1
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Thiel A, Hertel AG, Giroud S, Friebe A, Fuchs B, Kindberg J, Græsli AR, Arnemo JM, Evans AL. The cost of research: Lasting effects of capture, surgery and muscle biopsy on brown bear ( Ursus arctos) movement and physiology. Anim Welf 2023; 32:e75. [PMID: 38510989 PMCID: PMC10951663 DOI: 10.1017/awf.2023.95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Animal models are a key component of translational medicine, helping transfer scientific findings into practical applications for human health. A fundamental principle of research ethics involves weighing the benefits of the research to society against the burden imposed on the animals used for scientific purposes. The utilisation of wild animals for research requires evaluation of the effects of capture and invasive sampling. Determining the severity and duration of these interventions on the animal's physiology and behaviour allows for refining study methodology and for excluding or accounting for biased data. In this study, 39 Scandinavian brown bears (Ursus arctos) captured either while hibernating in winter or via helicopter in summer and that underwent surgery as part of a human health project had their movement, body temperature and timing of onset of hibernation compared with those of 14 control bears that had not been captured during the same period. Bears captured in winter and summer showed decreased movement from den exit until late summer, compared to those in the control group. Bears captured in summer showed reduced movement and body temperature for at least, respectively, 14 and 3 days, with an 11% decrease in hourly distance, compared to pre-capture levels, but did not differ in the timing of hibernation onset. We reveal that brown bear behaviour and physiology can be altered in response to capture and surgery for days to months, post-capture. This has broad implications for the conclusions of wildlife studies that rely upon invasive sampling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Thiel
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Anne G Hertel
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Sylvain Giroud
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Energetics Lab, Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
| | - Andrea Friebe
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Boris Fuchs
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Jonas Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anne Randi Græsli
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Jon M Arnemo
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Alina L Evans
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
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2
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Cerrito P, Spear JK. Lack of evidence for coevolution between oxytocin receptor N-terminal variants and monogamy in placental mammals. Horm Behav 2023; 156:105437. [PMID: 37806189 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) is a neurohypophyseal hormone that influences a wide range of affiliative behaviors, such as pair-bonding and infant care, across mammals. The effects of OXT depend significantly on an adequate interaction with its receptor, OXTR. OXTR belongs to the G-protein coupled receptor family. The extracellular N-terminal domain of OXTR interacts with the linear C-terminal tail of OXT and is required for OXT binding. Across mammalian species there is a genetic diversity in OXTR terminal sequence. Previous work on primates has shown an association between OXTR phylogeny and monogamy. However, it is not clear whether this variation coevolved with either mating system (monogamy) or infant care behaviors (such as allomaternal care). Here, we take a phylogenetic comparative and evolutionary modeling approach across a wide range of placental mammals (n = 60) to test whether OXTR N-terminal variants co-evolved with either monogamy or allomaternal care behaviors. Our results indicate that the diversity in OXTR N-terminal region is unlikely to provide the underlying genetic bases for variation in mating system and/or allomaternal behavior as we find no evidence for co-evolution between protein sequence and affiliative behaviors. Hence, the role played by OXT in influencing affiliative behaviors is unlikely to be mediated by the genetic diversity of its receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Cerrito
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA; Collegium Helveticum, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Jeffrey K Spear
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA.
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3
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Brown bear skin-borne secretions display evidence of individuality and age-sex variation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3163. [PMID: 36823208 PMCID: PMC9950453 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29479-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Scent originates from excretions and secretions, and its chemical complexity in mammals translates into a diverse mode of signalling. Identifying how information is encoded can help to establish the mechanisms of olfactory communication and the use of odours as chemical signals. Building upon existing behavioural and histological literature, we examined the chemical profile of secretions used for scent marking by a solitary, non-territorial carnivore, the brown bear (Ursus arctos). We investigated the incidence, abundance, and uniqueness of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cutaneous glandular secretions of 12 wild brown bears collected during late and post-breeding season, and assessed whether age-sex class, body site, and individual identity explained profile variation. VOC profiles varied in the average number of compounds, compound incidence, and compound abundance by age-sex class and individual identity (when individuals were grouped by sex), but not by body site. Mature males differed from other age-sex classes, secreting fewer compounds on average with the least variance between individuals. Compound uniqueness varied by body site and age for both males and females and across individuals. Our results indicate that brown bear skin-borne secretions may facilitate age-sex class and individual recognition, which can contribute towards further understanding of mating systems and social behaviour.
