bobcat hsi model
TRANSCRIPT
Roberts, S.B., J.D. Jordan, P. Bettinger, and R.J. Warren. 2010.
Journal of Wildlife Management 74:386-384.
Kelsi Potterf
USING BOBCAT HABITAT SUITABILITY
TO PRIORITIZE HABITAT PRESERVATION ON A
SUBURBANIZING BARRIER ISLAND
Growing emphasis on wildland-urban interface as urban sprawl continues
Incorporation of green space by developers
Develop a habitat assessment tool for the bobcat (Lynx rufus)—HSI Habitat requirements Ecological niche Sensitivity to fragmentation Social appeal
INTRODUCTION
Lancia et al. (1982), Boyle and Fenley (1987)—Southeastern US Food Suitability Index (FSI)—optimal habitat for cotton
rats (Sigmodon hispidus) and eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
90% grass, forb, or shrub cover with 50-70%vegetation in grasses or forbs
Connor and Leopold (1998)—Mississippi National Forest habitat suitability for female bobcats
Woolf et al. (2002)—home-range scale across Illinois
Nielsen and Woolf (2002)—correlates suitability to abundance in southern Illinois
SIMILAR STUDIES
All were small scale and only natural habitatsOnly focus on food availabilityAssumes that FSI would satisfy cover needs
PROBLEMS WITH PREVIOUS RESEARCH
Reassess land-preservation opportunities with a simple, effective and biological tool
Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy (KINHC)
Fine scale suitability Modified bobcat Habitat Suitability Index (MHSI) Model
using telemetry data, den counts, and prey countsIntegrate FSI, Cover Suitability Index (CSI), and
Den Suitability Index (DSI) Urban areas can cause these requisites to be mutually
exclusive Other life requisites are met in undeveloped areas
PURPOSE
Kiawah Island 3500 ha coastal barrier island
1500 ha marsh 2000 ha thickets, ponds, golf course, resort development and sand
25 km south of Charleston, South CarolinaDevelopment began in 1974By 2005 there were 3000 parcels70 homes added per yearLocal regulations maintain green space—mosaic
Buffer strips Canopy cover Riparian vegetation
STUDY AREA
Supports 30 bobcats—1.4 per upland km2
Can occur at densities from 5 per 100 km2 to 48 per 100 km2
Home ranges vary based on ecologyHome range between 6 km2 and 325 km2
(IUCN 2014)
KIAWAH ISLAND
9 land cover types—input to Arc GIS 9.1 Geo-referenced plat map Municipal building permit data Infrared digital orthophotography
Modified HSI grid created from FSI, CSI and DSI grids Hawth’s Analysis Tools to evaluate mean MHSI value within
each parcel
METHODS
Hawth’s Analysis Tools to estimate FSI for each land cover type 1000 random locations Nocturnal radiotelemetry locations
Small scale rodent trapping supported FSI values
FOOD SUITABILITY INDEX
Area covered by forest or shrub for concealment Areas next to roadways not included due to noise Diurnal radiotelemetry locations
Radiocollared 16 bobcats—8 males and 8 females from April 2004 to March 2005
Telemetry locations recorded 5 times a week
Recording start time shifted by 2 hours
Records occurred more than 12 hours apart
An average of 154 locations collected for each bobcat
COVER SUITABILITY INDEX
Forest and shrub land cover typesShape and size of core habitat—no smaller than
2 ha Visual Basic 6.0—2 ha moving window grid
Den location in spring of 2004 and 2005—6 located 2 dens located in areas considered unsuitable Recommend the use of a minimum threshold on MHSI
DEN SUITABILITY INDEX
Highly Suitable—MHSI=0.83* 367.1 ha forest* 306.4 ha shrub* 116.4 ha open dune 425.8 ha developed Total—1215.7 ha (43.7%)
Uninhabitable—MHSI=0 807 ha salt marsh 234.1 ha sand 208.8 ha golf course 160.7 ha roads 153.7 ha water Total—1564.3 ha (57.3%)
RESULTS
Results support Boyle and Fendley (1987) model—cotton rat availability
Bobcat-human ecology Activity reduced to avoid human interaction
Current use as an umbrella species for habitat preservation Under some scrutiny
DISCUSSION
Population very uniqueMHSI specific to this population
Isolated population High population density May not be location-appropriate focal species
DISCUSSION
Sl ide 1: http: / /wal lpaperswa.com/Animals /wi ld l i fe/animals_wi ld l i fe_bobcats_1600x1200_wal lpaper_44200/download_1600x1200
Sl ide 2:http: / /www.k iawahis land.com/developer/, http: / / fu l lwal lpaper. tk /2014/07/13/bobcat/
Sl ide 7: http: / /www.expedia.com/Char leston-Hotels -ResortQuest-Rentals -At-K iawah- Is land.h1240620.Hotel - Information
Sl ide 9: http: / /www.fi le-extens ions.org/arcgis -explorer-fi le-extens ions Sl ide 10: http: / /wdfw.wa.gov/ l iv ing/spec ies /graphics /bobcat_1. jpg Sl ide 11: http: / /www.k iawahresort .com/blog/k iawah- is land/2014/04/16/k iawah-bobcats/ Sl ide 12:
http: / /conservat ioncubc lub.com/2012/08/ is -your-cat-a-tree-or-bush-dwel ler /bobcat_ fami ly- in-den/, http: / /www.eeob. iastate.edu/ facul ty/C larkW/html / reproduct ion.html
Sl ide 13: http: / /www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/nat ional -wi ld l i fe/animals /archives/2014/k iawah-bobcats .aspx
Sl ide 16: http: / /caro l inaartsnews.wordpress .com/2012/02/09/the-wel ls -gal lery-at- the-sanctuary-on-k iawah- is land-sc-announce-winners-of- the-3rd-annual - is land-arts - jur ied-show/, http: / /andthatswhenshesnapped.wordpress .com/
Sl ide 18: http: / /www.welcometokiawah.com/Links%20of%20Interest/K INHC/People%20bobcats%20mingle%20on%20lush%20Kiawah%20Is land%20.htm
Sl ide 19: http: / /www.k iawahresort .com/recreat ion/by- interest /wi ld l i fe-as-we-see- i t /wi ld l i fe-archives-2010
Sl ide 22: http: / / t rack ingtheworld.com/blog/gps-track ing-al lows-contruct ion-company-to -avoid-wi ld li fe/
Other: Microsoft Powerpoint
PHOTO COURTESY
IUCN Redlist [IUCN]. 2014. Lynx rufus. <http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12521/0>. Accessed 5 October 2014.
Roberts, S.B., J.D. Jordan, P. Bettinger, and R.J. Warren. 2010.
Using bobcat habitat suitability to prioritize habitat preservation on a suburbanizing barrier island. Journal of Wildlife Management 74:386-384.
REFERENCE