Search

In 1995, eight female pumas from Texas (Puma concolor stanleyana) were introduced into five areas in South Florida to remediate morphological and biomedical correlates of inbreeding depression that threatened the long-term survival of Florida panthers (P. c. coryi). Initial analysis of the results of this genetic introgression initiative has highlighted its success, including growth of the population, increased genetic heterozygosity, and reduced frequencies of physical traits associated with inbreeding, including cryptorchidism. However, panthers remain isolated from other puma populations and natural gene flow is not currently plausible. Using data collected from 65 panthers in the post-genetic introgression era (1998–2020), we assessed the benefits accrued to male panther reproductive parameters via this management initiative, the effect of genetic variables, and compared results to historic data. Microsatellite data were used to determine individual heterozygosity levels and qualify panther genetic ancestry as admixed (i.e., panthers descended from crosses with female Texas puma) or canonical (i.e., panthers that comprised most of the population prior to genetic introgression). A total of 47 admixed and 10 canonical panthers were identified; mean individual heterozygosity of canonical panthers (0.39) was significantly different from admixed panthers (0.63; t54 = 4.7, P-value < 0.001). Admixed panthers exhibited higher mean values for total testicular volume, structurally normal spermatozoa, and total sperm in comparison to canonical panthers. The progressive improvement of sperm metrics demonstrates that the benefits of genetic introgression continue to have a positive impact on the population >25 years since the release of the Texas pumas. However, the Florida panther population remains small, isolated, and vulnerable to deterministic and stochastic events that warrants continued monitoring to assess when additional genetic introgression initiatives will need to be implemented in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogen management strategies in wildlife are typically accompanied by an array of uncertainties such as the efficacy of vaccines or potential unintended consequences of interventions. In the context of such uncertainties, models of disease transmission can provide critical insight for optimizing pathogen management, especially for species of conservation concern. The endangered Florida panther experienced an outbreak of feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) in 2002–2004, and continues to be affected by this deadly virus. Ongoing management efforts aim to mitigate the effects of FeLV on panthers, but with limited information about which strategies may be most effective and efficient.We used a simulation‐based approach to determine optimal FeLV management strategies in panthers. We simulated the use of proactive FeLV management strategies (i.e. proactive vaccination) and several reactive strategies, including reactive vaccination and test‐and‐removal. Vaccination strategies accounted for imperfect vaccine‐induced immunity, specifically partial immunity in which all vaccinates achieve partial pathogen protection. We compared the effectiveness of these different strategies in mitigating the number of FeLV mortalities and the duration of outbreaks.Results showed that inadequate proactive vaccination can paradoxically increase the number of disease‐induced mortalities in FeLV outbreaks. These effects were most likely due to imperfect vaccine immunity causing vaccinates to serve as a semi‐susceptible population, thereby allowing outbreaks to persist in circumstances otherwise conducive to fadeout. Combinations of proactive vaccination with reactive test‐and‐removal or vaccination, however, had a synergistic effect in reducing the impacts of FeLV outbreaks, highlighting the importance of using mixed strategies in pathogen management.Synthesis and applications. Management‐informed disease simulations are an important tool for identifying unexpected negative consequences and synergies among pathogen management strategies. In particular, we find that imperfect vaccine‐induced immunity necessitates further consideration to avoid unintentionally worsening epidemics in some conditions. However, mixing proactive and reactive interventions can improve pathogen control while mitigating uncertainties associated with imperfect interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife translocations are a commonly used strategy in endangered species recovery programmes. Although translocations require detailed assessment of risk, their impact on parasite distribution has not been thoroughly assessed. This is despite the observation that actions that alter host–parasite distributions can drive evolution or introduce new parasites to previously sequestered populations. Here, we use a contemporary approach to amplify viral sequences from archived biological samples to characterize a previously undocumented impact of the successful genetic rescue of the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). Our efforts reveal transmission of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) during translocation of pumas from Texas to Florida, resulting in extirpation of a historic Florida