every 10 years ($1,200,000 over 100 years) yet would reduce the risk of quasi‐extinction by comparable amount (44–59% vs. 40–58%). Generally, releasing more females per introgression attempt provided little added benefit. The positive effects of the genetic introgression project persist in the panther population after 20 years. We suggest that managers contemplate repeating genetic introgression by releasing 5–10 individuals from other puma populations every 20–40 years. We also recommend that managers continue to collect data that will permit estimation and monitoring of kitten, adult, and subadult survival. We identified these parameters via sensitivity analyses as most critical in terms of their impact on the probability of and expected times to quasi‐extinction. The continuation of long‐term monitoring should permit the adaptation of genetic management strategies as necessary while collecting data that have proved essential in assessing the genetic and demographic health of the population. The prospects for recovery of the panther will certainly be improved by following these guidelines. © 2019 The Authors.Wildlife Monographspublished by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

Assessing impacts of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on Florida panther movements

Movement patterns can influence an animal's ability to secure food, find mates, and avoid enemies, potentially affecting individual fitness. We studied movement patterns of 10 male and 3 female endangered Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) using location data collected from a long-term (2005–2012) GPS collar study. Males traveled faster and covered longer daily distances than females during both the wet and dry seasons (wet:dry—males 289:372 m/h and 4,616:6,701 m; females 186:280 m/h and 2,629:5,239 m). Panthers occupying higherselected habitat traveled faster, but with shorter daily movement distances in comparison to habitats that were less frequently selected. An index of risk (derived using traffic volume and road density) that was linked to habitat predicted to be avoided by panthers was associated with reduced daily movement distances. Our results suggest that Florida panthers alter their movement patterns in response to environmental change and anthropogenic disturbances.

Government Efforts to Protect Habitat for the Florida Panther on Private Lands

Endangered Florida panthers live and breed on state and federal lands in south Florida, but they are a wide-ranging species, and the habitat available to them on public lands is not enough for them to thrive and recover. The 2008 Panther Recovery Plan by the US Fish and Wildlife Service requires that habitat for the panther be conserved on both public and private lands throughout the state. Private rangelands in southwest and south central Florida provide important habitat and prey for the Florida panther. These lands also play a key role in conserving other native species like gopher tortoises, bob white quail, turkeys, deer, vultures, scrub jays, cranes, black bears, and bobcats. Unfortunately, these rangelands are under increasing development pressure as the human population in Florida continues to grow. Multiple policy approaches have been put in place by local, state, and federal governments to address habitat loss and secure natural resources in Florida for our panthers. This 5-page fact sheet provides a brief overview of existing regulatory and voluntary approaches to help conserve the Florida panther on private lands. Written by Elizabeth F. Pienaar and Melissa M. Kreye, and published by the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, September 2016.

Survival and Mortality of Pumas (Puma concolor) in a Fragmented, Urbanizing Landscape

Author(s): Vickers, T. Winston; Sanchez, Jessica N.; Johnson, Christine K.; Morrison, Scott A.; Botta, Randy; Smith, Trish; Cohen, Brian S.; Huber, Patrick; Ernest, Holly B.; Boyce, Walter M. | Abstract: Wide-ranging large carnivores pose myriad challenges for conservation, especially in highly fragmented landscapes. Over a 13-year period, we combined monitoring of radio collared pumas with complementary multi-generational genetic analyses to inform puma conservation in southern California. Our goals were to generate survivorship estimates, determine causes of mortality, identify barriers to movement, and determine the genetic and demographic challenges to puma persistence among g20,000,000 people and extensive urban, suburban, and exurban development. Despite protection from hunting, annual survival for radio collared pumas was surprisingly low (55.8%), and humans caused the majority of puma deaths. The most common sources of mortality were vehicle collisions (28% of deaths), and mortalities resulting from depredation permits issued after pumas killed domestic animals (17% of deaths). Other human-caused mortalities included illegal shootings, public safety removals, and human-caused wildfire. An interstate highway (I-15) bisecting this study area, and associated development, have created a nearly impermeable barrier to puma movements, resulting in severe genetic restriction and demographic isolation of the small puma population (~17-27 adults) in the Santa Ana Mountains west of I-15. Highways that bisect habitat or divide remaining “conserved” habitat, and associated ongoing development, threaten to further subdivide this already fragmented puma population and increase threats to survival. This study highlights the importance of combining demographic and genetic analyses, and illustrates that in the absence of effective measures to reduce mortality and enhance safe movement across highways, translocation of pumas, such as was done with the endangered Florida panther, may ultimately be necessary to prevent further genetic decline and ensure persistence of the Santa Ana Mountains population.

