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Conservation plans increasingly include goals to maintain a connected network. For example, planners might design a linkage between two conserved areas, or the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity might set targets for a well-connected system of protected areas for each nation. Here we describe 35 metrics that can quantify connectivity of focal patches or of networks and monitor changes over time in an ecoscape (landscape or seascape). The connectivity metrics fall into four categories: (1) structural connectivity metrics derived from binary maps and species-nonspecific spatial functions, (2) connectivity metrics derived from binary maps and species-specific population sizes and dispersal functions (3) metrics derived from multi-state maps and species responses to those states, and (4) metrics of functional connectivity reflecting observed flow of organisms or genes. We provide a decision tree to select which of these metrics are most appropriate for a given conservation goal and broad ecoscape context. Functional connectivity metrics may be preferred if conservation is focused on particular species or if data are available to parameterize models for a suite of species that represent needs of the focal biota. However, with climate change, ecoscapes need to facilitate movements of all species that need to adapt by shifting their ranges. Because an intact network of relatively natural areas may support movement for many species, structural metrics that consider the human footprint should be used in all coarse filter approximations of functional connectivity in shared ecoscapes.
Annika T.H. Keeley; Paul Beier; Jeff S. Jenness. Connectivity metrics for conservation planning and monitoring. Biological Conservation 2021, 255, 109008 .
AMA StyleAnnika T.H. Keeley, Paul Beier, Jeff S. Jenness. Connectivity metrics for conservation planning and monitoring. Biological Conservation. 2021; 255 ():109008.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnnika T.H. Keeley; Paul Beier; Jeff S. Jenness. 2021. "Connectivity metrics for conservation planning and monitoring." Biological Conservation 255, no. : 109008.
The Colorado River basin (CRB), the primary water source for southwestern North America, is divided into the 283,384 km2, water-exporting Upper CRB (UCRB) in the Colorado Plateau geologic province, and the 344,440 km2, water-receiving Lower CRB (LCRB) in the Basin and Range geologic province. Long-regarded as a snowmelt-fed river system, approximately half of the river’s baseflow is derived from groundwater, much of it through springs. CRB springs are important for biota, culture, and the economy, but are highly threatened by a wide array of anthropogenic factors. We used existing literature, available databases, and field data to synthesize information on the distribution, ecohydrology, biodiversity, status, and potential socio-economic impacts of 20,872 reported CRB springs in relation to permanent stream distribution, human population growth, and climate change. CRB springs are patchily distributed, with highest density in montane and cliff-dominated landscapes. Mapping data quality is highly variable and many springs remain undocumented. Most CRB springs-influenced habitats are small, with a highly variable mean area of 2200 m2, generating an estimated total springs habitat area of 45.4 km2 (0.007% of the total CRB land area). Median discharge also is generally low and variable (0.10 L/s, N = 1687, 95% CI = 0.04 L/s), but ranges up to 1800 L/s. Water pH and conductivity is negatively related to elevation, with a stronger negative relationship in the UCRB compared to the LCRB. Natural springs water temperature and geochemistry throughout the CRB varies greatly among springs, but relatively little within springs, and depends on aquifer hydrogeology, elevation, and residence time. As the only state nearly entirely included within the CRB, Arizona is about equally divided between the two geologic provinces. Arizona springs produce approximately 0.6 km3/year of water. Data on >330 CRB springs-dependent taxa (SDT) revealed at least 62 plant species; 216 aquatic and riparian Mollusca, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and other invertebrate taxa; several herpetofanual species; and two-thirds of 35 CRB fish taxa. Springs vegetation structure, composition, and diversity vary strongly by springs type, and plant species density within springs is high in comparison with upland habitats. Plant species richness and density is negatively related to elevation below 2500 m. Human population in and adjacent to the CRB are growing rapidly, and ecological impairment of springs exceeds 70% in many landscapes, particularly in urbanized and rangeland areas. Anthropogenic stressors are primarily related to groundwater depletion and pollution, livestock management, flow abstraction, non-native species introduction, and recreation. Ensuring the ecological integrity and sustainability of CRB groundwater supplies and springs will require more thorough basic inventory, assessment, research, information management, and local ecosystem rehabilitation, as well as improved groundwater and springs conservation policy.
