Identifying relationships between mesopredators and urban environments in cities in agricultural landscapes

Given the expansive agriculture and lack of wildlands in agricultural regions, urban environments, including parks, yards, and vacant lots, may provide better habitat for mesopredators (mid-sized mammalian carnivores, typically the top predators in urban areas) than surrounding cropland. However, most urban mesopredator research to date has focused on large, densely-populated metropolitan areas and we know little about mesopredators in smaller cities in agricultural settings such as the Midwestern US; furthermore, where research has occurred, study findings among cities often conflict. To address these knowledge gaps, my research explores patterns in urban mesopredator distributions and their relationships to urban landscapes in the agricultural Midwestern US.

My first study identified relationships between the occurrence of mesopredators and urbanization in a small Midwestern city, providing insights that will build a foundation for mesopredator conservation. My second study built upon this study, examining these patterns and relationships in six Midwestern cities, allowing us to identify similarities and differences in these patterns among cities and how and why they occur. My final study addressed a key concern in assessments of habitat relationships, the geographic extent over which such relationships occur, by comparing results from different models to identify these extents, thereby contributing to theory and informing future modelling and urban mesopredator conservation. Collectively, this dissertation research builds upon our understanding of how and why urban environments support (or fail to support) mesopredators, thereby supporting the conservation of these species and the services they provide as the top predators in cities.