SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Digital Commons @ ESF Dissertations and Theses 6-10-2019 Drivers of jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution, density, and movement in the Brazilian Pantanal Allison Devlin [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/etds Part of the Environmental Monitoring Commons, and the Natural Resources and Conservation Commons Recommended Citation Devlin, Allison, "Drivers of jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution, density, and movement in the Brazilian Pantanal" (2019). Dissertations and Theses. 114. https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/etds/114 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ ESF. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ ESF. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. DRIVERS OF JAGUAR (PANTHERA ONCA) DISTRIBUTION, DENSITY, AND MOVEMENT IN THE BRAZILIAN PANTANAL by Allison Loretta Devlin A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, New York June 2019 Department of Environmental and Forest Biology Approved by: Jacqueline L. Frair, Major Professor Stephen V. Stehman, Chair, Examining Committee James P. Gibbs, Examining Committee Jonathan B. Cohen, Examining Committee Peter G. Crawshaw Jr., Examining Committee Luke T.B. Hunter, Examining Committee Melissa K. Fierke, Department Chair S. Scott Shannon, Dean, The Graduate School © 2019 Copyright A.L. Devlin All rights reserved Acknowledgements I am indebted to many mentors, colleagues, friends, and loved ones whose guidance, support, patience, and constructive challenges have carried this project to its culmination. Not only have each of you contributed to this research, you have also been instrumental in developing my scientific acumen and personal character in such a way that I find it difficult to fully express my gratitude. For the dizzying elation, crushing pressure, and light at the end of this long, winding tunnel, I thank each and every one of you for the lessons you have taught me and the values you have instilled in me. Thank you first and foremost to Dr. Jacqueline L. Frair, in title my major advisor but in reality so much more. Through the years, your scientific rigor and unwavering commitment to the pursuit of truth have shaped my understanding of what it exactly means to be a scientist. Where life may take unexpected twists and challenges may arise, you have taught me to keep the goal of pursuing truth clear in mind and to be uncompromising in quality and scientific rigor. I am forever grateful to your mentorship and look forward to carrying these lessons with me throughout my career and my life. To my academic committee, thank you for your support over the years. Dr. James Gibbs, you have taught me to navigate the nuances of balancing academia with on-the-ground field research, and of the importance of maintaining scientific and diplomatic leadership in this era of urgency. Dr. Jonathan Cohen, thank you for making challenging courses enjoyable and always being approachable with statistical inquiries. And to my committee chair, Dr. Stephen Stehman, thank you for bringing your enthusiasm and curiosity to help lighten the most stressful parts of this dissertation process. To my commitee members and mentors in the big cat world, I am forever grateful. To those who served on my committee – Dr. Luke Hunter and Dr. Peter Crawshaw Jr. – thank you for your patience and guidance throughout this project, and throughout my career. Your expertise has helped to shape this dissertation to be not only academically relevant, but to also keep it (and me) grounded in ecology and conservation focused on the needs of wild felids. To field team members and mentors past and present at Panthera, Dr. Howard Quigley, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, Dr. Rafael Hoogesteijn, Dr. Fernando Tortato, Dr. Bart Harmsen, Dr. Rebecca Foster...and so many more, I cannot imagine being in this field without each of you and am grateful to know that each and every one of you is on the side of the world’s wild cats. I thank my friends and colleagues at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (Syracuse, NY, USA), Panthera Foundation (New York, NY, USA), Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio; Parque Nacional do Pantanal-Matogrossense, Mato Grosso, Brazil), and CENAP \ ICMBio (Atibaia, SP, Brazil), Fundação Ecotrópica (Cuiabá, MT, Brazil), and Instituto Homem Pantaneiro (IHP; Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil) for logistic, financial, and analytical support. In Brazil and in the Pantanal, I extend my deepest gratitude to Elizeu Evangelista da Silva, Grandão, Suelen Leite, Thiago Semedo, Nuno Rodrigues da Silva, Zilma Pereira Silva de Oliveira, José Augusto Ferraz de Lima, Floréncio, Clarindo, the Eberhards, Paulo Rogerio Silva, André de Botton, Elza and Hildebrando Costa, and Vicente. I am indebted to the Pantaneiro cowboys and families at Fazendas São Bento and Jofre Velho for invaluable assistance throughout this field study. This dissertation is dedicated to my family, Kevin, Susan, Brittany, and Eric Devlin. Thank you for your patience and support, and for keeping me laughing throughout this project. Ethical statement: My research was supported by Panthera’s Kaplan Graduate Award Program, with logistic and in-kind support from ICMBio, Fundação Ecotrópica, and IHP. All activities were permitted by the Brazilian government (CNPq n° 000179/2010-8; SISBIO n° 21447-4; SISBIO n° 18699-2) and SUNY-ESF Institute of Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC, valid 31 March 2011 - 31 May 2014). I studied in Brazil under Research Visa VITEM I (n° 050777MH). iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF APPENDICES .......................................................................................................................... xii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 THE FRONTLINES OF CARNIVORE CONSERVATION: PROTECTED AREA EDGES ................ 1 FOCAL STUDY SPECIES AND STUDY AREA ................................................................................... 2 STUDY OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................. 3 LITERATURE CITED ............................................................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER 2: MOTIVATING THE HUNT: OVERLAPPING ACTIVITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF JAGUARS (PANTHERA ONCA) AND THEIR PREY IN A NEOTROPICAL WETLAND ..... 11 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ 11 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 12 METHODS ............................................................................................................................................. 15 Study Area ........................................................................................................................................... 15 Temporal Activity Patterns ................................................................................................................. 17 Spatial Activity Patterns...................................................................................................................... 17 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Temporal Activity Patterns ................................................................................................................. 20 Spatial Activity Patterns...................................................................................................................... 21 DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................................... 22 LITERATURE CITED ........................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER 3: DRIVERS OF JAGUAR (PANTHERA ONCA) DENSITY IN NON-HUNTED, MULTI-USE LANDSCAPES .................................................................................................................. 80 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ 80 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 81 METHODS ............................................................................................................................................. 84 Study Area ..........................................................................................................................................