Lawrence E. Stevens; Jeffrey Jenness; Jeri D. Ledbetter. Springs and Springs-Dependent Taxa of the Colorado River Basin, Southwestern North America: Geography, Ecology and Human Impacts. Water 2020, 12, 1501 .
AMA StyleLawrence E. Stevens, Jeffrey Jenness, Jeri D. Ledbetter. Springs and Springs-Dependent Taxa of the Colorado River Basin, Southwestern North America: Geography, Ecology and Human Impacts. Water. 2020; 12 (5):1501.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLawrence E. Stevens; Jeffrey Jenness; Jeri D. Ledbetter. 2020. "Springs and Springs-Dependent Taxa of the Colorado River Basin, Southwestern North America: Geography, Ecology and Human Impacts." Water 12, no. 5: 1501.
This data article provides several datasets delineating, illustrating and summarizing marine regions within exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of 69 coastal states within the Atlantic, Baltic/North Sea, Mediterranean and Caribbean marine basins. Datasets include two GIS feature classes stored in a Version 10.0 file geodatabase: (1) A polygon feature class delineating operational boundaries within EEZs based on sovereign authority, distance bands from shore, depth ranges, and whether the region lies within a recognized protected area, and (2) A polyline feature class of shorelines for each coastal state. Both feature classes are fully described in the metadata. Datasets also include Excel files summarizing each marine basin and coastal state, summarized by area and proportion of all combinations of distance, depth and protected status. Datasets also include maps illustrating and describing all combinations of distance, depth and protection status, plus shoreline length, for each coastal state and for each marine basin. Datasets also include Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code files used to generate all datasets, summary tables and maps. These datasets support analysis described in “Assessment of the geographical potential for co-use of marine space, based on operational boundaries for Blue Growth sectors” (van den Burg et al., 2018), and allow readers to extend the regional assessments described in that article down to individual country-level assessments.
Jeff Jenness; S.W.K. Van Den Burg; José Aguilar-Manjarrez; Melanie Torrie. Spatial datasets to define operational boundaries within four marine basins delineated by distance from shore, depth, EEZ and protected status, accompanied by maps and statistical summary tables. Data in Brief 2018, 21, 2638 -2642.
AMA StyleJeff Jenness, S.W.K. Van Den Burg, José Aguilar-Manjarrez, Melanie Torrie. Spatial datasets to define operational boundaries within four marine basins delineated by distance from shore, depth, EEZ and protected status, accompanied by maps and statistical summary tables. Data in Brief. 2018; 21 ():2638-2642.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJeff Jenness; S.W.K. Van Den Burg; José Aguilar-Manjarrez; Melanie Torrie. 2018. "Spatial datasets to define operational boundaries within four marine basins delineated by distance from shore, depth, EEZ and protected status, accompanied by maps and statistical summary tables." Data in Brief 21, no. : 2638-2642.
The worlds’ oceans and seas have tremendous potential to contribute to the provision of food, feed, energy and natural resources. The emerging concepts of “Blue Growth” and “Blue Economy” have put the development of new marine industries on the political agenda. As marine industries expand, spatial interconnections and industry boundaries are being drawn and the potential for the combined use of marine space is being explored. The aim of this paper is to provide a single source document that summarizes the probable boundaries of marine growth industries, namely aquaculture; offshore wind energy with fixed foundations; floating offshore wind energy; tidal and wave energy; marine biotechnology, seabed mining; and tourism and recreation, based on depth and distance from the shore. This is an important first step in developing a single source document for marine industry boundaries that will help marine spatial planners and researchers develop innovative industry combinations to foster growth in the marine sector. This paper explores marine industry overlaps in four basins: European Atlantic, Baltic/North Sea, Mediterranean/Black Sea and the Caribbean/ Gulf of Mexico. By describing the geographical characteristics of different sea basins, this paper helps to focus marine governance strategies for stimulating combinations of marine industries towards the most promising areas. The methodology developed in this paper was also used to generate 72 country-specific maps and corresponding tables to support marine spatial planning processes at a national level.