A Conservation-Based Approach to Compensation for Livestock Depredation: The Florida Panther Case Study

Calf (Bos taurus) depredation by the federally endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) on ranches in southwest Florida is an important issue because ranches represent mixed landscapes that provide habitat critical to panther recovery. The objectives of this study were to (1) quantify calf depredation by panthers on two ranches in southwest Florida, and (2) develop a habitat suitability model to evaluate the quality of panther hunting habitat on ranchlands, assess whether the model could predict predation risk to calves, and discuss its potential to be incorporated into an incentive-based compensation program. We ear-tagged 409 calves with VHF transmitters on two ranches during 2011–2013 to document calf mortality. We developed a model to evaluate the quality of panther hunting habitat on private lands in southwest Florida using environmental variables obtained from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) Cooperative Landcover Database and nocturnal GPS locations of panthers provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). We then tested whether the model could predict the location of calf depredation sites. Tagged calf loss to panthers varied between the two ranches (0.5%/yr to 5.3%/yr) and may have been influenced by the amount of panther hunting habitat on each ranch as the ranch that experienced higher depredation rates contained a significantly higher probability of panther presence. Depredation sites of tagged calves had a significantly greater probability of panther presence than depredation sites of untagged calves that were found by ranchers in open pastures. This suggests that there may be more calves killed in high risk environments than are being found and reported by ranchers and that panthers can hunt effectively in open environments. It also suggests that the model may provide a means for evaluating the quality of panther hunting habitat and the corresponding risk of depredation to livestock across the landscape. We suggest that our approach could be applied to prioritize and categorize private lands for participation in a Payment for Ecosystem Services program that compensates landowners for livestock loss and incentivizes conserving high quality habitat for large carnivores where livestock depredation is a concern.

Survival and Mortality of Pumas (Puma concolor) in a Fragmented, Urbanizing Landscape.

Wide-ranging large carnivores pose myriad challenges for conservation, especially in highly fragmented landscapes. Over a 13-year period, we combined monitoring of radio collared pumas (Puma concolor) with complementary multi-generational genetic analyses to inform puma conservation in southern California, USA. Our goals were to generate survivorship estimates, determine causes of mortality, identify barriers to movement, and determine the genetic and demographic challenges to puma persistence among >20,000,000 people and extensive urban, suburban, and exurban development. Despite protection from hunting, annual survival for radio collared pumas was surprisingly low (55.8%), and humans caused the majority of puma deaths. The most common sources of mortality were vehicle collisions (28% of deaths), and mortalities resulting from depredation permits issued after pumas killed domestic animals (17% of deaths). Other human-caused mortalities included illegal shootings, public safety removals, and human-caused wildfire. An interstate highway (I-15) bisecting this study area, and associated development, have created a nearly impermeable barrier to puma movements, resulting in severe genetic restriction and demographic isolation of the small puma population (n ~ 17–27 adults) in the Santa Ana Mountains west of I-15. Highways that bisect habitat or divide remaining “conserved” habitat, and associated ongoing development, threaten to further subdivide this already fragmented puma population and increase threats to survival. This study highlights the importance of combining demographic and genetic analyses, and illustrates that in the absence of effective measures to reduce mortality and enhance safe movement across highways, translocation of pumas, such as was done with the endangered Florida panther (P. c. coryi), may ultimately be necessary to prevent further genetic decline and ensure persistence of the Santa Ana Mountains population.

Endangered Florida panther population size determined from public reports of motor vehicle collision mortalities

