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Abstract

Large carnivores face complex challenges in human-modified landscapes, where mortality risk, resource availability, and habitat structure interact to shape population dynamics and predation patterns. In this dissertation, I examined how environmental and anthropogenic factors influence cougar (Puma concolor) demography, survival, and foraging behaviour in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Using GPS-collared individuals, kill site investigations, remote cameras, and spatial modeling, I integrated demographic, dietary, and spatial ecology approaches to understand how cougars navigate trade-offs between ecological opportunity and risk. In Chapter 2, I analyzed population demography and cause-specific mortality of 56 GPS-collared adults and 59 ear-tagged kittens. Human activities were the main source of adult mortality, while predation dominated kitten deaths. Survival varied by sex, season, and landscape features, with higher risk near roads and agricultural areas. Kittens were most vulnerable in early denning stages, particularly when maternal care was reduced or dens were distant from recent cutblocks and roads. In Chapter 3, I examined prey selection and dietary overlap among 38 cougars using 875 kill sites and prey availability data from 146 remote cameras. Males killed larger prey than females, and prey use varied seasonally. Diet similarity was highest at intermediate spatial overlap, indicating that territorial neighbors balance competition and prey availability in their dietary selection. In Chapter 4, I assessed habitat drivers of predation across 886 kill sites. Kill sites were concentrated in core home ranges and influenced by terrain and disturbance features. Deer kills were associated with rugged terrain in snow months and with cutblocks and burns 10–20 years post-disturbance in snow-free months, enhancing both prey catchability and abundance. Multi-species clustering was limited, but these habitats increased hunting success for multiple ungulate species. These chapters illustrate how mortality risk, prey dynamics, and landscape features interact to shape cougar ecology in human-dominated ecosystems. This work advances understanding of carnivore–prey dynamics and provides guidance for mitigating human–wildlife conflict and conserving wide-ranging predators in heterogeneous landscapes.