Data from: Residential development alters behavior, movement, and energetics in an apex predator, the puma

Human development strongly influences large carnivore survival and persistence globally. Behavior changes are often the first measureable responses to human disturbances, and can have ramifications on animal populations and ecological communities. We investigated how a large carnivore responds to anthropogenic disturbances by measuring activity, movement behavior, and energetics in pumas along a housing density gradient. We used log-linear analyses to examine how habitat, time of day, and proximity to housing influenced the activity patterns of both male and female pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We used spatial GPS location data in combination with Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration measurements recorded by onboard accelerometers to quantify how development density affected the average distances traveled and energy expended by pumas. Pumas responded to development differently depending on the time of day; at night, they were generally more active and moved further when they were in developed areas, but these relationships were not consistent during the day. Higher nighttime activity in developed areas increased daily caloric expenditure by 10.1% for females and 11.6% for males, resulting in increases of 3.4 and 4.0 deer prey required annually by females and males respectively. Our results support that pumas have higher energetic costs and resource requirements in human-dominated habitats due to human-induced behavioral change. Increased energetic costs for pumas are likely to have ramifications on prey species and exacerbate human-wildlife conflict, especially as exurban growth continues. Future conservation work should consider the consequences of behavioral shifts on animal energetics, individual fitness, and population viability.全球范围内，人类开发活动对大型食肉动物的生存与种群存续具有显著影响。行为改变通常是动物对人类干扰最先可被观测到的响应，并会对动物种群与生态群落产生连锁效应。本研究以美洲狮（Puma）为研究对象，沿房屋密度梯度监测其活动模式、移动行为与能量代谢，以此探究大型食肉动物对人为干扰的响应机制。我们采用对数线性分析（log-linear analyses）方法，分析圣克鲁斯山区内美洲狮雌雄个体的活动模式如何受栖息地、时段以及与人类聚居区的距离的影响。我们结合空间GPS定位数据与佩戴式加速度计记录的整体动态身体加速度（Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration）测量值，量化开发密度对美洲狮日均移动距离与能量消耗的影响。美洲狮对人类开发活动的响应随时段呈现显著差异：夜间身处开发区域的个体通常活跃度更高、移动距离更远，但该规律在日间并不成立。开发区域内美洲狮夜间活跃度的提升，使雌性个体的日均能量消耗增加10.1%，雄性个体增加11.6%，对应雌雄个体每年需额外捕食3.4头和4.0头鹿类作为猎物。本研究结果证实，受人类活动诱导的行为改变影响，美洲狮在人类主导的栖息地中面临更高的能量成本与资源需求。美洲狮能量消耗的增加，可能会对猎物种群产生连锁效应，并加剧人兽冲突（human-wildlife conflict），尤其是在远郊开发（exurban growth）持续推进的背景下。未来的保护工作应考量行为改变对动物能量代谢、个体适合度（individual fitness）以及种群存续能力（population viability）的影响。