Understanding the drivers of diet selection by carnivores is key for wildlife conservation and management, particularly in the Anthropocene. Yet, most assessments of predation do not consider how spatio-temporal prey availability or nutrition influence carnivore diet selection. Using a novel data integration approach for camera trap and scat data, I assessed how spatial and temporal components of prey availability influenced diet selection by bobcats (Lynx rufus) in Colorado, USA (Chapter 1) and coyotes (Canis latrans) in Arizona, USA (Chapter 2) in areas of low and moderate levels of urbanization. I also assessed coyote diets using the nutritional geometric framework to determine coyote macronutrient consumption seasonally and relative to urbanization (Chapter 3). My results suggest that cottontail rabbit availability largely drove bobcat predation, and that bobcats consumed prey relative to its availability overall and in wildland areas, but that this relationship weakened in anthropogenic regions. I also found that, overall, models of prey availability that incorporated the temporal overlap between predator and prey taxa predicted bobcat diet selection better than models assessing the spatial availability of prey. Similarly, I found coyotes consumed prey relative to its availability overall and in sites with lower levels of human influence across seasons, but not in moderately urbanized sites. I also found that models of prey availability that incorporated time better predicted coyote diets compared to models assessing the spatial availability of prey. Finally, I observed that the macronutrient composition of coyote diets was similar between moderately and less urbanized sites, particularly in the spring-summer season. However, coyote macronutrient consumption differed seasonally, with coyotes eating more non-protein energy relative to protein energy when carbohydrate-rich mesquite (Prosopis spp.) was more available in the fall-winter. In addition, the consistently high consumption of lipid-rich domestic cats in moderately urbanized sites further supports the hypothesis that coyotes increased their consumption of non-protein energy when available and when assuming protein needs were already met. This dissertation provides new insights into how urbanized landscapes impact carnivore ecology. Since diet selection drives many human-carnivore conflicts, this research can also be used to help inform wildlife management and decision-making in anthropogenic areas.

Despite thousands of hectares of reforestation in Costa Rica, the landscape across the country remains fragmented by patches of large-scale commercial plantations and human communities. These patchy areas have a lack of suitable habitat and prey, meaning there is very little gene flow within meta populations of many mammal & predator species. This study aims to establish a baseline for mammal presence and diversity in the Las Tablas protected zone in order to better inform conservation and habitat restoration efforts. In a camera trap study conducted from January 2023 - May 2023, 37 non-baited cameras were placed across a study area of 328 square kilometers. Sites were selected using a stratified study design, with cameras deployed in forest, farm, and fragment habitat. A total of 839 independent videos captured 29 species of mammals and large-bodied ground birds from 10 different taxa. Videos were analyzed using the Sanderson Method (Harris et al. 2010), for relative abundance, naive occupancy, and absence-presence matrices. White-nosed coati (Nasua narica) had both the highest relative abundance and naive occupancy. Pearson’s correlation used to analyze the relationship between species richness at a site against camera effort as well as different landscape covariates (distance to national park border, distance to a riparian corridor, and patch size) showed effort and patch size to be the strongest predictor of a site’s richness. Shannon-weiner alpha diversity indices were calculated for the three different landscape types. Forest land types had the highest diversity indices while fragments had the lowest. This research provides a comprehensive baseline for mammal presence and diversity to better inform habitat restoration and jaguar conservation efforts in the Las Tablas region.

Quantifying ecological relationships by gathering and sifting through large stores of data and applying statistical models to them is a substantial first step in identifying optimal habitat for the dispersal of threatened species, but the implementation of the result requires coordination between political, economic, and environmental actors that are further complicated by the margin of error in modeling a wildlife corridor. That is why the partnership between Arizona State University (ASU), the Phoenix Zoo: Arizona Center for Nature Conservation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) DEVELOP, and Osa Conservation needed a framework for identifying and analyzing the forest patches that constituted the least cost path (LCP) modelled to connect the Talamanca Mountains of La Amistad International Peace Park and the Osa Peninsula of Corcovado National Park and allow for the dispersal of jaguars (Panthera onca). A framework for selection of forest patches of adequate size was established in ArcMap and data were extracted to further analyze their characteristics and select targets to be ground-truthed. Forest patches were successfully identified and selected using data used for the modelling of the LCP. Patches were selected by the desired size of three hectares or greater, the home range of prey species paca (Cuniculus paca). Patches were characterized by patch area, resistance value or cost, distance from LCP, and distance from nearest neighbor across multiple forest density thresholds.