S.W.K. Van Den Burg; José Aguilar-Manjarrez; Jeff Jenness; Melanie Torrie. Assessment of the geographical potential for co-use of marine space, based on operational boundaries for Blue Growth sectors. Marine Policy 2018, 100, 43 -57.
AMA StyleS.W.K. Van Den Burg, José Aguilar-Manjarrez, Jeff Jenness, Melanie Torrie. Assessment of the geographical potential for co-use of marine space, based on operational boundaries for Blue Growth sectors. Marine Policy. 2018; 100 ():43-57.
Chicago/Turabian StyleS.W.K. Van Den Burg; José Aguilar-Manjarrez; Jeff Jenness; Melanie Torrie. 2018. "Assessment of the geographical potential for co-use of marine space, based on operational boundaries for Blue Growth sectors." Marine Policy 100, no. : 43-57.
Yeon-Su Kim; Sitti Latifah; Mansur Afifi; Mark Mulligan; Sophia Burke; Larry Fisher; Ewa Siwicka; Kyriaki Remoundou; Michael Christie; Sharon Masek Lopez; Jeff Jenness. Managing forests for global and local ecosystem services: A case study of carbon, water and livelihoods from eastern Indonesia. Ecosystem Services 2018, 31, 153 -168.
AMA StyleYeon-Su Kim, Sitti Latifah, Mansur Afifi, Mark Mulligan, Sophia Burke, Larry Fisher, Ewa Siwicka, Kyriaki Remoundou, Michael Christie, Sharon Masek Lopez, Jeff Jenness. Managing forests for global and local ecosystem services: A case study of carbon, water and livelihoods from eastern Indonesia. Ecosystem Services. 2018; 31 ():153-168.
Chicago/Turabian StyleYeon-Su Kim; Sitti Latifah; Mansur Afifi; Mark Mulligan; Sophia Burke; Larry Fisher; Ewa Siwicka; Kyriaki Remoundou; Michael Christie; Sharon Masek Lopez; Jeff Jenness. 2018. "Managing forests for global and local ecosystem services: A case study of carbon, water and livelihoods from eastern Indonesia." Ecosystem Services 31, no. : 153-168.
Most forest ecosystems contain a diverse community of top-level predators. How these predator species interact, and how their interactions influence their spatial distribution is still poorly understood.Here we studied interactions among top predators in a guild of diurnal forest raptors in order to test the hypothesis that predation among competing predators (intraguild predation) significantly affects the spatial distribution of predator species, causing subordinate species to nest farther away from the dominant ones.The study analyzed a guild in southwestern Europe comprising three raptor species. For 8 years we studied the spatial distribution of used nests, breeding phenology, intraguild predation, territory occupancy, and nest-builder species and subsequent nest-user species.The subordinate species (sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus) nested farther away from the dominant species (goshawk A. gentilis), which preyed on sparrowhawks but not on buzzards Buteo buteo, and closer to buzzards, with which sparrowhawks do not share many common prey. This presumably reflects an effort to seek protection from goshawks. This potential positive effect of buzzards on sparrowhawks may be reciprocal, because buzzards benefit from old sparrowhawk nests, which buzzards used as a base for their nests, and from used sparrowhawk nests, from which buzzards stole prey. Buzzards occasionally occupied old goshawk nests.These results support our initial hypothesis that interspecific interactions within the raptor guild influence the spatial distribution of predator species in forest ecosystems, with intraguild predation as a key driver. We discuss several mechanisms that may promote the coexistence of subordinate and dominant predators and the spatial assembly of this raptor guild: spatial refuges, different breeding phenology, spatial avoidance, low territory occupancy between neighboring nesting territories, nest concealment and protection, and diet segregation.
