Labarge leads published research on pumas in the Americas

Zoom image: Graphic showing how pumas interact with other species in the ecosystem Graphic showing how pumas interact with other species in the ecosystem.

Graphic credit: Defenders of Wildlife and Panthera

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“We hope this awareness of how important pumas are to ecosystems, as well as how having wild pumas around helps people, could persuade the public that pumas are worth conserving and we should invest in strategies that allow them to coexist with us. ”
Laura Labarge, PhD , From Psychology Today article

Laura Labarge, EEB PhD '21 (advisor Carol Berman), is lead author on a study, jointly conducted with Defenders of Wildlife and Panthera, showing the potential impact mountain lions, also known as pumas, have on ecosystems throughout North and South America.

In the study published in Mammal Review, Labarge and researchers found that mountain lions as apex predators interact with close to 500 species and declines in the mountain lion population may spur negative repercussions on other species within the ecosystem.

Read more news coverage about the study at:

Newsweek
Psychology Today
The Guardian