Land use change driven by human population expansion continues to influence

the integrity and configuration of riparian corridors worldwide. Wildlife viability in semi-arid regions depend heavily on the connectivity of riparian corridors, since water is the primary limiting resource. The Madrean Archipelago in northern Mexico and southwestern United States (US) is a biodiversity hotspot that supports imperiled wildlife like jaguar (Panthera onca) and ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). Recent and ongoing infrastructure developments in the historically understudied US-México borderlands region, such as the border wall and expansion of Federal Highway 2, are altering wildlife movement and disconnecting essential habitat.

I used wildlife cameras to assess species occupancy, abundance, and related habitat variables affecting the use of washes as corridors for mammals in semi-arid Los Ojos (LO), a private ranch within a 530 km2 priority conservation area in Sonora, México located south of the border and Federal Highway 2. From October 2018 to April 2019, I deployed 21 wildlife cameras in five different riparian corridors within LO. I used single- season occupancy models and Royal Nichols abundance models to explore the relationship between habitat variables and use of riparian corridors by mammal communities of conservation concern within this region.

Twenty-one mammal species were recorded in the study area, including American black bear (Ursus americanus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and the first sighting of jaguar (Panthera onca) in this region in 25 years. For the 11 medium- and large-bodied mammals recorded, habitat variables related to perennial river characteristics (distance to river, weekly water, and site width) and remoteness (distance from highway, elevation, and NDVI) were important for occupancy, but the direction of the relationship varied by species. For commonly observed species such as mountain lion (Puma concolor) and white-nosed coati (Nasua narica), topographic variety was highly informative for species abundance. These results highlight the importance of habitat diversity when identifying corridors for future protection to conserve wildlife communities in semi-arid regions. Additionally, this study provides robust evidence in support of mitigation measures (e.g. funnel fencing, over- or under- passes) along Federal Highway 2, and other barriers such as the border wall, to facilitate wildlife connectivity.

As human populations continue to expand, interactions with wildlife are expected to increase due to destruction of land and global climate change threatening native habitats. Established areas of protection are becoming essential to species survival and biodiversity protection. National Parks (NP) are a globally ubiquitous method employed to protect wildlife and habitats. Often NPs are mosaics of relatively small protected areas in a “sea” of human-dominated landscapes, and these remaining habitat “islands” are becoming essential to preventing species extinction. However, the establishment of a NP can lead to increased human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) and disenfranchisement of local communities, particularly along their borders. We conducted semi-structured interviews in six different countries to better understand the nature of HWCs at the borders of major NPs: (1) Khao Yai NP, Thailand; (2) Myall Lakes NP, Australia; (3) Chitwan NP, Nepal; (4) Kruger NP, South Africa; (5) Chingaza NP, Colombia, and (6) Yellowstone NP, United States. We evaluated affinity to wildlife, perception of conflicts, management success, and potential solutions at each park to better understand the global nature of HWCs.We also evaluated these data in relationship to the Human Development Index (HDI) to determine if there was a correlation between development and conflict issues. We found the intrinsic value of wildlife to not markedly differ between countries. Conflict was perceived as higher in the United States and Australia but was known to be of greater intensity in Nepal and South Africa. Management of NPs was well-regarded with a slight decrease from less-developed countries to more-developed countries, with solutions that were creative and unique to each region. Results appeared to be related to shifting baselines between countries and also to equivalency in a cross-cultural assessment. When these theories are taken into account, the complexity of HWCs globally is better understood. As our world continues to expand and NPs become some of the only contiguous native habitat and refuges for wildlife, it is important to understand the complex relationships occurring at the interface between natural and human communities and to explore effective solutions to these problems.