Influence of roads and landscape features on the spatial ecology and mortality of ocelots in South Texas

Urban development is the leading cause of habitat loss, replacing natural areas with infrastructure and road networks. Roads can negatively impact wildlife populations through habitat fragmentation, decreased landscape connectivity, and wildlife-vehicle collisions. Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) are a federally endangered felid, with the sole breeding populations in the United States restricted to the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, an area of extensive anthropogenic expansion. Vehicle collisions are the highest sources of mortality for ocelots in Texas. Mitigation strategies, such as wildlife crossing structures, have been implemented throughout South Texas in the last 3 decades to combat the negative effects of roads on the ocelot populations. However, there has only been 1 documented case of an ocelot using a road crossing structure. The goal of my project was to analyze ocelot landscape use and response to road networks to inform potential locations for future road crossing structures designed for ocelot recovery. I examined the landscape structure surrounding ocelot-vehicle collision sites to understand the relationship between the spatial structure of land cover and where ocelots are iv struck by vehicles. I also examined the landscape structure surrounding wildlife crossing structures implemented for ocelot use to understand potential reasons ocelots may not use the structures. Lastly, I evaluated the relationship between biological and road-related factors and ocelot mortality risk, to determine which factors contribute to the probability of mortality from vehicle collision. Results from this study will improve conservation efforts for the endangered ocelot by illustrating the need for strategies to mitigate vehicle collisions and improve landscape connectivity. These results can be used for the placement of future road crossing structures more likely to be used by ocelots