Relative sensitivities of mammalian carnivores to habitat fragmentation

This study compared how a suite of carnivores, including bobcats, responded to the size and isolation of urban habitat fragments in coastal southern California. Bobcats and other area-sensitive species were absent from the smallest, most isolated patches, while generalists persisted, revealing a predictable order in which carnivores drop out as fragmentation intensifies. The framework helped explain mesopredator release and informed reserve-design thinking about the minimum patch sizes and connectivity needed to retain functional carnivore communities near cities. It remains a key reference for predicting which felids and other predators can survive in increasingly subdivided urban landscapes.