scholarly journals Online Noise as Illustrated by Pitfalls and Biogeography Associated With Common Names for Puma concolor

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Wood ◽  
Angela Ambrosini ◽  
Karen Wood ◽  
Christina Demetrio ◽  
W. Connor O'Malley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Online Media ◽  
Public Outreach ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Mountain Lion ◽  
Vernacular Names ◽  
Search Results ◽  
Biological Relevance ◽  
Topic Interest ◽  
Positive Sentiment

Noise is the non-target search results that people encounter when searching for a particular topic of interest; it is also the cloud of distracting data that can obscure or deflect conservation communication. Online noise associated with large carnivores is particularly dense because their defining characteristics make them salient. Mountain lions (Puma concolor) exemplify noise associated with multiple vernaculars for a species in the crosshairs of conservation conundrums. We compared internet search results, Google Trends reflecting topic interest, use in science publications and sentiment in print and online media for P. concolor's most frequent vernacular names, “mountain lion,” “cougar,” “puma” and “Florida panther.” Puma and panther exhibited greater noise and salience than cougar or mountain lion, but, results for mountain lion, followed by cougar, yielded the highest biological relevance. Online sentiment negatively correlated with biological relevance, with positive sentiment highest for the noisiest vernaculars, puma and panther. As conservation practitioners, we must recognize that public outreach is part of our scientific agenda and be conscious of crafting communication that reaches and resonates with our intended audiences.

scholarly journals Table scraps: inter-trophic food provisioning by pumas

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 776-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Mark Elbroch ◽  
Heiko U. Wittmer
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
National Park ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Food Subsidies ◽  
Vultur Gryphus ◽  
Natural Communities

Large carnivores perform keystone ecological functions through direct predation, or indirectly, through food subsidies to scavengers or trophic cascades driven by their influence on the distributions of their prey. Pumas ( Puma concolor ) are an elusive, cryptic species difficult to study and little is known about their inter-trophic-level interactions in natural communities. Using new GPS technology, we discovered that pumas in Patagonia provided 232 ± 31 kg of edible meat/month/100 km 2 to near-threatened Andean condors ( Vultur gryphus ) and other members of a diverse scavenger community. This is up to 3.1 times the contributions by wolves ( Canis lupus ) to communities in Yellowstone National Park, USA, and highlights the keystone role large, solitary felids play in natural systems. These findings are more pertinent than ever, for managers increasingly advocate controlling pumas and other large felids to bolster prey populations and mitigate concerns over human and livestock safety, without a full understanding of the potential ecological consequences of their actions.

scholarly journals Mountain lion ( Puma concolor ) feeding behavior in the Little Missouri Badlands of North Dakota

2015 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
David T. Wilckens ◽  
Joshua B. Smith ◽  
Stephanie A. Tucker ◽  
Daniel J. Thompson ◽  
Jonathan A. Jenks
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Mountain Lions ◽  
Mountain Lion ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
The North ◽  
Kill Rate ◽  
Prey Populations

Abstract Recent recolonization of mountain lions ( Puma concolor ) into the Little Missouri Badlands of North Dakota has led to questions regarding the potential impacts of predation on prey populations in the region. From 2012 to 2013, we deployed 9 real-time GPS collars to investigate mountain lion feeding habits. We monitored mountain lions for 1,845 telemetry-days, investigated 506 GPS clusters, and identified 292 feeding events. Deer ( Odocoileus spp.) were the most prevalent item in mountain lion diets (76.9%). We used logistic regression to predict feeding events and size of prey consumed at an additional 535 clusters. Our top model for predicting presence of prey items produced a receiver operating characteristic score of 0.90 and an overall accuracy of 81.4%. Application of our models to all GPS clusters resulted in an estimated ungulate kill rate of 1.09 ungulates/week (95% confidence interval [ CI ] = 0.83–1.36) in summer (15 May‒15 November) and 0.90 ungulates/week (95% CI = 0.69–1.12) in winter (16 November‒14 May). Estimates of total biomass consumed were 5.8kg/day (95% CI = 4.7–6.9) in summer and 7.2kg/day (95% CI = 5.3–9.2) in winter. Overall scavenge rates were 3.7% in summer and 11.9% in winter. Prey composition included higher proportions of nonungulates in summer (female = 21.5%; male = 24.8%) than in winter (female = 4.8%; male = 7.5%). Proportion of juvenile ungulates in mountain lion diets increased during the fawning season (June‒August) following the ungulate birth pulse in June (June–August = 60.7%, 95% CI = 43.0–78.3; September–May = 37.2%, 95% CI = 30.8–43.7), resulting in an ungulate kill rate 1.61 times higher (1.41 ungulates/week, 95% CI = 1.12–1.71) than during the remainder of the year (0.88 ungulates/week, 95% CI = 0.62–1.13). Quantifying these feeding characteristics is essential to assessing the potential impacts of mountain lions on prey populations in the North Dakota Badlands, where deer dominate the available prey base and mountain lions represent the lone apex predator.