panther FIV subtype and expansion of a genetically stable subtype that is highly conserved in Texas and Florida. We used coalescent theory to estimate viral demography across time and show an exponential increase in the effective population size of FIV coincident with expansion of the panther population. Additionally, we show that FIV isolates from Texas are basal to isolates from Florida. Interestingly, FIV genomes recovered from Florida and Texas demonstrate exceptionally low interhost divergence. Low host genomic diversity and lack of additional introgressions may underlie the surprising lack of FIV evolution over 2 decades. We conclude that modern FIV in the Florida panther disseminated following genetic rescue and rapid population expansion, and that infectious disease risks should be carefully considered during conservation efforts involving translocations. Further, viral evolutionary dynamics may be significantly altered by ecological niche, host diversity and connectivity between host populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Movement patterns can influence an animal's ability to secure food, find mates, and avoid enemies, potentially affecting individual fitness. We studied movement patterns of 10 male and 3 female endangered Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) using location data collected from a long-term (2005-2012) GPS collar study. Males traveled faster and covered longer daily distances than females during both the wet and dry seasons (wet:dry- males 289:372 m/h and 4,616:6,701 m; females 186:280 m/h and 2,629:5,239 m). Panthers occupying higherselected habitat traveled faster, but with shorter daily movement distances in comparison to habitats that were less frequently selected. An index of risk (derived using traffic volume and road density) that was linked to habitat predicted to be avoided by panthers was associated with reduced daily movement distances. Our results suggest that Florida panthers alter their movement patterns in response to environmental change and anthropogenic disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic data are increasingly used to describe the structure of wildlife populations and to infer landscape influences on functional connectivity. To accomplish this, genetic structure can be described with a multitude of methods that vary in their assumptions, advantages and limitations. While some methods discriminate distinct subpopulations separated by sharp genetic boundaries (i.e. barrier detection or clustering methods), other methods estimate gradient genetic structures using individual-based genetic distances. We present an analytical framework based on individual ancestry values that combines these different approaches and can be used to a) test for local barriers to gene flow and b) evaluate effects of landscape gradients through individual-based genetic distances that account for hierarchical genetic structure. We illustrate the approach with a data set of 371 cougars Puma concolor from a 217 000 km2 study area in Idaho and western Montana (USA) that were genotyped at 12 microsatellite loci. Results suggest that cougars in the region show a complex, hierarchical genetic structure that is influenced by a local barrier to gene flow (an urban population cluster connected by high traffic volumes), different landscape features (the Snake River Plain, forested habitat), and geographic distance. Our novel approach helped to elucidate the relative influence of these factors on different hierarchical levels of population structure, which was not possible when using either clustering methods or standard genetic distances. Results obtained with our analytical framework highlight the need for multi-scale management of cougars in the region and show that landscape heterogeneity can create complex genetic structures, even in generalist species with high dispersal capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The breeding population of the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is confined to the southern portion of the Florida peninsula. During the 20th century, a combination of isolation and small population size resulted in increased inbreeding. This ultimately led to a genetic restoration program in 1995 to alleviate correlates of inbreeding depression and avert extinction of the Florida panther. Genetic restoration involved the release of 8 female Texas pumas into the wild Florida population, a management initiative that has significantly improved the outlook for recovery. It is unknown whether genetic restoration changed the distinctive cranial morphology of the Florida panther; and whether some metrics that were historically used to differentiate Florida panthers from other subspecies of P. concolor are still valid. We used a high-resolution digital imaging system to compare cranial morphology from several groupings of Florida panthers that were defined by genetic restoration to elucidate any morphological changes this event may have had on cranial profile. Our results indicated that cranial measurements of Florida panthers were not significantly altered by genetic restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of growth in body dimension and mass is important to understanding fundamental elements of wildlife