S. Rebollo; S. Martínez‐Hesterkamp; G. García‐Salgado; L. Pérez‐Camacho; J. M. Fernández‐Pereira; J. Jenness. Spatial relationships and mechanisms of coexistence between dominant and subordinate top predators. Journal of Avian Biology 2017, 48, 1226 -1237.
AMA StyleS. Rebollo, S. Martínez‐Hesterkamp, G. García‐Salgado, L. Pérez‐Camacho, J. M. Fernández‐Pereira, J. Jenness. Spatial relationships and mechanisms of coexistence between dominant and subordinate top predators. Journal of Avian Biology. 2017; 48 (9):1226-1237.
Chicago/Turabian StyleS. Rebollo; S. Martínez‐Hesterkamp; G. García‐Salgado; L. Pérez‐Camacho; J. M. Fernández‐Pereira; J. Jenness. 2017. "Spatial relationships and mechanisms of coexistence between dominant and subordinate top predators." Journal of Avian Biology 48, no. 9: 1226-1237.
Snags (standing dead trees) are important components of forests that provide resources for numerous species of wildlife and contribute to decay dynamics and other ecological processes. Managers charged with managing populations of snags need information about standing rates of snags and factors influencing those rates, yet such data are limited for ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and especially mixed‐conifer forests in the southwestern United States. We monitored standing rates of snags in 1‐ha plots in Arizona mixed‐conifer (n = 53 plots) and ponderosa pine (n = 60 plots) forests from 1997 through 2012. We used the Burnham live–dead, mark–resight model in Program MARK and multimodel inference to estimate standing rates during 5‐year intervals while accounting for imperfect detection. Because snag standing rates may be influenced by plot characteristics, we used plots rather than snags as sampling units and conducted bootstrap analyses (500 iterations per model) to resample plots and estimate standing rates and associated parameters. We modeled standing rates in 3 discrete steps. First, we selected a parsimonious base model from a set of models including snag species, and then we evaluated models created by adding snag and plot covariates to the base model in steps 2 and 3, respectively. Snag standing rates differed among snag species and 5‐year sampling intervals. Standing rates were positively related to snag diameter, negatively related to snag height, and were lower for snags with intact tops than for broken‐topped snags. Standing rates also were positively related to topographic roughness, elevation, tree density, and an index of northness, and negatively related to slope and relative topographic exposure. Our results provide comparative data on standing rates of multiple species of snags based on a large and spatially extensive sample and rigorous analysis, and quantify the relative importance of several snag and plot characteristics on those rates. They indicate that modeling snag dynamics is complicated by both spatial and temporal variation in standing rates and identify areas where further work is needed to facilitate such modeling. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Joseph L. Ganey; Gary C. White; Jeff Jenness; Scott C. Vojta. Mark-recapture estimation of snag standing rates in Northern Arizona mixed-conifer and ponderosa pine forests. The Journal of Wildlife Management 2015, 79, 1369 -1377.
AMA StyleJoseph L. Ganey, Gary C. White, Jeff Jenness, Scott C. Vojta. Mark-recapture estimation of snag standing rates in Northern Arizona mixed-conifer and ponderosa pine forests. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 2015; 79 (8):1369-1377.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJoseph L. Ganey; Gary C. White; Jeff Jenness; Scott C. Vojta. 2015. "Mark-recapture estimation of snag standing rates in Northern Arizona mixed-conifer and ponderosa pine forests." The Journal of Wildlife Management 79, no. 8: 1369-1377.
Joseph C. Drake; Jeffrey S. Jenness; Jordan Calvert; Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle. Testing a model for the prediction of isolated waters in the Sonoran Desert. Journal of Arid Environments 2015, 118, 1 -8.