scholarly journals Public Perceptions of Veterinarians from Social and Online Media Listening

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Nicole Widmar ◽  
Courtney Bir ◽  
John Lai ◽  
Christopher Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Veterinary Medicine ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Media ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Search Results ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Media Sentiment

The public perception of the veterinary medicine profession is of increasing concern given the mounting challenges facing the industry, ranging from student debt loads to mental health implications arising from compassion fatigue, euthanasia, and other challenging aspects of the profession. This analysis employs social media listening and analysis to discern top themes arising from social and online media posts referencing veterinarians. Social media sentiment analysis is also employed to aid in quantifying the search results, in terms of whether they are positivity/negativity associated. From September 2017-November 2019, over 1.4 million posts and 1.7 million mentions were analyzed; the top domain in the search results was Twitter (74%). The mean net sentiment associated with the search conducted over the time period studied was 52%. The top terms revealed in the searches conducted revolved mainly around care of or concern for pet animals. The recognition of challenges facing the veterinary medicine profession were notably absent, except for the mention of suicide risks. While undeniably influenced by the search terms selected, which were directed towards client–clinic related verbiage, a relative lack of knowledge regarding veterinarians’ roles in human health, food safety/security, and society generally outside of companion animal care was recognized. Future research aimed at determining the value of veterinarians’ contributions to society and, in particular, in the scope of One Health, may aid in forming future communication and education campaigns.

scholarly journals Participatory networks for large-scale monitoring of large carnivores: pumas and jaguars of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest

Oryx ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 534-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos De Angelo ◽  
Agustín Paviolo ◽  
Daniela Rode ◽  
Laury Cullen ◽  
Denis Sana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Participatory Monitoring ◽  
Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest

AbstractMost large carnivores are secretive and threatened, and these characteristics pose problems for research on, and monitoring of, these species across extensive areas. Participatory monitoring, however, can be a useful tool for obtaining long-term data across large areas. Pumas Puma concolor and jaguars Panthera onca are the largest predators in the threatened Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest. To survey the presence of these two species we established a participatory network of volunteers and a partnership with researchers in the three countries that share the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest (Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay). We trained participants in simple methods of collecting faeces and track imprints of large felids. Between 2002 and 2008 > 100 volunteers helped with monitoring, obtaining 1,633 records identified as pumas or jaguars across c. 92,890 km2. We confirmed jaguar presence in a large section of the Misiones Green Corridor in Argentina and in the largest protected areas of Brazil and Paraguay. Pumas exhibited a wider distribution, being recorded throughout Misiones province in Argentina and in some areas of Brazil and Paraguay where jaguars were not detected. Both species, and especially jaguars, were detected mainly in the few remaining medium and large forest fragments in this Forest. Although these carnivores are often in conflict with local people, their charisma and cultural significance makes them flagship species that motivated the participation of volunteers and institutions. Participatory monitoring allowed coverage of a vast area at relatively low cost whilst enhancing collaborative management policies among people and institutions from three countries.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis in a Mountain Lion (Puma concolor), California, USA