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4
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Takayama K, Ohnishi N, Zedrosser A, Anezaki T, Tochigi K, Inagaki A, Naganuma T, Yamazaki K, Koike S. Timing and distance of natal dispersal in Asian black bears. J Mammal 2023; 104:265-278. [PMID: 37032704 PMCID: PMC10075337 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyac118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Dispersal has important implications for population ecology and genetics of a species through redistribution of individuals. In most mammals, males leave their natal area before they reach sexual maturity, whereas females are commonly philopatric. Here, we investigate the patterns of natal dispersal in the Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) based on data from 550 bears (378 males, 172 females) captured or removed in Gunma and Tochigi prefectures on central Honshu Island, Japan in 2003–2018. We used genetic data and parentage analysis to investigate sex-biased differences in the distance of natal dispersal. We further investigated the age of dispersal using spatial autocorrelation analysis, that is, the change in the correlation between genetic and geographic distances in each sex and age group. Our results revealed that male dispersal distances (mean ± SE = 17.4 ± 3.5 km) were significantly farther than female distances (4.8 ± 1.7 km), and the results were not affected by years of mast failures, a prominent forage source for this population. Based on an average adult female home range radius of 1.8 km, 96% of the males and 50% of the females dispersed. In the spatial autocorrelation analysis, the changes in the relationship between genetic and geographic distances were more pronounced in males compared to females. Males seem to mostly disperse at age 3 regardless of mast productivity, and they gradually disperse far from their home range, but young and inexperienced males may return to their natal home range in years with poor food conditions. The results suggest that factors driving the dispersal process seem to be population structure-based instead of forage availability-based. In females, a significant genetic relationship was observed among all individuals in the group with a minimum age of 6 years within a distance of 2 km, which resulted in the formation of matrilineal assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaede Takayama
- Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology , 3-5-8 Saiwai-Cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509 , Japan
| | - Naoki Ohnishi
- Tohoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute , 92-25 Nabeyashiki, Morioka, Iwate 020-0123 , Japan
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway , N-3800 Bø in Telemark , Norway
- Institute for Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University for Natural Resources and Life Sciences , Vienna, Gregor Mendel Str. 33, A-1180 Vienna , Austria
- Institute of Global Innovation, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology , 3-5-8 Saiwai-Cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509 , Japan
| | - Tomoko Anezaki
- Gunma Museum of Natural History , 1674-1 Kamikuroiwa, Tomioka, Gunma 370-2345 , Japan
| | - Kahoko Tochigi
- Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology , 3-5-8 Saiwai-Cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509 , Japan
| | - Akino Inagaki
- Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology , 3-5-8 Saiwai-Cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509 , Japan
| | - Tomoko Naganuma
- Institute of Global Innovation, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology , 3-5-8 Saiwai-Cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509 , Japan
| | - Koji Yamazaki
- Faculty of Regional Environmental Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture , 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya, Tokyo 156-8502 , Japan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Institute of Global Innovation, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology , 3-5-8 Saiwai-Cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509 , Japan
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology , 3-5-8 Saiwai-Cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509 , Japan
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5
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Ito T, Katsushima H, Tomita KM, Matsumoto T. Infanticide or predation? Cannibalism by a brown bear in Hokkaido, Japan. URSUS 2022. [DOI: 10.2192/ursus-d-22-00006.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Taiki Ito
- Graduate School of Humanities and Human Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Hinako Katsushima
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Kanji M. Tomita
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science Kochi University B200, Monobe, Nankoku 783-8502, Japan
| | - Tomoka Matsumoto
- Graduate School of Global Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8534, Japan
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6
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Late mating behaviour in European brown bears. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-022-01617-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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7
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Donatelli A, Mastrantonio G, Ciucci P. Circadian activity of small brown bear populations living in human-dominated landscapes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15804. [PMID: 36138081 PMCID: PMC9499929 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20163-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Whereas numerous studies on large carnivores have focused on analyzing spatial patterns and habitat use, the temporal dimension of their activity has been relatively little investigated, making this a topic of growing interest, especially in human-dominated landscapes. Relict and isolated Apennine brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) have been living in a human-modified landscape since millennia, but no information is available on their activity patterns. By means of GPS telemetry (26,880 GPS locations collected from 18 adult Apennine brown bears) we investigated their circadian rhythms, using hourly movement rates as an index of bear activity. Based on a Bayesian modeling approach, circadian activity of Apennine brown bears was described by a bimodal curve, with peaks of activity around sunrise and sunset. We revealed seasonal effects, with bears exhibiting higher movement rates throughout the mating season, but no relevant influence of sex. In addition, bears increased their movement rate at distances < 100–500 m to roads and settlements exclusively during spring and late summer, suggesting a trade-off between foraging opportunities and risk avoidance. The absence of a marked nocturnality in Apennine brown bears suggests a relatively low degree of habitat encroachment and disturbance by humans. Yet, the occurrence of crepuscular activity patterns and the responses in proximity of anthropogenic landscape features likely indicate a coadaptation by bears to human presence through a shift in their temporal niche. Further studies should aim to unveil fitness implications of such modifications in activity patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Donatelli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Ciucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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8
