Accordion side navigation Mountain Lions Approved Research Projects Attacks on Humans Specimen Permit Requirements Research Publications California Mountain Lion Research Publications Huffmeyer, A.A., J.A. Sikich, T.W. Vickers, S.P.D. Riley, and R.K. Wayne. 2022. First reproductive signs of inbreeding depression in Southern California male mountain lions ( Puma concolor). Theriogenology 177:157-164. Benson, J.F., H.N. Abernathy, J.A. Sikich, and S.P.D. Riley. 2021. Mountain lions reduce movement, increase efficiency during the Covid-19 shutdown. Ecological Solutions and evidence 2:e12093. Dellinger, J.A., D.K. Macon, J.L. Rudd, D.L. Clifford, and S.G. Torres. 2021. Temporal trends and drivers of mountain lion depredation in California. Human Wildlife Interactions 15:162-177. Riley, S.P.D., J.A. Sikich, and J.F. Benson. 2021. Big cats in the big city: spatial ecology of mountain lions in greater Los Angeles. Journal of Wildlife Management 85:1527-1542. Nickel, B.A., J.P. Suraci, A.C. Nisi, and C.C. Wilmers. 2021. Energetics and fear of humans constrain the spatial ecology of pumas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118:e2004592118. Nisi, A.C., J.P. Surachi, N. Ranc, L.G. Frank, A. Oriol-Cotterill, S. Ekwanga, T.M. Williams, and C.C. Wilmers. 2021. Temporal scale habitat selection for large carnivores: balancing energetics, risk and finding prey. Journal of Animal Ecology. Wilmers, C.C., A.C. Nisi, and N. Ranc. 2021. Covid-19 suppression of human mobility releases mountain lions from a landscape of fear. Current Biology 31:3952-3955. Yovovich, V., M. Thomsen, and C.C. Wilmers. 2021. Pumas’ fear of humans precipitates changes in plant architecture. Ecosphere 12:e03309. Benson, J.F., J.A. Sikich, and S.P.D. Riley. 2020. Survival and competing mortality risks of mountain lions in a major metropolitan area. Biological Conservation 241:108294 Coon, C.A.C., P.J. Mahoney, E. Edelblutte, Z. McDonald, and D.C. Stoner. 2020. Predictors of puma occupancy indicate prey vulnerability is more important than prey availability in a highly fragmented landscape. Wildlife Biology. Dellinger, J.A., and S.G. Torres. 2020. A retrospective look at mountain lion populations in California (1906-1918). California Fish and Wildlife Journal 106:66-85. Dellinger, J.A., B. Cristescu, J. Ewanyk, D.J. Gammons, D. Garcelon, P. Johnston, Q. Martins, C. Thompson, T.W. Vickers, C.C. Wilmers, H.U. Wittmer, and S.G. Torres. 2020. Using mountain lion habitat selection to inform management. Journal of Wildlife Management 84:359-371. Dellinger, J.A., K.D. Gustafson, D.J. Gammons, H.B. Ernest, and S.G. Torres. 2020. Minimum habitat thresholds required for conserving mountain lion genetic diversity. Ecology and Evolution doi: 10.1002/ece3.6723. Suraci, J.P., B.A. Nickel, and C.C. Wilmers. 2020. Fine-scale movement decisions by a large carnivore inform conservation planning in human-dominated landscapes. Landscape Ecology 35:1635-1649. Yovovich, V., M.L. Allen, L.T. Macaulay, and C.C. Wilmers. 2020. Using spatial characteristics of apex carnivore communication and reproductive behaviors to predict responses to future human development. Biodiversity and Conservation 29:2589-2603. Benson, J.F., P.J. Mahoney, T.W. Vickers, J.A. Sikich, P.Beier, S.P.D. Riley, H.B. Ernest, and W.M. Boyce. 2019. Extinction vortex dynamics of top predators isolated by urbanization. Ecological Applications 29:e01868. Dellinger, J.A., N.W. Darby, and S.G. Torres. 2019. Factors influencing occupancy and detection rates of mountain lions in the Mojave Desert of California. Southwestern Naturalist 63:248-255. Gustafson, K.D., R.B. Gagne, T.W. Vickers, S.P.D. Riley, C.C. Wilmers, V.C. Bleich, B.M. Pierce, M. Kenyon, T.L. Drazenovich, J.A. Sikich, W.M. Boyce, and H.B. Ernest. 