Abstract
Fire is one of the most important disturbances and landscape management tools in southern Florida, USA — an area that encompasses the majority of the remaining habitat for the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). Fire may play a critical role in female panther den site selection by modifying vegetation cover and prey density, thereby influencing reproductive success. We aimed to test the hypothesis that time since last fire (TSLF) would influence panther den site selection. We predicted that panthers would select den sites in habitats with an intermediate TSLF (2 ≤ TSLF <5 years) as opposed to areas with longer TSLF (≥ 5 years) or recently burned areas (TSLF < 2 years) because an intermediate TSLF may optimize prey accessibility while creating a mosaic of understory vegetation required for denning. Using the combination of a 14-year dataset inclusive of 83 den locations and 20 years of prescribed and wildfire history from public lands in South Florida, we applied a resource selection function framework to examine the effects of TSLF on panther den site selection. While habitats with TSLF ≥ 5 years represented a majority of area than burned habitats within individual panther gestation ranges (period 90-365 days prior to parturition), panthers preferred to establish dens in habitats burned within a 3 ≤ TSLF < 5 years, supporting our hypothesis. Compared to selecting locations with TSLF ≥ 5 years, the odds of a female panther selecting locations in habitats 3 ≤ TSLF < 4 years and 4 ≤ TSLF < 5 years were 2.27 times greater and 2.20 times greater, respectively. Our study suggests that a 3 ≤ TSLF < 5-year fire interval may promote a landscape mosaic that increases den establishment opportunities, thereby assisting in improving prospects for continued recovery of the Florida panther population.