Prerequisites for coexistence: human pressure and refuge habitat availability shape continental-scale habitat use patterns of a large carnivore

Abstract Context Adjustments in habitat use by large carnivores can be a key factor facilitating their coexistence with people shared landscapes. Landscape composition might determining how adapt to occurring alongside humans, yet broad-scale analyses investigating adjustments of across gradients human pressure and landscape are lacking. Objectives Here, we investigate Eurasian lynx ( Lynx ) response varying availability refuge habitats (i.e., forests rugged terrain) modification. Methods Using tracking dataset including 434 individuals from seven populations, assess functional responses two spatial scales, testing for variation sex, daytime, season. Results We found that more intensively increasing modification selecting most strongly otherwise open landscapes terrain mountainous regions. Moreover, higher forest enabled place home ranges human-modified Human also shaped temporal patterns use, reducing areas during periods high exposure (daytime) or vulnerability (postnatal period) pressure. Conclusions Our findings suggest remarkable adaptive capacity towards underline the importance scales enabling between people. More broadly, highlight determines thus play an important role shaping carnivore distributions.