Summary Reliably estimating the abundance of rare or elusive animals is notoriously difficult. An archetypical example is the endangered Florida panther, whose conservation status is intrinsically linked to population size, but for which reliable abundance information is lacking across its range. This is due not only to the inherent difficulty of sampling a rare and elusive species over a large geographic area, but also because of restricted scientific access to private land. Human interactions with wildlife are a regular occurrence, and interactions with non‐scientists constitute an important and underutilized source of information about species distribution and abundance. For example, motor vehicle collisions with Florida panthers are recurrent on the vast network of roads within the public and private lands comprising its range in southern Florida, USA. Capitalizing on a tendency for the public to report collisions with species of concern to wildlife officials, we describe a novel methodology using public reports along with routine telemetry monitoring data to produce the first statistically defensible population estimates for the Florida panther across its entire breeding range. In essence, our approach uses traffic volume and road density to estimate the probability of motor vehicle collision mortality from telemetered animals and models counts reported by the public accordingly. Despite low motor vehicle collision mortality probabilities, our methodology achieved abundance estimates of reasonable precision (29% CV) that was similar to that of previous panther studies using conventional approaches on much smaller study areas. While recovery criteria require establishment of three distinct populations of 240 Florida panthers, we found this single population may never have exceeded 150 individuals from 2000 to 2012. Synthesis and applications. By extracting critical demographic information from underutilized aspects of human–wildlife ecology, our citizen‐based approach can cost less than conventional alternatives and could conceivably be used for long‐term population monitoring of other species over broad geographic areas, for example from reports of avian wind farm collisions, beached whales or marine mammal boat strikes. An additional benefit is that it can be applied to historical data sets of carcass recovery programmes, in our case permitting abundance estimation over a 13‐year period.

Managing Conflicts with Wildlife: Living with Wild Hogs

Wild hogs are a popular species, pursued and hunted by many throughout Florida. They are also an important food source for the endangered Florida panther. But there are situations where they can become dangerous or damaging. In this 4-page fact sheet, we present some facts about hogs, describe dangers and problems they may cause, and provide suggestions on how to cope with these issues. Written by William M. Giuliano, Holly K. Ober, Lauren Watine, Raoul Boughton, and Don Coyner, and published by the UF Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, December 2014. (Photo: M.S. Smith)

Hidden semi-Markov models reveal multiphasic movement of the endangered Florida panther.

Animals must move to find food and mates, and to avoid predators; movement thus influences survival and reproduction, and ultimately determines fitness. Precise description of movement and understanding of spatial and temporal patterns as well as relationships with intrinsic and extrinsic factors is important both for theoretical and applied reasons. We applied hidden semi-Markov models (HSMM) to hourly geographic positioning system (GPS) location data to understand movement patterns of the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) and to discern factors influencing these patterns. Three distinct movement modes were identified: (1) Resting mode, characterized by short step lengths and turning angles around 180(o); (2) Moderately active (or intermediate) mode characterized by intermediate step lengths and variable turning angles, and (3) Traveling mode, characterized by long step lengths and turning angles around 0(o). Males and females, and females with and without kittens, exhibited distinctly different movement patterns. Using the Viterbi algorithm, we show that differences in movement patterns of male and female Florida panthers were a consequence of sex-specific differences in diurnal patterns of state occupancy and sex-specific differences in state-specific movement parameters, whereas the differences between females with and without dependent kittens were caused solely by variation in state occupancy. Our study demonstrates the use of HSMM methodology to precisely describe movement and to dissect differences in movement patterns according to sex, and reproductive status.

Does hunting activity for game species have indirect effects on resource selection by the endangered Florida panther?

AbstractHunting activities can affect game species in several ways; however, indirect effects of hunting on non‐game species have received less attention than direct effects on game species, even though such potential effects could be crucial in some situations. There is ongoing concern that the critically endangered Florida panther Puma concolor coryi may be influenced by hunting activity, in terms of changes in panther resource selection and distribution. Nonetheless, understanding the potential effects of hunting activity on the resource selection of this wide‐ranging species has proven difficult, because of the relatively fine‐scale nature of variation in hunting activity and potentially confounding variables regarding intra‐annual variation in hunting activity and hydrology. Here, we leverage hierarchical Bayesian models (conditional mixed logit models) and new data sources to assess the effects of hunting activity at a daily temporal scale via the use of off‐road recreation vehicles (ORVs) on variation in resource selection and distribution of panthers, and we contrast these potential effects to variation in standing ground water, an alternative factor hypothesized to drive variation in panther resource selection. Across a 14‐year dataset spanning 110 radio‐telemetered panthers and over 30 000 panther locations, we found that heightened ORV use by hunters has a small, but statistically significant effect on panther resource selection, but no effect on panther distribution near trails. In contrast, intra‐annual variation in standing ground water generally had stronger and consistent effects on resource selection and on distribution of panthers near recreational trails. Our results provide slightly different conclusions than earlier results on this topic, which are likely driven by our use of more data on panthers, information on hydrology, more quantitative information on hunter activity in this region, and the scale of our analysis.