Linda L. Sweanor
Colorado State University
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Featured researches published by Linda L. Sweanor.
Journal of Wildlife Management | 1998
Toni K. Ruth; Kenneth A. Logan; Linda L. Sweanor; Maurice G. Hornocker; Larry Temple
We translocated wild cougars (Puma concolor) with known social and behavioral histories to evaluate the feasibility of translocation as a management tool to reestablish populations, relieve the threat of inbreeding in isolated populations, and manage problem individuals. Eight female and 5 male cougars 16-108 months old were translocated a mean distance of 477 km from the San Andres Mountains (SAM) study area in southcentral New Mexico to 9 release sites in northeastern New Mexico (NENM) from December 1990 through June 1991 and then radiomonitored through January 1993. Another male cougar was translocated 338 km from the SAM to northwestern New Mexico in April 1989 and monitored until May 1990. Initial movement directions away from release sites were uniformly distributed about a 360° circle. Eight (4 F, 4 M of 14 cougars had movement end points >80 km from their release sites, and end point directions were generally south, suggesting they homed toward the source population; 2 male cougars returned to their original home ranges. Dispersing cougars from a SAM reference population showed no southerly tendencies. Distances moved from release sites to end points ranged from 3 to 494 km; 4 cougars (3 F, I M) established home ranges <84 km from release sites. Mean pretranslocation home ranges were generally smaller than mean posttranslocation use areas. Nine of 14 translocated cougars died during the study. Annual survival rates of translocated congars did not differ by sex and were lower in 1992 than survival rates of cougars from the reference area. We concluded that translocation was most successful with cougars 12-27 months old.
Southwestern Naturalist | 2005
Jim W. Bauer; Kenneth A. Logan; Linda L. Sweanor; Walter M. Boyce
Abstract We examined scavenging on mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) carcasses by puma (Puma concolor) in the Peninsular Ranges of San Diego County, California. Between January 2001 and October 2003, we placed 44 deer carcasses at 23 sites and used them to examine scavenging events. We also documented 2 additional deer carcasses, not placed as bait, that were scavenged by puma. Eight to 12 puma (6 males, 2 to 5 females, and 1 of unknown sex) scavenged 20 of 46 deer carcasses (43.5%) at 12 of the 25 sites. Six puma (4 males, 2 females) were captured 7 times at scavenging sites. We identified 7 scavenging puma (5 males, 2 females) through captures and telemetry, and 1 unmarked, scavenging male from a camera trap. The 7 telemetered puma that scavenged ranged in age from 11 months to 9 years, and each individual scavenged on 1 to 6 deer (mean = 2.3). Deer carcasses were found and scavenged by puma from 1 to 14 days (mean = 5 days) after deposition, when carcass conditions ranged from frozen and fresh to rotting and maggot-infested. Puma treated scavenged carcasses as they would their own kills, dragging carcasses to preferred sites, caching, depositing scats, and making scrapes in the area. However, puma did not always attempt to cache tethered carcasses. During fieldwork, we also discovered that 1 telemetered puma repeatedly visited a domestic livestock graveyard and scavenged on surface-discarded horse and cattle carcasses. Puma are known to be opportunistic predators, but our results indicate that they are opportunistic scavengers as well. Due to the propensity of puma to scavenge, it is likely that some perceived kills might be scavenging events. Frequent monitoring and timely field investigation of mortality signals detected from telemetered prey species will help investigators identify those events. Scavenging behavior should be considered when evaluating or predicting the effects of puma predation on prey species.
