Date of Award
8-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Forestry and Environmental Conservation
Committee Chair/Advisor
David S. Jachowski
Committee Member
Duane R. Diefenbach
Committee Member
James D. Jordan
Committee Member
Thomas R. Rainwater
Committee Member
Gregory K. Yarrow
Abstract
Urbanization is a leading driver of ecological change and presents unique challenges for carnivores by altering habitat availability, prey communities, and exposure to anthropogenic threats. Although many carnivore species persist in developed landscapes, the ecological and demographic consequences of urbanization often remain poorly understood, particularly over long timescales. Using one of the longest-running studies of a free-ranging carnivore population, I evaluated the effects of urbanization on the behavior, resource use, exposure risk, and population dynamics of bobcats (Lynx rufus) inhabiting a residentially developed barrier island in coastal South Carolina, USA. I first examined temporal and spatial responses to urbanization using GPS telemetry data collected over 17 years. Bobcats persisted throughout all phases of development but increasingly partitioned their use of space across time, exhibited increased nocturnality, and showed increasing variation in habitat use among individuals as urbanization progressed. I then evaluated dietary responses to urbanization by comparing urban and nonurban island populations. Urban bobcats exhibited reduced dietary breadth and lower seasonal and individual variation in diet, relying heavily on commensal rats and mice, whereas nonurban bobcats consumed a broader suite of prey and demonstrated greater dietary flexibility. Given the strong association between commensal rodents and anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs), I next assessed the demographic consequences of AR exposure. Following the emergence of AR-associated mortality, annual bobcat survival declined substantially, and population projections indicated that continued exposure could lead to local extinction within a decade. Finally, I evaluated scat as a noninvasive tool for monitoring AR exposure and found widespread evidence of exposure among living, free-ranging bobcats, demonstrating the utility of scat-based monitoring for identifying exposure patterns and informing management. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that persistence of carnivores in urban environments provides only a partial measure of their response to development. Although bobcats remained established throughout urbanization, they exhibited shifts in behavior, resource use, exposure risk, and population dynamics that would not have been apparent from occupancy patterns alone. These results highlight the importance of long-term, multifaceted monitoring for understanding wildlife responses to urbanization and developing effective conservation strategies in increasingly developed landscapes.
Recommended Citation
Keating, Meghan P., "Effects of Urbanization on Barrier Island Bobcats" (2026). All Dissertations. 4324.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4324
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0003-2717-2841