Habitat complexity and prey composition shape an apex predator's habitat use across contrasting landscapes

Abstract

The spatial ecology of stalk-and-ambush predators like the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx depends on prey availability and environmental features, yet the relative roles of these factors remain unclear at large spatial scales. In this study, we analysed lynx habitat use across central and southern Finland using snow-track data from the Wildlife Triangle Scheme (2016–2020) and a joint species distribution modelling framework (HMSC) to assess both environmental drivers and spatial predator–prey associations. The Finnish lynx population offers a unique opportunity to study a contiguous population with stark regional differences in prey availability, enabling inferences about environmental and prey effects on space use. Across the study area, lynx habitat use was primarily associated with structurally complex forests and terrain, as expected for a stalk‑and‑ambush predator. Overall, environmental conditions explained habitat use patterns to a greater degree in the central region than in the south, which we posit is due to differences between the regions in prey species. In the central region, habitat use by lynx and its prey, the mountain hare Lepus timidus, was similar, in contrast to the southern region, where lynx were spatially associated with roe deer Capreolus capreolus and white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus, both of which showed habitat use patterns differing from those of lynx. These results indicate that lynx adjust their space use according to prey availability, while still retaining a core preference for complex habitat, as expected for a stalk-and-ambush predator. Our results are a clear demonstration of how the interplay between environmental conditions and community composition of prey shapes a generalist predator's habitat use and how this can contribute to overall resilience at the population level. Our study captures insights into habitat use at the landscape scale across contrasting ecological contexts, with implications for the management and conservation of large carnivores in human-modified environments.