Puma Dispersal Ecology in the Central Rocky Mountains

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES viii PREFACE 1 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 3 LITERATURE CITED 11 CHAPTER II: LANDSCAPE CONTEXT INFLUENCES SPATIAL POPULATION DYNAMICS: PUMA UNDER VARYING LEVELS OF HUMAN INDUCED MORTALITY 17 ABSTRACT 17 INTRODUCTION 18 STUDY AREAS 22 Northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (NGYE) 22 Garnet Mountains, Montana 24 METHODS 25 Field Sampling 25 Disperser Attributes: Emigrants, Dispersal Distance, and Disperser Success 26 Population Contribution 30 RESULTS 31 Field Sampling 32 Disperser Attributes: Emigrants, Dispersal Distance, and Disperser Success 32 Population Contribution 36 DISCUSSION 38 TABLES 45 FIGURES 47 LITERATURE CITED 50 CHAPTER III: HABITAT USE OF PUMAS DURING DISPERSAL IN THE CENTRAL ROCKY MOUNTAINS 56 ABSTRACT 56