Urban Environments Trap LA Mountain Lions: What Will this Mean for the Creature's Genetic Diversity?

First Posted: Aug 15, 2014 03:11 PM EDT
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Californians might not see quite as many mountain lions roaming around the hills of Santa Monica, but the ones they do come in contact with are likely to be larger and more vicious than cats from the past.

Findings presented in the journal Current Biology look at how only one young mountain lion successfully dispersed into the Santa Monica Mountains over the last decade.

Researchers note that it's quite rare to have a large carnivore near huge cities. Similar to other top predators, these cats need lots of room to roam around--close to about 1,100 square kilometers for them to live healthily, perhaps.

The study examined the creature's impact via isolation of the highways, noting these animals now has less than 660 square kilometers to live in. Furthermore, the small space for the creatures to grow and feed in reveals very low levels of genetic diversity.

"Many of these phenomena, including very low genetic diversity and close inbreeding, have only been previously seen in Florida panthers, an endangered and completely isolated population of mountain lions," said Seth Riley of the National Park Service, in a news release. "In our case, the fact that lions in the Santa Monica Mountains are completely surrounded by roads and development likely lead[s] to behaviors that would be rare or nonexistent if normal population and social processes could occur."

Researchers found many instances of inbreeding between fathers and daughters, along with intraspecific killing even of some offspring, siblings and mates.

They also found that though one male lion moved into the Santa Monica Mountains during the study period, not a single young mountain lion has successfully dispispersed out when normally the majority of male lions do. Researchers believe one possible explanation could be that a single male who dispersed likely from the Santa Monica Mountains out to Griffith Park, now lives in a tiny dead-end home range.

For the future, researchers note that it's essential for mountain lions along with other wildlife to have more connected and reserved habitats. As it stands with Los Angeles freeways, the future looks rather bleak for these creatures' long-term survival. However, if one successful male immigrant can shape up the populations on a genetic level, things may work out. Only time will tell.

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