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Extirpated, immigrated, genetically stratified—first demographic assessment of a recovering bobcat (Lynx rufus) population after a century of extinction

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Abstract

The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a widespread mesocarnivore that declined in the USA as immigration and settlement proceeded. It was considered extirpated in Ohio (OH) around 1850, and generally extinct for a century. Listed as state-endangered in 1974, verified reports increased in the 1990s. Population clusters developed in 2 areas of OH, and genetically stratified. The eastern population increased more rapidly, and the southern was part of a multistate population including West Virginia (WV) and Kentucky (KY). To investigate the recovering bobcat’s population ecology, the State of OH collected carcasses of bobcats who died mostly from vehicle collision while state-listed. We processed specimens for demographic data, and supplemented the southern sample with western WV and eastern KY harvest data given genetic relatedness. We applied a vertical life table framework interpreting our population cross-section as a recovery period. We estimated age structure, fecundity, and population status of eastern OH bobcats, and compared fecundity between areas. Life-table analyses indicated an eastern OH population hovering around zero growth. Juvenile females contained most reproductive value, and most males died as young adults. Fecundity in eastern OH surpassed that of the multistate population overall where comparable. Fecundity increased through several years of life as bobcats matured. Our results suggest, after a rapid recovery of eastern OH bobcats, population growth slowed as they began to saturate their environment. OH delisted bobcats in 2014 and proposed a harvest season in 2018. With loosening regulation, we recommend more robust sampling for improved population modeling after expansion of the recovered population’s range.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the authors on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Laura Palmer of Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources for sharing data, and Rich Rogers of West Virginia’s Division of Natural Resources: Wildlife Resources section for facilitating collaboration. We thank Christina Wampler of the USDA Forest Service for assistance accessing literature, and 2 anonymous reviewers of manuscript versions.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

This research was supported by Ohio Division of Wildlife with funds donated to the Wildlife Diversity and Endangered Species Program, and by Native Species Support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Native Species Support, P.O. Box 1302, Cambridge, OH, 43725, USA

    Christa Rose

  2. Appalachian Wildlife Research Institute, P.O. Box 396, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    I. Suzanne Prange

  3. Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA

    Stephanie M. Landry

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  1. Christa Rose
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  2. I. Suzanne Prange
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  3. Stephanie M. Landry
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Correspondence to Christa Rose.

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Rose, C., Prange, I.S. & Landry, S.M. Extirpated, immigrated, genetically stratified—first demographic assessment of a recovering bobcat (Lynx rufus) population after a century of extinction. Mamm Res 65, 423–434 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-019-00462-1

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