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Lorand C, Robert A, Gastineau A, Mihoub JB, Bessa-Gomes C. Effectiveness of interventions for managing human-large carnivore conflicts worldwide: Scare them off, don't remove them. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:156195. [PMID: 35623521 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Human-wildlife conflicts are associated with a threat to large carnivores, as well as with economic and social costs, thus challenging conservation management around the world. In this study, we explored the effectiveness of common management interventions used worldwide for the purpose of conflict reduction using an evidence-based framework combining expert assessment of intervention effectiveness, impact and uncertainty of assessment. We first conducted a literature review of human-large carnivore conflicts across the world. Based on this review, we identified three main types of management interventions (non-lethal, translocations, and lethal management) and we assessed their effectiveness. Our review indicates that, although the characteristics of conflicts with large carnivores are heavily influenced by the local context and the species, the main issues are depredation on livestock, space-sharing, and attacks on humans. Non-lethal interventions are more likely to reduce conflict, whereas translocations and lethal interventions are mostly ineffective and/or harmful to carnivore populations, without fostering successful long-term coexistence. The literature on conflict management is often imprecise and lacks consistency between studies or situations, which generally makes comparisons difficult. Our protocol allows for the reliable comparison of experiments characterized by heterogeneous standards, response variables, protocols, and quality of evidence. Nevertheless, we encourage the use of systematic protocols with common good standards in order to provide more reliable empirical evidence. This would clarify the relative effectiveness of conflict management strategies and contribute to the global reduction in the occurrence of human-large carnivore conflicts across the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Lorand
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, CP 135, 43 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France; Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR 8079 CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France.
| | - Alexandre Robert
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, CP 135, 43 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Adrienne Gastineau
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, CP 135, 43 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France; Equipe Ours, Unité Prédateurs-Animaux Déprédateurs, Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, impasse de la Chapelle, 31800 Villeneuve-de-Rivière, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Mihoub
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, CP 135, 43 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Carmen Bessa-Gomes
- Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR 8079 CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France
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9
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Shimozuru M, Jimbo M, Adachi K, Kawamura K, Shirane Y, Umemura Y, Ishinazaka T, Nakanishi M, Kiyonari M, Yamanaka M, Amagai Y, Ijuin A, Sakiyama T, Kasai S, Nose T, Shirayanagi M, Tsuruga H, Mano T, Tsubota T, Fukasawa K, Uno H. Estimation of breeding population size using DNA-based pedigree reconstruction in brown bears. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9246. [PMID: 36091344 PMCID: PMC9448969 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Robust estimates of demographic parameters are critical for effective wildlife conservation and management but are difficult to obtain for elusive species. We estimated the breeding and adult population sizes, as well as the minimum population size, in a high-density brown bear population on the Shiretoko Peninsula, in Hokkaido, Japan, using DNA-based pedigree reconstruction. A total of 1288 individuals, collected in and around the Shiretoko Peninsula between 1998 and 2020, were genotyped at 21 microsatellite loci. Among them, 499 individuals were identified by intensive genetic sampling conducted in two consecutive years (2019 and 2020) mainly by noninvasive methods (e.g., hair and fecal DNA). Among them, both parents were assigned for 330 bears, and either maternity or paternity was assigned to 47 and 76 individuals, respectively. The subsequent pedigree reconstruction indicated a range of breeding and adult (≥4 years old) population sizes: 128-173 for female breeders and 66-91 male breeders, and 155-200 for female adults and 84-109 male adults. The minimum population size was estimated to be 449 (252 females and 197 males) in 2019. Long-term continuous genetic sampling prior to a short-term intensive survey would enable parentage to be identified in a population with a high probability, thus enabling reliable estimates of breeding population size for elusive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michito Shimozuru
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
| | - Mina Jimbo
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan.,Hokkaido Research Organization Sapporo Japan
| | - Keisuke Adachi
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
| | - Kei Kawamura
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
| | - Yuri Shirane
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan.,Hokkaido Research Organization Sapporo Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Toshio Tsubota
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
| | - Keita Fukasawa
- Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies National Institute for Environmental Studies Tsukuba Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Uno
- Faculty of Agriculture Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Tokyo Japan
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10