AMA StyleJoseph C. Drake, Jeffrey S. Jenness, Jordan Calvert, Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle. Testing a model for the prediction of isolated waters in the Sonoran Desert. Journal of Arid Environments. 2015; 118 ():1-8.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJoseph C. Drake; Jeffrey S. Jenness; Jordan Calvert; Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle. 2015. "Testing a model for the prediction of isolated waters in the Sonoran Desert." Journal of Arid Environments 118, no. : 1-8.
Joseph L. Ganey; Benjamin J. Bird; L. Scott Baggett; Jeff Jenness. Density of Large Snags and Logs in Northern Arizona Mixed-Conifer and Ponderosa Pine Forests. Forest Science 2015, 61, 353 -362.
AMA StyleJoseph L. Ganey, Benjamin J. Bird, L. Scott Baggett, Jeff Jenness. Density of Large Snags and Logs in Northern Arizona Mixed-Conifer and Ponderosa Pine Forests. Forest Science. 2015; 61 (2):353-362.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJoseph L. Ganey; Benjamin J. Bird; L. Scott Baggett; Jeff Jenness. 2015. "Density of Large Snags and Logs in Northern Arizona Mixed-Conifer and Ponderosa Pine Forests." Forest Science 61, no. 2: 353-362.
A Recovery Plan developed for the threatened Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) recommended designating Protected Activity Centers (PACs) with a minimum size of 243 ha to conserve core use areas of territorial owls. The plan assumed that areas of this size would protect “… the nest site, several roost sites, and the most proximal and highly-used foraging areas.” The PAC concept remains an important component of the recovery strategy nineteen years later, although use of designated PACs by territorial owls has never been evaluated. We assessed use of PACs for nesting and roosting by Mexican Spotted Owls in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, using location data obtained during a study of owl demography from 2004–2011. High proportions of both nest and roost locations were located within the PAC boundary for most, but not all, PACs. Many locations outside of PAC boundaries were adjacent to those boundaries, but some occurred >1 km from PAC boundaries. Proportions of roost locations within the PAC also were high for most, but not all, individual owls of both sexes, and in all years of the study. Proportions of locations within PACs remained relatively high for periods of up to 24 yr following PAC establishment, suggesting that owls continued to use these areas over relatively long periods. A number of vacant PACs were recolonized by owls during the study, and these owls also used PAC areas at high levels in most, but not all, cases. It would be desirable to assess PAC use over longer time periods, in other geographic areas, and to incorporate foraging use in such evaluations. In the meantime, however, our results suggest that most resident owls concentrated nesting and roosting activity within designated PAC areas in our study area, that some vacant PACs were recolonized, and that use levels in PACs remained high as long as 24 yr after PAC establishment, suggesting that PACs in this area are providing important habitat for owls. Un Plan de Recuperación desarrollado para Strix occidentalis lucida recomendó la designación de Centros de Actividad Protegidos (CAPs) de un tamaño mínimo de 243 ha para conservar las áreas núcleo de uso de búhos territoriales. El plan asumió que las áreas de este tamaño protegerían “… el sitio de nidada, varios dormideros y las áreas de forrajeo más próximas y más utilizadas”. El concepto de CAP permanece como un componente importante de la estrategia de recuperación 19 años más tarde, aunque el uso de los CAPs por parte de los búhos territoriales nunca ha sido evaluado. Evaluamos el uso de CAPs para nidificación y percha por parte de S. o. lucida en las montañas de Sacramento, Nuevo Méjico, utilizando datos de ubicación obtenidos durante el estudio de la demografía de los búhos realizado entre 2004 y 2011. Se establecieron proporciones elevadas de ubicaciones tanto de sitios de nidos como de dormideros dentro de los límites del CAP para la mayoría pero no para todos los CAPs. Muchas ubicaciones fuera de los límites de un CAP se encontraron en las adyacencias de esos límites, pero algunas ocurrieron a >1 km de los límites del CAP. Las proporciones de las ubicaciones de los dormideros dentro de un CAP también fueron elevadas para la mayoría pero no para todos los individuos de ambos sexos y en todos los años de estudio. Las proporciones de las ubicaciones dentro de los CAPs permanecieron relativamente elevadas para periodos de hasta 24 años luego del establecimiento de un CAP, lo que sugiere que los búhos continuaron utilizando estas áreas a lo largo de periodos de tiempo relativamente largos. Un número de CAPs vacantes fueron recolonizados por búhos durante el estudio y estos búhos también utilizaron con gran frecuencia áreas CAPs en la mayoría de los casos. Sería necesario evaluar el uso de los CAP a lo largo de períodos de tiempo más largos, en otras áreas geográficas e incorporando el uso de forrajeo en dichas evaluaciones. Mientras tanto, sin embargo, nuestros resultados sugieren que los búhos más residentes concentraron sus actividades de nidificación y de percha dentro de las áreas CAP en nuestra área de estudio, que varios CAPs vacantes fueron recolonizados y que los niveles de uso permanecieron elevados a lo largo de más de 24 años después del establecimiento del CAP, sugiriendo que los CAPs en esta área están proveyendo hábitat importante para los búhos.
