Human expansion precipitates niche expansion for an opportunistic apex predator (Puma concolor)
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Title
Human expansion precipitates niche expansion for an opportunistic apex predator (Puma concolor)
Description
There is growing recognition that developed landscapes are important systems in which to promote ecological complexity and conservation. Yet, little is known about processes regulating these novel ecosystems, or behaviours employed by species adapting to them. We evaluated the isotopic niche of an apex carnivore, the cougar (Puma concolor), over broad spatiotemporal scales and in a region characterized by rapid landscape change. We detected a shift in resource use, from near complete specialization on native herbivores in wildlands to greater use of exotic and invasive species by cougars in contemporary urban interfaces. We show that 25 years ago, cougars inhabiting these same urban interfaces possessed diets that were intermediate. Thus, niche expansion followed human expansion over both time and space, indicating that an important top predator is interacting with prey in novel ways. Thus, though human-dominated landscapes can provide sufficient resources for apex carnivores, they do not necessarily preserve their ecological relationships.
Bibliographic Citation
Moss, W. E., M. W. Alldredge, K. A. Logan, and J. N. Pauli. 2016. Human expansion precipitates niche expansion for an opportunistic apex predator (Puma concolor). Scientific Reports 6:39639. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep39639
Creator
Moss, Wynne E.
Alldredge, Mathew W.
Logan, Kenneth A.
Pauli, Jonathan N.
Subject
Animal behaviour
Conservation biology
Stable isotope analysis
Extent
5 pages
Date Created
2016-12-23
Rights
Type
Article
Format
application/pdf
Language
English
Is Part Of
Scientific Reports
Collection
Citation
Moss, Wynne E. et al., “Human expansion precipitates niche expansion for an opportunistic apex predator (Puma concolor),” CPW Digital Collections, accessed April 19, 2025, https://cpw.cvlcollections.org/items/show/94.