Assessment of behavioral energetics model on Puma concolor using doubly labeled water

Abstract

The estimation of energy expenditure is key to resolve ecological questions and conservation strategies. The puma ( Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771)) has been the subject of several efforts to measure the daily energy expenditure (DEE). Most of the estimations have been made using movement or activity models that have been questioned because of discrepancies with kill rates. This study looks at one movement model estimation and validates it using doubly labeled water (DLW), which can also account for energy expenditures beyond those associated with activity. We captured six pumas (51.5 ± 9.9 (SD) kg) during the winter in Colorado that were GPS collared and injected with DLW for an approximately 3-week trial. We found that DEE obtained from the DLW (14.5 ± 6.1 MJ·day−1) did not differ from that estimated using the movement model or from the predicted allometric equation based on DLW studies on other mammals. Decreasing air temperature and increasing daily distance movement were correlated with increasing DEE for monitored pumas. Both DLW and movement models provide a reasonable proxy to estimate DEE at the population level but exhibit low precision in estimating individual values for free-ranging puma.