biology and ecology. We evaluated five classical growth models (Gompertz, Logistic, Monomolecular, Richards, and von Bertalanffy) in describing body length and mass growth curves as a function of age to determine which best fit wild Puma concolor corvi (Florida Panther). When used for inferences on body length and mass growth curves of both genders, the von Bertalanffy function proved to be the best-fitting theoretical equation to our data set because it used the fewest parameters derived directly from metabolic laws, had lowest residual standard deviation of data points about fitted model, with lower Akaike Information Criterion value, and largest Akaike weight. The von Bertalanffy model estimated that male asymptotic body length was 9.4% longer and mass was 33.2% heavier than for females. Both genders grew in body mass for a longer duration than length. Male-biased sexual size dimorphism develops in part because males grew faster and for a more prolonged period. Our results should prove useful in future studies of Panther energetics, reproduction, and in developing conservation and management policies for this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the social dynamics of large carnivores is critical to effective conservation and management planning. Wemade the first attempt to delineate both paternity and relatedness for a population of cougar (Puma concolor) using microsatellite data. We analyzed a long-term genetic dataset collected from a hunted population in the Garnet Mountains of western Montana. We assigned paternity for 62.5% of litters sampled using both exclusion and likelihood analyses. Attempts at reconstructing unsampled paternal genotypes resulted in delineating possible sires for 8 more litters. Sires were on average younger than reported for males involved in pairings assessed via field data in other cougar populations. Although most mating pairs were unrelated, 5 of 17 pairings involved cougars with levels of relatedness corresponding to half-sibling and full-sibling or parent offspring relationship (r = 0.215-0.575). Relatedness among adult and subadult males was higher than relatedness levels among adult and subadult females. Relatedness among males in the Garnet population differed from patterns hypothesized to occur under male-biased dispersal theories for cougars. The long-term impact of the turnover of resident cougars in hunted populations is still unclear and warrants additional research. Our results highlight the utility of monitoring cougar demographic parameters using a combination of genetic and field data that in turn may assist managers with determining cougar harvest quotas or strategies, harvest seasons, sustainable harvest, and the appropriate management level of cougar populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a gammaretrovirus with horizontally transmitted and endogenous forms. Domestic cats are the primary reservoir species, but FeLV outbreaks in endangered Florida panthers and Iberian lynxes have resulted in mortalities. To assess prevalence and interspecific/intraspecific transmission, we conducted an extensive survey and phylogenetic analysis of FeLV infection in free-ranging pumas (n = 641) and bobcats (n = 212) and shelter domestic cats (n = 304). Samples were collected from coincident habitats across the United States between 1985 and 2018. FeLV infection was detected in 3.12% of the puma samples, 0.47% of the bobcat samples, and 6.25% of the domestic cat samples analyzed. Puma prevalence varied by location, with Florida having the highest rate of infection. FeLV env sequences revealed variation among isolates, and we identified two distinct clades. Both progressive and regressive infections were identified in cats and pumas. Based on the time and location of sampling and phylogenetic analysis, we inferred 3 spillover events between domestic cats and pumas; 3 puma-to-puma transmissions in Florida were inferred. An additional 14 infections in pumas likely represented spillover events following contact with reservoir host domestic cat populations. Our data provide evidence that FeLV transmission from domestic cats to pumas occurs widely across the United States, and puma-to-puma transmission may occur in genetically and geographically constrained populations. IMPORTANCE Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that primarily affects domestic cats. Close interactions with domestic cats, including predation, can lead to the interspecific transmission of the virus to pumas, bobcats, or other feline species. Some infected individuals develop progressive infections, which are associated with clinical signs of disease and can result in mortality. Therefore, outbreaks of FeLV in wildlife, including the North American puma and the endangered Florida panther, are of high conservation concern. This work provides a greater understanding of the dynamics of the transmission of FeLV between domestic cats and wild felids and presents evidence of multiple spillover events and infections in all sampled populations. These findings highlight the concern for pathogen spillover from domestic animals to wildlife but also identify an opportunity to understand viral evolution following cross-species transmissions more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]