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Bates‐Mundell L, Williams SH, Sager‐Fradkin K, Wittmer HU, Allen ML, Cristescu B, Wilmers CC, Elbroch LM. Season, prey availability, sex, and age explain prey size selection in a large solitary carnivore. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11080. [PMID: 38455146 PMCID: PMC10918706 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Prey selection is a fundamental aspect of ecology that drives evolution and community structure, yet the impact of intraspecific variation on the selection for prey size remains largely unaccounted for in ecological theory. Here, we explored puma (Puma concolor) prey selection across six study sites in North and South America. Our results highlighted the strong influence of season and prey availability on puma prey selection, and the smaller influence of puma age. Pumas in all sites selected smaller prey in warmer seasons following the ungulate birth pulse. Our top models included interaction terms between sex and age, suggesting that males more than females select larger prey as they age, which may reflect experiential learning. When accounting for variable sampling across pumas in our six sites, male and female pumas killed prey of equivalent size, even though males are larger than females, challenging assumptions about this species. Nevertheless, pumas in different study sites selected prey of different sizes, emphasizing that the optimal prey size for pumas is likely context-dependent and affected by prey availability. The mean prey weight across all sites averaged 1.18 times mean puma weight, which was less than predicted as the optimal prey size by energetics and ecological theory (optimal prey = 1.45 puma weight). Our results help refine our understanding of optimal prey for pumas and other solitary carnivores, as well as corroborate recent research emphasizing that carnivore prey selection is impacted not just by energetics but by the effects of diverse ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan Bates‐Mundell
- Faculty of Environment and Natural ResourcesUniversity of FreiburgFreiburg im BreisgauGermany
| | | | - Kim Sager‐Fradkin
- Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Natural ResourcesPort AngelesWashingtonUSA
| | - Heiko U. Wittmer
- School of Biological SciencesVictoria University of WellingtonWellingtonNew Zealand
| | - Maximilian L. Allen
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research InstituteUniversity of IllinoisChampaignIllinoisUSA
| | - Bogdan Cristescu
- Environmental Studies DepartmentUniversity of CaliforniaSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
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Rodrigues LLV, Moura YBF, Viana JVDS, de Oliveira LRM, Praxedes ÉA, Vieira JDB, Sales SLA, Silva HVR, Luciano MCDS, Pessoa C, Pereira AF. Full confluency, serum starvation, and roscovitine for inducing arrest in the G 0/G 1 phase of the cell cycle in puma skin-derived fibroblast lines. Anim Reprod 2023; 20:e20230017. [PMID: 37101424 PMCID: PMC10124155 DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-ar2023-0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The puma population is constantly decreasing, and cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer can be used to conserve the species. One of the factors determining the success of the development of cloned embryos is the cell cycle stage of the donor cells. We evaluated the effects of full confluency (~100%), serum starvation (0.5% serum), and roscovitine (15 µM) treatments on the cell cycle synchronization in G0/G1 of puma skin-derived fibroblasts by flow cytometric analysis. Also, we assessed the effects of these synchronization methods on morphology, viability, and apoptosis levels using microscopy tools. The results showed that culturing the cells to confluence for 24 h (84.0%), 48 h (84.6%), and 72 h (84.2%) and serum starvation for 96 h (85.4%) yielded a significantly higher percentage of cells arrested in the G0/G1 (P 0.05) phase than cells not subjected to any cell cycle synchronization method (73.9%). Nevertheless, while serum starvation reduced the percentage of viable cells, no difference was observed for the full confluence and roscovitine treatments (P 0.05). Moreover, roscovitine for 12 h (78.6%) and 24 h (82.1%) was unable to synchronize cells in G0/G1 (P 0.05). In summary, full confluency induces puma fibroblast cell cycle synchronization at the G0/G1 stage without affecting cell viability. These outcomes may be valuable for planning donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer in pumas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Érika Almeida Praxedes
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Mossoró, RN, Brasil
| | - José de Brito Vieira
- Laboratório de Oncologia Experimental, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
| | | | | | | | - Claudia Pessoa
- Laboratório de Oncologia Experimental, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
| | - Alexsandra Fernandes Pereira
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Mossoró, RN, Brasil
- Corresponding author:
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Elbroch LM, Harveson PM. It's time to manage mountain lions in Texas. WILDLIFE SOC B 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- L. Mark Elbroch
- Panthera 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor New York NY 10018 USA
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Karandikar H, Serota MW, Sherman WC, Green JR, Verta G, Kremen C, Middleton AD. Dietary patterns of a versatile large carnivore, the puma ( Puma concolor). Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9002. [PMID: 35784054 PMCID: PMC9240727 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Large carnivores play critical roles in terrestrial ecosystems but have suffered dramatic range contractions over the past two centuries. Developing an accurate understanding of large carnivore diets is an important first step towards an improved understanding of their ecological roles and addressing the conservation challenges faced by these species.The puma is one of seven large felid species in the world and the only one native to the non-tropical regions of the New World. We conducted a meta-analysis of puma diets across the species' range in the Americas and assessed the impact of varying environmental conditions, niche roles, and human activity on puma diets. Pumas displayed remarkable dietary flexibility, consuming at least 232 different prey species, including one Critically Endangered and five Endangered species.Our meta-analysis found clear patterns in puma diets with changing habitat and environmental conditions. Pumas consumed more larger-bodied prey species with increasing distance from the equator, but consumption of medium-sized species showed the opposite trend.Puma diets varied with their realized niche; however, contrary to our expectations, puma consumption of large species did not change with their trophic position, and pumas consumed more small prey and birds as apex predators. Consumption of domestic species was negatively correlated with consumption of medium-sized wild species, a finding which underscores the importance of maintaining intact native prey assemblages.The tremendous dietary flexibility displayed by pumas represents both an opportunity and a challenge for understanding the puma's role in ecosystems and for the species' management and conservation. Future studies should explore the linkages between availability and selection of primary and other wild prey, and consequent impacts on predation of domestic species, in order to guide conservation actions and reduce conflict between pumas and people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harshad Karandikar
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall University of California Berkeley California USA
| | - Mitchell W Serota
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall University of California Berkeley California USA
| | - Wilson C Sherman
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall University of California Berkeley California USA
| | - Jennifer R Green
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall University of California Berkeley California USA
| | - Guadalupe Verta
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall University of California Berkeley California USA
| | - Claire Kremen
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall University of California Berkeley California USA.,Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada.,Department of Zoology Biodiversity Research Centre University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Arthur D Middleton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall University of California Berkeley California USA
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