Journal of Virology | 2014
Ryan M. Troyer; Julia A. Beatty; Kathryn Stutzman-Rodriguez; Scott Carver; Caitlin C. Lozano; Justin S. Lee; Michael R. Lappin; Seth P. D. Riley; Laurel E. K. Serieys; Kenneth A. Logan; Linda L. Sweanor; Walter M. Boyce; T. Winston Vickers; Roy McBride; Kevin R. Crooks; Jesse S. Lewis; Mark W. Cunningham; Joel Rovnak; Sandra L. Quackenbush; Sue VandeWoude
ABSTRACT Gammaherpesviruses (GHVs) are a diverse and rapidly expanding group of viruses associated with a variety of disease conditions in humans and animals. To identify felid GHVs, we screened domestic cat (Felis catus), bobcat (Lynx rufus), and puma (Puma concolor) blood cell DNA samples from California, Colorado, and Florida using a degenerate pan-GHV PCR. Additional pan-GHV and long-distance PCRs were used to sequence a contiguous 3.4-kb region of each putative virus species, including partial glycoprotein B and DNA polymerase genes. We identified three novel GHVs, each present predominantly in one felid species: Felis catus GHV 1 (FcaGHV1) in domestic cats, Lynx rufus GHV 1 (LruGHV1) in bobcats, and Puma concolor GHV 1 (PcoGHV1) in pumas. To estimate infection prevalence, we developed real-time quantitative PCR assays for each virus and screened additional DNA samples from all three species (n = 282). FcaGHV1 was detected in 16% of domestic cats across all study sites. LruGHV1 was detected in 47% of bobcats and 13% of pumas across all study sites, suggesting relatively common interspecific transmission. PcoGHV1 was detected in 6% of pumas, all from a specific region of Southern California. The risk of infection for each host varied with geographic location. Age was a positive risk factor for bobcat LruGHV1 infection, and age and being male were risk factors for domestic cat FcaGHV1 infection. Further characterization of these viruses may have significant health implications for domestic cats and may aid studies of free-ranging felid ecology. IMPORTANCE Gammaherpesviruses (GHVs) establish lifelong infection in many animal species and can cause cancer and other diseases in humans and animals. In this study, we identified the DNA sequences of three GHVs present in the blood of domestic cats (Felis catus), bobcats (Lynx rufus), and pumas (Puma concolor; also known as mountain lions, cougars, and panthers). We found that these viruses were closely related to, but distinct from, other known GHVs of animals and represent the first GHVs identified to be native to these feline species. We developed techniques to rapidly and specifically detect the DNA of these viruses in feline blood and found that the domestic cat and bobcat viruses were widespread across the United States. In contrast, puma virus was found only in a specific region of Southern California. Surprisingly, the bobcat virus was also detected in some pumas, suggesting relatively common virus transmission between these species. Adult domestic cats and bobcats were at greater risk for infection than juveniles. Male domestic cats were at greater risk for infection than females. This study identifies three new viruses that are widespread in three feline species, indicates risk factors for infection that may relate to the route of infection, and demonstrates cross-species transmission between bobcats and pumas. These newly identified viruses may have important effects on feline health and ecology.
Ecological Applications | 2016
Scott Carver; Sarah N. Bevins; Michael R. Lappin; Erin E. Boydston; Lisa M. Lyren; Mathew W. Alldredge; Kenneth A. Logan; Linda L. Sweanor; Seth P. D. Riley; Laurel E. K. Serieys; Robert N. Fisher; T. Winston Vickers; Walter M. Boyce; Roy McBride; Mark C. Cunningham; Megan K. Jennings; Jesse S. Lewis; Tamika Lunn; Kevin R. Crooks; Sue VandeWoude
Understanding how landscape, host, and pathogen traits contribute to disease exposure requires systematic evaluations of pathogens within and among host species and geographic regions. The relative importance of these attributes is critical for management of wildlife and mitigating domestic animal and human disease, particularly given rapid ecological changes, such as urbanization. We screened > 1000 samples from sympatric populations of puma (Puma concolor), bobcat (Lynx rufus), and domestic cat (Felis catus) across urban gradients in six sites, representing three regions, in North America for exposure to a representative suite of bacterial, protozoal, and viral pathogens (Bartonella sp., Toxoplasma gondii, feline herpesvirus-1, feline panleukopenea virus, feline calicivirus, and feline immunodeficiency virus). We evaluated prevalence within each species, and examined host trait and land cover determinants of exposure; providing an unprecedented analysis of factors relating to potential for infections in domesticated and wild felids. Prevalence differed among host species (highest for puma and lowest for domestic cat) and was greater for indirectly transmitted pathogens. Sex was inconsistently predictive of exposure to directly transmitted pathogens only, and age infrequently predictive of both direct and indirectly transmitted pathogens. Determinants of pathogen exposure were widely divergent between the wild felid species. For puma, suburban land use predicted increased exposure to Bartonella sp. in southern California, and FHV-1 exposure increased near urban edges in Florida. This may suggest interspecific transmission with domestic cats via flea vectors (California) and direct contact (Florida) around urban boundaries. Bobcats captured near urban areas had increased exposure to T. gondii in Florida, suggesting an urban source of prey Bobcats captured near urban areas in Colorado and Florida had higher FIV exposure, possibly suggesting increased intraspecific interactions through pile-up of home ranges. Beyond these regional and pathogen specific relationships, proximity to the wildland-urban interface did not generally increase the probability of disease exposure in wild or domestic felids, empha- sizing the importance of local ecological determinants. Indeed, pathogen exposure was often negatively associated with the wildland-urban interface for all felids. Our analyses suggest cross-species pathogen transmission events around this interface may be infrequent, but followed by self-sustaining propagation within the new host species. virus; puma (Puma concolor); Toxoplasma gondii; urbanization.
