Evidence for large-scale niche displacement between Canada lynx and bobcat

This study tested whether competition between Canada lynx and bobcat structures their distributions at a continental scale, with implications for how warming snowpack reshuffles the two species. Lynx are snow specialists with large paws suited to deep, soft snow, while bobcats are competitively superior where snow is shallow. Analyzing range-wide data, the authors found evidence that the presence of one species displaces the other's realized niche, supporting the idea that climate-driven reductions in snow depth could let bobcats advance northward at the expense of lynx. The work matters because it frames lynx decline not only as direct habitat loss but as competitive replacement mediated by a changing snow climate.