2019. Genetic source-sink dynamics among naturally structured and anthropogenically fragmented puma populations. Conservation Genetics 20:215-227. Saremi, N.F., M.A. Supple, A. Byrne, J.A. Cahill, et al. 2019. Puma genomes from North and South America provide insights into the genomic consequences of inbreeding. Nature Communications 10:4769. Smith, J.A., T.P. Duane, and C.C. Wilmers. 2019. Moving through the matrix: promoting permeability for large carnivores in a human-dominated landscape. Landscape and Urban Planning 183:50-58. Suraci, J.P., J.A. Smith, M. Clinchy, L.Y. Zanette, and C.C. Wilmers. 2019. Humans, but not their dogs, displace pumas from their kills: an experimental approach. Scientific reports 9:1-8. Suraci, J.P., M. Clinchy, L.Y. Zanette, and C.C. Wilmers. 2019. Fear of humans as apex predators has landscape-scale impacts from mountain lions to mice. Ecology Letters 22:1578-1586. Dellinger, J.A., E.R. Loft, R.C. Bertram, D.L. Neal, M.W. Kenyon, and S.G. Torres. 2018. Seasonal spatial ecology of mountain lions in the central Sierra-Nevada Mountains. Western North American Naturalist 78:143-156. Gustafson K.D., T.W. Vickers, W.M. Boyce, and H.B. Ernest. 2017. A single migrant enhances the genetic diversity of an inbred puma population (PDF). R.Soc.opensci. 4: 170115. McClanahan, K.A., B. N. Duplisea, J.A. Dellinger, and M.W. Kenyon. 2017 . Documentation of mountain lion occurrence and reproduction in the Sacramento Valley of California. California Fish and Game 103:7-14. Wang, Y., J.A. Smith, and C.C. Wilmers. 2017. Residential development alters behavior, movement, and energetics in an apex predator, the puma. Plos One 12:e0184687. Zeller, K.A., T.W. Vickers, H.B. Ernest, and W.M. Boyce. 2017. Multi-level, multi-scale resource selection functions and resistance surfaces for conservation planning: pumas as a case study. Plos One 12:e0179570. Benson, J.F., J.A. Sikich, and S.P.D. Riley. 2016. Individual and population level resource selection patterns of mountain lions preying on mule deer along an urban-wildland gradient. Plos One 11:e0158006. Benson, J.F., P.J. Mahoney, J.A. Sikich, L.E.K. Serieys. J.P. Pollinger, H.B. Ernest and S.P.D. Riley. 2016. Interactions between demography, genetics, and landscape connectivity increase extinction probability for a small population of large carnivores in a major metropolitan area (PDF). Proc. R. Soc. B Vol. 283, Issue 1837. Jennings, M.K., R.L. Lewison, T.W. Vickers, and W.M. Boyce. 2016. Puma response to the effects of fire and urbanization. Journal of Wildlife Management 80:221-234. Smith, J.A., Y. Wang, and C.C. Wilmers. 2016. Spatial characteristics of residential development shift large carnivore prey habits. Journal of Wildlife Management 80:1040-1048. Zeller, K.A., K. McGarigal, S.A. Cushman, P. Beier, T.W. Vickers, and W.M. Boyce. 2016. Using step and path selection functions for estimating resistance to movement: pumas as a case study. Landscape Ecology 31:1319-1335. Vickers, T.W., J.N. Sanchez, C.K. Johnson, S.A. Morrison, R. Botta, T. Smith, B.S. Cohen, P.R. Huber, H.B. Ernest, and W.M. Boyce. 2015. Survival and mortality of pumas in a fragmented, urbanizing landscape. Plos One 10:e0131490. Ernest H.B., T.W. Vickers, S.A. Morrison, M.R. Buchalski, W.M. Boyce. 2014. Fractured Genetic Connectivity Threatens a Southern California Puma (Puma concolor) Population (PDF). PLoS ONE 9(10) : e107985. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0107985. Riley, S.D., L.K. Serieys, J.P. Pollinger, J.A. Sikich, L. Dalbeck, R.K. Wayne, and H.B. Ernest. 