Habitat diversity influences puma Puma concolor diet in the Chihuahuan Desert

IF 1.7 3区生物学 Q3 ECOLOGY Wildlife Biology Pub Date : 2021-10-15 DOI:10.2981/wlb.00875

Charles H. Prude, J. W. Cain

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引用次数: 5

Abstract

Habitat heterogeneity and corresponding diversity in potential prey species should increase the diet breadth of generalist predators. Many previous studies describing puma Puma concolor diets in the arid regions of the southwestern United States were focused within largely xeric locations, overlooking the influence of heterogeneity created by riparian forests. Such habitat heterogeneity and corresponding prey diversity could influence prey availability and puma diet composition. We examined seasonal prey composition of pumas occupying areas with different habitat conditions representing riparian areas adjacent to the Rio Grande and xeric Chihuahuan Desert uplands in southern New Mexico. We collected prey composition data from 686 kill sites made by 17 (9 males and 8 females) GPS-collared pumas from 2014 to 2018. Diet composition included 32 different avian, aquatic, small mammal, and ungulate prey species. Prey composition varied, with more ungulate prey consumed by pumas inhabiting the upland desert areas and more aquatic prey consumed in the riparian bosque. Prey composition differed between seasons, with ungulate prey decreasing and aquatic prey increasing during the hot–dry season. Prey composition also varied between puma sex and habitat with females in the desert uplands consuming more small mammals than either males or females in riparian areas. The diverse diets of the pumas inhabiting the heterogeneous landscapes in southern New Mexico provide additional evidence that pumas have broad diets that are strongly influenced by the habitat and prey community that their home range encompasses.

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栖息地多样性对奇瓦瓦沙漠美洲狮饮食的影响

生境异质性和潜在猎物种类的多样性增加了多面手捕食者的饮食广度。许多先前描述美国西南部干旱地区美洲狮饮食的研究主要集中在干旱地区，忽视了河岸森林造成的异质性的影响。这种生境异质性和相应的猎物多样性会影响猎物可得性和美洲狮的饮食组成。本文研究了新墨西哥州南部奇瓦瓦沙漠高地附近的河岸地区不同生境条件下美洲狮的季节性猎物组成。从2014年到2018年，我们收集了17只gps项圈美洲狮(9只雄性和8只雌性)在686个捕杀地点的猎物组成数据。饮食组成包括32种不同的鸟类、水生动物、小型哺乳动物和有蹄类猎物。猎物组成各不相同，生活在高原沙漠地区的美洲狮捕食更多的有蹄类猎物，而生活在河岸地区的美洲狮捕食更多的水生猎物。不同季节的猎物组成不同，在干热季节，有蹄类猎物减少，水生猎物增加。猎物组成也因性别和栖息地的不同而不同，沙漠高地的雌性比河岸地区的雄性或雌性消耗更多的小型哺乳动物。生活在新墨西哥州南部异质地貌中的美洲狮的多样化饮食提供了额外的证据，表明美洲狮的饮食广泛，受到其栖息地和猎物群落的强烈影响。

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来源期刊

Wildlife Biology 生物-动物学

CiteScore

4.30

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： WILDLIFE BIOLOGY is a high-quality scientific forum directing concise and up-to-date information to scientists, administrators, wildlife managers and conservationists. The journal encourages and welcomes original papers, short communications and reviews written in English from throughout the world. The journal accepts theoretical, empirical, and practical articles of high standard from all areas of wildlife science with the primary task of creating the scientific basis for the enhancement of wildlife management practices. Our concept of ''wildlife'' mainly includes mammal and bird species, but studies on other species or phenomena relevant to wildlife management are also of great interest. We adopt a broad concept of wildlife management, including all structures and actions with the purpose of conservation, sustainable use, and/or control of wildlife and its habitats, in order to safeguard sustainable relationships between wildlife and other human interests.