Joseph L. Ganey; James P. Ward; Jeffrey S. Jenness; William M. Block; Shaula Hedwall; Ryan S. Jonnes; Darrell L. Apprill; Todd A. Rawlinson; Sean C. Kyle; Steven L. Spangle. Use of Protected Activity Centers by Mexican Spotted Owls in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico. Journal of Raptor Research 2014, 48, 210 -218.
AMA StyleJoseph L. Ganey, James P. Ward, Jeffrey S. Jenness, William M. Block, Shaula Hedwall, Ryan S. Jonnes, Darrell L. Apprill, Todd A. Rawlinson, Sean C. Kyle, Steven L. Spangle. Use of Protected Activity Centers by Mexican Spotted Owls in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico. Journal of Raptor Research. 2014; 48 (3):210-218.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJoseph L. Ganey; James P. Ward; Jeffrey S. Jenness; William M. Block; Shaula Hedwall; Ryan S. Jonnes; Darrell L. Apprill; Todd A. Rawlinson; Sean C. Kyle; Steven L. Spangle. 2014. "Use of Protected Activity Centers by Mexican Spotted Owls in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico." Journal of Raptor Research 48, no. 3: 210-218.
Joseph L. Ganey; Jeffrey S. Jenness. An apparent case of long-distance breeding dispersal by a Mexican spotted owl in New Mexico. An apparent case of long-distance breeding dispersal by a Mexican spotted owl in New Mexico 2013, 53, 1 .
AMA StyleJoseph L. Ganey, Jeffrey S. Jenness. An apparent case of long-distance breeding dispersal by a Mexican spotted owl in New Mexico. An apparent case of long-distance breeding dispersal by a Mexican spotted owl in New Mexico. 2013; 53 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJoseph L. Ganey; Jeffrey S. Jenness. 2013. "An apparent case of long-distance breeding dispersal by a Mexican spotted owl in New Mexico." An apparent case of long-distance breeding dispersal by a Mexican spotted owl in New Mexico 53, no. : 1.
Spatial information systems (SIS) is a term that describes a wide diversity of concepts, techniques, and technologies related to the capture, management, display and analysis of spatial information. It encompasses technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), remote sensing, and relational database management systems (RDBMS), which were once relatively independent but increasingly have been merging into cohesive, integrated systems.
Hawthorne L. Beyer; Jeff Jenness; Samuel A. Cushman. Components of Spatial Information Management in Wildlife Ecology: Software for Statistical and Modeling Analysis. Spatial Complexity, Informatics, and Wildlife Conservation 2010, 245 -253.
AMA StyleHawthorne L. Beyer, Jeff Jenness, Samuel A. Cushman. Components of Spatial Information Management in Wildlife Ecology: Software for Statistical and Modeling Analysis. Spatial Complexity, Informatics, and Wildlife Conservation. 2010; ():245-253.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHawthorne L. Beyer; Jeff Jenness; Samuel A. Cushman. 2010. "Components of Spatial Information Management in Wildlife Ecology: Software for Statistical and Modeling Analysis." Spatial Complexity, Informatics, and Wildlife Conservation , no. : 245-253.