2014. Individual Behaviors Dominate the Dynamics of an Urban Mountain Lion Population Isolated by Roads (PDF). Current Biology Vol 24 No 17, pp. 1989-1994. Girard, Y.A., P. Swift, B.B. Chomel, R.W. Kasten, K. Fleer, J.E. Foley, S.G. Torres, and C.K. Johnson. 2012. Zoonotic Vector-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in California Mountain Lions (Puma concolor), 1987-2010. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 12(11):913-921. Pierce, B.M., V.C. Bleich, K.L. Monteith, and R.T. Bowyer. 2012. Top-down versus bottom-up forcing: evidence from mountain lions and mule deer. Journal of Mammalogy, 93(4):977-988. Clemenza, S., E. Rubin, C. Johnson, R. Botta, and W. Boyce. 2009. Puma predation on radiocollared and uncollared bighorn sheep. BMC Research Notes, 2(1):230. Coss, R.G., E.L. Fitzhugh, S. Schmid-Holmes, M.W. Kenyon, and K. Etling. 2009. The effect of human age, group composition, and behavior on the likelihood of being injured by attacking pumas. Anthrozoos, 22(1):77-87. Morrison, Scott A. and Boyce, W.M. 2009. Conserving Connectivity: Some Lessons from Mountain Lions in Southern California. Conservation Biology, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 275-285. Kurushima J., J. Well, J. Collins, H.B.Ernest. 2006. Development of 21 microsatellite loci for puma (Puma concolor) ecology and forensics (PDF). Molecular Ecology Notes 6 (4), 1260-1262. (These DNA markers were first developed specifically for Calif. mtn lions). Riley, S.D., J.P. Pollinger, R.M. Sauvajot, E.C. York, C. Bromley, T.K. Fuller, R.K. Wayne. 2006. A southern California freeway is a physical and social barrier to gene flow in carnivores. Molecular Ecology Vol 15, pp. 1733–1741. Pierce, B.M., T.B. Boyer, and V.C. Bleich. 2004. Habitat Selection by Mule Deer: Forage Benefits or Risk of Predation (PDF). Journal of Wildlife Management 68(3):533-541. Ernest, H.B., W.M Boyce, V.C. Bleich, B. May, S.J. Stiver, and S.G. Torres. 2003. Genetic structure of mountain lion (Puma concolor) populations in California. Conservation Genetics, 4(3):353-366. Fitzhugh, E.L., S. Schmid-Holmes, M.W. Kenyon, and K. Etling. 2003. Lessening the impact of a puma attack on a human. In Proceedings of the Seventh Mountain Lion Workshop, Jackson, WY. S.A. Becker, D.D. Bjornlie, F.G. Lindzey and D.S. Moody, Editors. Ernest H.B., E.S. Rubin, W.M. Boyce. 2002. Fecal DNA analysis and risk assessment of mountain lion predation of bighorn sheep (PDF). Journal of Wildlife Management 66(1) 75-85. (Molecular tracking and mark-recap of mtn lions in Anza Borrego and adjacent regions.) Ernest, H.B., M.C.T. Penedo, B.P. May, M. Syvanen, and W.M. Boyce. 2000. Molecular tracking of mountain lions in the Yosemite Valley region in California: genetic analysis using microsatellites and fecal DNA (PDF). Molecular Ecology 9:433-441. (The first scat individual ID DNA study of pumas) Ernest H. B. and W.M. Boyce. 2000. DNA Identification of mountain lions involved in livestock predation and public safety incident. Proceedings of the 19th Vertebrate Pest Conference (PDF). T. P. Salmon and A. C. Crabb, Eds. Published at the University of California, Davis. 290-294. (The first documentation of puma DNA in livestock (sheep) kills at Hopland.) Pierce, B.M., V.C. Bleich, and R.T. Bowyer. 2000. Prey selection by mountain lions and coyotes: effects of hunting style, body size, and reproductive status (PDF). Journal of Mammalogy 81:462-472. Torres, S.G., T.M. Mansfield, J. Foley, T. Lupo, and A. Brinkhaus. 1996. Mountain lion and human activity in California: testing speculations. The Wildlife Society Bulletin 24(3):451-460.