Journal of Wildlife Diseases | 2013
Danielle M. Lagana; Justin S. Lee; Jesse S. Lewis; Sarah N. Bevins; Scott Carver; Linda L. Sweanor; Roy McBride; Caleb McBride; Kevin R. Crooks; Sue VandeWoude
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) classically infects felid species with highly divergent species-specific FIVs. However, recent studies have detected an FIV strain infecting both bobcats (Lynx rufus) and pumas (Puma concolor) in California and Florida. To further investigate this observation, we evaluated FIV from bobcats in Florida (n=25) and Colorado (n=80) between 2008 and 2011. Partial viral sequences from five Florida bobcats cluster with previously published sequences from Florida panthers. We did not detect FIV in Colorado bobcats.
Emerging Infectious Diseases | 2009
Sarah N. Bevins; Jeff A. Tracey; Sam Franklin; Virginia L. Schmit; Martha MacMillan; Kenneth L. Gage; Martin E. Schriefer; Kenneth A. Logan; Linda L. Sweanor; Mat W. Alldredge; Caroline Krumm; Walter M. Boyce; Winston Vickers; Seth P. D. Riley; Lisa M. Lyren; Erin E. Boydston; Robert N. Fisher; Melody Roelke; Mo Salman; Kevin R. Crooks; Sue VandeWoude
Plague seroprevalence was estimated in populations of pumas and bobcats in the western United States. High levels of exposure in plague-endemic regions indicate the need to consider the ecology and pathobiology of plague in nondomestic felid hosts to better understand the role of these species in disease persistence and transmission.
Wildlife Society Bulletin | 2005
Linda L. Sweanor; Kenneth A. Logan; Maurice G. Hornocker
Abstract We documented behaviors that wild pumas (Puma concolor) exhibited when approached by researchers during a 10-year study of a puma population in New Mexico. We approached and visually observed responses of 75 radiocollared pumas on 251 occasions and 7 noncollared pumas on 5 occasions. These pumas seldom had contact with people, except in the context of puma research activities. Pumas we approached included adult females with nursing (n=71) and weaned (n=46) cubs, solitary independent females (n=77), solitary independent males (n=46), breeding pairs (n=5), and weaned cubs in the absence of their mother (n=11). Approach distance ranged from 2–400 m (median=30.8 m), number of observers ranged from 1–8 people (median=2), and duration of observation ranged from <1 to >120 minutes. Pumas exhibited threat behavior (e.g., hissed, growled, approached, charged) in 16 instances (6% of observations). Females accompanied by cubs exhibited 14 of the 16 threats. Although we observed all threats when we were 2–50 m away (median=18.5 m), in another 156 observations when we approached to within similar distances (range = 3–50 m, median = 20.0 m), pumas showed no threat response. In these cases, the pumas left the area (n=114), watched us without leaving (n=37), or showed no detectable response (n=5). These responses by pumas to human approaches provide insight into the range in behaviors exhibited by pumas in environments where they have not become habituated to humans. This may aid our understanding of puma behavior, including interpretations of behaviors that might be exhibited by pumas in more human-dominated environments.
Journal of Wildlife Diseases | 2015
Caitlin C. Lozano; Linda L. Sweanor; Grete Wilson-Henjum; Roland Kays; Ricardo Moreno; Sue VandeWoude; Ryan M. Troyer
Abstract Gammaherpesviruses (GHVs) have been identified in many species and are often associated with disease. Recently, we characterized three novel felid GHVs in domestic cats (Felis catus), bobcats (Lynx rufus), and pumas (Puma concolor). We investigated whether free-ranging ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) and bobcats are infected with additional GHVs. We screened DNA samples from ocelots on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, and bobcats in western Colorado, US, by using a degenerate nested PCR that targets the GHV glycoprotein B gene. We identified a novel GHV glycoprotein B sequence in two ocelots and a second novel sequence in a bobcat, which is distinct from the previously characterized bobcat GHV (Lynx rufus GHV 1). Utilizing additional degenerate and virus-specific PCRs, we extended these sequences to include 3.4 kilobases of the GHV glycoprotein B and DNA polymerase genes. These sequences identify the first GHV detected in ocelots and the second GHV in bobcats. These viruses were provisionally named L. pardalis GHV 1 and Lynx rufus GHV 2, respectively. The viruses are most closely related to recently identified GHVs of the Percavirus genus found in domestic cats (F. catus GHV 1) and bobcats (L. rufus GHV 1), suggesting that a cluster of felid GHVs exists within the Percavirus genus.
Journal of Range Management | 2003
Catherine Lambert; Kenneth A. Logan; Linda L. Sweanor
This is a scholarly monograph that presents the results of a 10-year field study of the ecology of the desert puma in the Chihuahua Desert of New Mexico. With the increasing recognition of the importance of top carnivores to the health and functioning of ecosystems. This book presents findings from one of the most comprehensive long-term studies of a top carnivore ever conducted.
Wildlife Society Bulletin | 1999
Kenneth A. Logan; Linda L. Sweanor; J. F. Smith; Maurice G. Hornocker