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 408-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Stephenson ◽  
Pamela Swift ◽  
Robert B. Moeller ◽  
S. Joy Worth ◽  
Janet Foley
Keyword(s):  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Feline Infectious Peritonitis ◽  
Mountain Lion

scholarly journals Using Mountain Lion Habitat Selection in Management

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
JA Dellinger ◽  
B Cristescu ◽  
J Ewanyk ◽  
DJ Gammons ◽  
D Garcelon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Mountain Lions ◽  
Mountain Lion ◽  
Management And Conservation

© 2019 The Wildlife Society Wildlife agencies are generally tasked with managing and conserving species at state and local levels simultaneously. Thus, it is necessary for wildlife agencies to understand basic ecological processes of a given species at multiple scales to aid decision making at commensurately varied spatial and behavioral scales. Mountain lions (Puma concolor) occur throughout California, USA, and are at the center of a variety of management and conservation issues. For example, they are genetically and demographically at risk in 1 region yet apparently stable and negatively affecting endangered species in another. Currently, no formal plan exists for mountain lions in California to deal with these diverse scenarios involving issues of local mountain lion population viability and problems related to predation of endangered species. To facilitate development of a state-wide management and conservation plan, we quantified habitat selection by mountain lions at 2 spatial scales across the range of environmental conditions in which the species is found in California. Our analyses used location data from individuals (n = 263) collared across the state from 2001–2019. At the home range scale, mountain lions selected habitat to prioritize meeting energetic demands. At the within home range scale, mountain lions avoided areas of human activity. Further, our analyses revealed 165,350–170,085 km2, depending on season, of suitable mountain lion habitat in California. Fifty percent of the suitable habitat was on unprotected lands and thus vulnerable to development. These habitat selection models will help in the development of a state-wide conservation and management plan for mountain lions in California by guiding mountain lion population monitoring through time, prioritization of habitat to be conserved for maintaining demographic connectivity and gene flow, and efforts to mediate mountain lion-prey interactions. Our work and application area will help with wildlife policy and management decisions related to depredation problems at the local scale and issues of habitat connectivity at the statewide scale. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

scholarly journals Depredación del borrego Ovis canadensis (Artiodactila: Bovidae) y el venado bura Odocoileus hemionus (Artiodactila: Cervidae) por Puma concolor (Carnivora: Felidae) en Coahuila, México

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 1496
Author(s):  
Hugo Sotelo-Gallardo ◽  
Juan Antonio García-Salas ◽  
Armando Jesús Contreras-Balderas
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Mule Deer ◽  
Bighorn Sheep ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Mountain Lion ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Predation Rates

Small and isolated populations of bighorn sheep (subject to special protection according to NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010) are vulnerable to predation by mountain lion in habitat sympatric with mule deer. Understanding the specific causes of death and survival is important for the development of conservation strategies for bighorn sheep and other ungulates that share the same habitat, such as mule deer.We evaluated and compared the rate of predation by puma in 12 bighorn sheep (10 females, two males) and 10 adult females of mule deer with radio collars through measure risk program (micromorts). The impact of predation in both populations of herbivores is evaluated through the estimation of densities of sheep and mule deer. 88 % (8/9) deaths by puma in bighorn sheep with an average monthly survival rate of 0.79 and predation rates due to puma range from 0.17 to 0.30. In mule deer predation due to puma was 83 % (5/6) with an average monthly survival rate of 0.86 and predation rates due to puma range from 0.10 to 0.25, however when comparing the mountain lion depredation rate we found a significant difference between species (Z = 1.826, df = 6, P = 0.05). The density in mule deer was 9x more that bighorn. The bighorn sheep being the prey most selected and the one most affected as the population with the lowest density.

Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) Population Characteristics in the Little Missouri Badlands of North Dakota

2019 ◽  
Vol 181 (2) ◽  
pp. 207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy D. Johnson ◽  
Jonathan A. Jenks ◽  
Stephanie A. Tucker ◽  
David T. Wilckens
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Mountain Lion
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