Fig 1.
Lynx habitat P–values mapped by 30 m2 pixel across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, with bobcat and lynx study areas indicated.
Table 1.
Map layers.
Table 2.
Selected variables for bobcat and lynx models.
Fig 2.
Cumulative frequency distribution curves.
Cumulative frequency curve of P–values for bobcat (a) and lynx (b) locations, random locations within the study area, and random locations from the Northeastern region. Triangles indicate the location of maximum separation between species and random locations from each study area.
Table 3.
Bobcat and lynx models.
Table 4.
Results of Principal components analysis.
Fig 3.
Present and predicted connectivity for bobcats.
Present (a) and predicted future (b) connectivity for bobcats between conserved areas of natural habitat in the Champlain Valley Biophysical Region (upper left), the Northern Piedmont area of Vermont (upper right) and below, along the Route 2 corridor from Vermont into southern Maine (bottom). The core polygons have a cost distance of 0, and are the basis of the orange areas in the maps. Connective habitat for bobcats is defined as pixels with a cost distance value ≤ 125,000 (small arrow on legend). Future connectivity between conserved areas was predicted only where anthropogenic change has been estimated by Trombulak et al. [30].
Table 5.
Conserved core areas and connective habitat.
Fig 4.
Present and predicted connectivity for lynx.
Present (a) and predicted future (b) connectivity for lynx between conserved areas of natural habitat in northeastern and southeastern Maine (left and middle, respectively), and between confirmed uncollared lynx locations from ME, NH, and VT (right). The core polygons have a cost distance of 0, and are the basis of the orange areas in the maps. Connective habitat for lynx is defined as pixels with a cost distance value ≤1,172,610 (small arrow on legend). Future connectivity between conserved areas was predicted only where anthropogenic change has been estimated by Trombulak et al. [30].
Fig 5.
Subportion of area where connectivity is expected to decline.
The impact of future development on connective habitat for bobcats in a portion of southeastern Maine around Auburn and Lewiston. Black describes areas of connective habitat, white defines pixels with a cost distance value greater than 125,000, above the maximum cost distance value used by bobcats.