Florida Panthers Michael Busam

Goals of Presentation

• Describe Species

• Life History

• Threats

• Conservation

General Species Description

• Puma concolor coryi

• Generalist carnivore

• Endangered

Habitat

• Southwest Florida

• Preferred:

– Upland hardwood forest

– Hardwood swamp

– Pinelands

Kautz et al. 2006

Life History and How it’s Not Helping

• K-selected

• Lifespan: 8-15 years

• Age of first reproduction: 2.5 yrs

• Litter size: 2.6 (1-4) kittens

• Interbirth interval: 1.3 yrs

• High kitten mortality in first 3 mos.

Life History (cont.)

• Breeding probability is 0.232 for any 6 mos.

– Higher in dry season (beginning of year)

• Age-breeding relationships

– Younger females have larger litters

– Older females senesce (~10 y.o.)

• Don’t breed with dependent kittens

Life History (cont.)

• Home Range: 156-416 km2

• Dispersal: 20-68 km

Population size Viability <50 Extinction highly probable in less than 100 years – demographic instability – Ne≪50 – high levels of inbreeding 60–70 Barely viable – low probability of extinction in 100 years – expect 25% population decline in 100 years – Ne < 50 – declining heterozygosity – no habitat loss or catastrophes can be tolerated 80–100 Stable population likely for 100 years – low probability of extinction in 100 years – expect population to remain stable over 100 years – Ne > 50 – slowly declining heterozygosity – no habitat loss or catastrophes can be tolerated >240 High probability of persistence – low probability of extinction in 100 years – expect population to remain stable over 100 years – Ne > 50 – able to retain 90% of heterozygosity – some habitat loss or mild catastrophes can be tolerated

Inbreeding/Loss of Genetic Variation

• By early 1990’s, only ~25 panthers remaining

– Imminent extinction probable

• Significant adverse effects

– Atrial septal defects

– Tail kinks

– Cryptochordism

Introgression

• Introduced 8 female pumas from Texas

– 5 bred, 15 F1

– 12 of F1 bred

– Overall, population grew at about 14% over next decade, to 95 adults

• Heterozygosity increased

– F1 survival was greater

– Less mortality from intraspecific aggression

Johnson et al. 2010

Habitat Loss

• Currently 10,000 km2 of habitat

• Conversion of habitat into urban and agricultural land

– Huge human expansion in S Florida

Kautz et al. 2006

Conclusions

• Florida Panthers are an endangered, k-selected apex predator restricted to limited portions of SW Florida

• They have responded well to genetic rescue and conservation efforts

• Habitat loss is the greatest current threat, and land acquisition programs are being used to protect it

Photo Credits:

• Slide 1: http://refugeassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/florida- panther-fws2.jpg

• Slide 2: http://www.flheritage.com/images/facts/symbols/panther.jpg

• Slide 10: http://www.propanther.org/id36.html

Sources

• Hostetler, J. A., Onorato, D. P., Bolker, B. M., Johnson, W. E., O’Brien, S. J., Jansen, D., & Oli, M. K. (2012). Does genetic introgression improve female reproductive performance? A test on the endangered Florida panther. Oecologia, 168, 289-300. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2083-0

• Johnson, W. E., Onorato, D. P., Roelke, M. E., Land, E. D., Cunningham, M., Belden, R. C., . . .O'Brien, S. J. (2010). Genetic restoration of the Florida panther. Science, 329, 1641-1645. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1192891

• Kautz, R., Kawula, R., Hoctor, T., Comiskey, J., Jansen, D., Jennings, D., . . . Root, K. (2006). How much is enough? Landscape-scale conservation for the Florida panther. Biological Conservation, 130, 118-133. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2005.12.007

• Naccarato, A. (2008, February). Florida panther facts. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www.floridapanther.org/panther_facts.html