Sermin Tagil; Jeff Jenness. GIS-Based Automated Landform Classification and Topographic, Landcover and Geologic Attributes of Landforms Around the Yazoren Polje, Turkey. Journal of Applied Sciences 2008, 8, 910 -921.
AMA StyleSermin Tagil, Jeff Jenness. GIS-Based Automated Landform Classification and Topographic, Landcover and Geologic Attributes of Landforms Around the Yazoren Polje, Turkey. Journal of Applied Sciences. 2008; 8 (6):910-921.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSermin Tagil; Jeff Jenness. 2008. "GIS-Based Automated Landform Classification and Topographic, Landcover and Geologic Attributes of Landforms Around the Yazoren Polje, Turkey." Journal of Applied Sciences 8, no. 6: 910-921.
Models of individual movement can help conserve wide-ranging carnivores on increasingly human-altered landscapes, and cannot be constructed solely by analyzing the daytime resting locations typically collected in carnivore studies. We examined the movements of 10 female and 7 male cougars (Puma concolor) at 15-min intervals during 44 nocturnal or diel periods of hunting or traveling in the Santa Ana Mountain Range of southern California, USA, between 1988 and 1992. Cougars tended to move in a meandering path (mean turning angle ∼54°), and distance moved (mean and mode ∼300 m) was not correlated with turning angle. Cougars used a broader range of habitats for nocturnal or diel movements than for previously described daybed locations for this same population. Riparian vegetation ranked highest in a compositional analysis of vegetation types selected during movement; grassland, woodland and urbanized sites were least selected. During periods of stasis (we presume many of these were stalking locations), patterns of selection were less marked. Cougars spent a disproportionate amount of time in highly ranked vegetation types, and traveled slowest through riparian habitats and fastest through human-dominated areas. Our results suggest that travel speed may provide an efficient index of habitat selection in concert with other types of analysis. Hunting or traveling individuals consistently used travel paths that were less rugged than their general surroundings. Traveling cougars avoided 2-lane paved roads, but dirt roads may have facilitated movement. Maintenance and restoration of corridors between large wildlands is essential to conserving cougars in southern California. Our results indicate that riparian vegetation, and other vegetation types that provide horizontal cover, are desirable features in such corridors, that dirt roads should not impede cougar use of corridors, and that corridors should lie along routes with relatively gentle topography. Our results suggest that cougars do not key in on highway-crossing structures in a way that creates a prey trap. Our empirical frequency distributions of distances and turning angles, along with cougar responses to vegetation, topography, and roads can help parameterize an individually-based movement model for cougars in human-altered landscapes.
Brett G. Dickson; Jeff Jenness; Paul Beier. INFLUENCE OF VEGETATION, TOPOGRAPHY, AND ROADS ON COUGAR MOVEMENT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. The Journal of Wildlife Management 2005, 69, 264 -276.
AMA StyleBrett G. Dickson, Jeff Jenness, Paul Beier. INFLUENCE OF VEGETATION, TOPOGRAPHY, AND ROADS ON COUGAR MOVEMENT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 2005; 69 (1):264-276.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBrett G. Dickson; Jeff Jenness; Paul Beier. 2005. "INFLUENCE OF VEGETATION, TOPOGRAPHY, AND ROADS ON COUGAR MOVEMENT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA." The Journal of Wildlife Management 69, no. 1: 264-276.
Jeff Jenness. Calculating landscape surface area from digital elevation models. Wildlife Society Bulletin 2004, 32, 829 -839.
AMA StyleJeff Jenness. Calculating landscape surface area from digital elevation models. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 2004; 32 (3):829-839.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJeff Jenness. 2004. "Calculating landscape surface area from digital elevation models." Wildlife Society Bulletin 32, no. 3: 829-839.