Research overview: landscape genetics of bobcats in fragmented habitat

The bobcat, a widespread and adaptable North American cat, has become a model for studying how roads, development, and habitat fragmentation shape gene flow in carnivores. This overview surveys genetic studies in southern California and elsewhere showing that major freeways act as barriers that subdivide bobcat populations and reduce connectivity, occasionally punctuated by rare dispersers that bridge the gaps. It also discusses how a mange epizootic linked to anticoagulant rodenticides intersected with population genetic structure. The bobcat work illustrates how combining genetics with movement and disease data reveals the cumulative impact of human landscapes on otherwise resilient felids.