Impacts of Human Modification on Predator Behavior
Bobcats exposed to more human modification selected for more agriculture
(Figure 5 upper row). This relationship was positive and quadratic in
the mean of all temporal periods, quadratic in late winter, and linear
during the spring/summer day temporal periods. There were also mostly
positive quadratic relationships in the spring/summer day and night
periods. Exurban selection and human modification exhibited a mean
linear relationship and a negative linear relationship during the late
winter season, indicating that bobcats avoided exurban habitat with
increased human modification in late winter. Bobcats also exhibited
negative linear trends in the relationship of human modification and
distance to water in the mean, late winter, and spring/summer
crepuscular periods, indicating selection closer to water with increased
human modification.
Coyote selection for agriculture varied in response to human
modification. Agriculture selection linearly increased in the mean and
spring crepuscular and night periods and linearly decreased in the
spring day period with increasing human modification (Figure 5 bottom
row). There was no mean relationship between coyote selection for
exurban habitat and human modification. However, there were two negative
linear trends in the spring crepuscular and night periods, and a mostly
positive quadratic relationship in the late winter crepuscular period.
Coyote selection had a mean quadratic relationship between human
modification and distance to water, which increased and then decreased,
as well as slight linear negative trends in spring day, crepuscular, and
night periods. There were stronger negative linear trends in the
summer/fall crepuscular and night periods, and a negative quadratic
trend in the summer/fall day period indicating that, in general, coyotes
selected areas farther from water as human modification increased.
Distance to road regressions yielded intercept-only top models for all
temporal periods and means for both bobcats and coyotes, indicating no
relationship between intensity of human modification and distance to
road (Supporting Information).