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Life Sciences

South Dakota State University

Theses/Dissertations

2021

Bobcat

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Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Sympatric Bobcats (Lynx Rufus) And Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In An Agricultural Landscape, Marlin M. Dart Jan 2021

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Sympatric Bobcats (Lynx Rufus) And Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In An Agricultural Landscape, Marlin M. Dart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bobcat (Lynx rufus) populations experienced declines in the Midwest during the 20th century due to land conversion for agriculture and over exploitation and were practically nonexistent in areas by the 1970-80s. Populations have been recovering following changes in land-use practices and habitat improvement. Eastern South Dakota was closed to bobcat harvest in 1977 but reopened in 2012 to select counties. Bobcats are elusive, have large home ranges, and occur at low densities, making monitoring their populations difficult. Camera trapping is an effective tool for monitoring elusive carnivores but can be burdened by low detection rates. Researchers often employ …


Population Genetic Structure Of Bobcats (Lynx Rufus) In South Dakota: Using Harvested Samples To Inform Management, Stuart C. Fetherston Jan 2021

Population Genetic Structure Of Bobcats (Lynx Rufus) In South Dakota: Using Harvested Samples To Inform Management, Stuart C. Fetherston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A primary objective of state wildlife management agencies is to establish sustainable harvest levels for game species. An important component of sustainable management practices is the identification of appropriate management units for monitoring and establishing defensible harvest levels. Across their range, bobcats (Lynx rufus) are an ecologically and economically important species. Despite their importance, little is known about the genetic structure of bobcat populations in South Dakota. We used tissue sampled from n = 1,215 bobcats harvested across the state from 2014–2019 to infer population genetic structure. We used 17 microsatellite loci and a sex identification marker to assign individuals …