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McManus J, Faraut L, Couldridge V, van Deventer J, Samuels I, Cilliers D, Devens C, Vorster P, Smuts B. Assessment of leopard translocations in South Africa. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.943078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Translocations are commonly employed to mitigate human–carnivore conflict but rarely evaluated, resulting in conflicting reports of success, particularly for leopards (Panthera pardus). We evaluate the status of available leopard translocation data, the factors driving the intentional removal of leopards, and the potential causal factors associated with successful and failed translocation events. We obtained data on 60 leopard translocation events across five provinces in South Africa between 1994 and 2021. We considered a successful translocation outcome when (1) the animal was moved outside of its original home range, (2) the animal established a new home range away from the capture site, (3) no substantive livestock losses were linked to the translocated animal in the post-release monitoring period, and (4) the animal survived at least 6 months post-translocation. If mortality occurred due to factors that were equally likely to impact resident individuals and were unrelated to the translocation event (e.g., poaching), the event was not considered a failed effort. Most translocations were the result of human–carnivore conflict (HCC; 82%, n = 49), stressing the high prevalence of HCC and the importance of advocating preventative conflict mitigation efforts to conserve leopards. The leopards were moved distances from 2.5 to 196.3 km (63.3 ± 51.7km). Forty (67%) translocation events had unknown outcomes, indicating the limited data available on translocation outcomes. This also indicates the disparity in the objectives of translocations by various entities involved with translocations and suggests that monitoring be a prerequisite for future translocations. Twenty events offered reliable outcomes by means of post-event monitoring, with seven (12%) considered successful, with three (5%) as failures, and with four (7%) not moved beyond their original home ranges, while six (8%) ended in unrelated deaths. The failed events were attributed to inter/intra-specific competition, and one animal returned to its original home range after a translocation distance of 68 km. Translocation success was strongly explained by translocation distance. We found that damage-causing leopards were successfully translocated under specific conditions, and longer translocation distances increase success. Translocations are commonly employed but are still poorly monitored. We discuss basic standardized protocols to improve future leopard translocations (including pre- and post-monitoring) while advocating alternative non-lethal practices to reduce the prevalence of human–carnivore conflict.
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11
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Kawamura K, Jimbo M, Adachi K, Shirane Y, Nakanishi M, Umemura Y, Ishinazaka T, Uno H, Sashika M, Tsubota T, Shimozuru M. Diel and monthly activity pattern of brown bears and sika deer in the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan. J Vet Med Sci 2022; 84:1146-1156. [PMID: 35811130 PMCID: PMC9412065 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.21-0665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals exhibit several types of diel activity pattern, including nocturnal, diurnal,
crepuscular, and cathemeral. These patterns vary inter- and intra-specifically and are
affected by environmental factors, individual status, and interactions with other
individuals or species. Determining the factors that shape diel activity patterns is
challenging but essential for understanding the behavioral ecology of animal species, and
for wildlife conservation and management. Using camera-trap surveys, we investigated the
species distributions and activity patterns of terrestrial mammals on the Shiretoko
Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan, with particular focus on brown bears and sika deer. From June
to October 2019, a total of 7,530 observations were recorded by 65 camera-traps for eight
species, including two alien species. The diel activity pattern of brown bears was
diurnal/crepuscular, similar to that of bears in North America, but different from
European populations. Bear observations were more frequent during the autumnal hyperphagia
period, and adult females and sub-adults were more diurnal than adult males. In addition,
bears inside the protected area were more diurnal than those outside it. These findings
suggest that appetite motivation, competitive interactions between conspecifics, and human
activities potentially affect bear activity patterns. Similar to other sika deer
populations and other deer species, the diel activity patterns of sika deer were
crepuscular. Deer showed less variation in activity patterns among months and sex-age
classes, while adult males were observed more frequently during the autumn copulation
period, suggesting that reproductive motivation affects their activity patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Kawamura
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University
| | - Mina Jimbo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University
| | | | - Yuri Shirane
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University.,Hokkaido Research Organization
| | | | | | | | - Hiroyuki Uno
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
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12
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Wang MS, Murray GGR, Mann D, Groves P, Vershinina AO, Supple MA, Kapp JD, Corbett-Detig R, Crump SE, Stirling I, Laidre KL, Kunz M, Dalén L, Green RE, Shapiro B. A polar bear paleogenome reveals extensive ancient gene flow from polar bears into brown bears. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:936-944. [PMID: 35711062 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01753-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and brown bears (Ursus arctos) are sister species possessing distinct physiological and behavioural adaptations that evolved over the last 500,000 years. However, comparative and population genomics analyses have revealed that several extant and extinct brown bear populations have relatively recent polar bear ancestry, probably as the result of geographically localized instances of gene flow from polar bears into brown bears. Here, we generate and analyse an approximate 20X paleogenome from an approximately 100,000-year-old polar bear that reveals a massive prehistoric admixture event, which is evident in the genomes of all living brown bears. This ancient admixture event was not visible from genomic data derived from living polar bears. Like more recent events, this massive admixture event mainly involved unidirectional gene flow from polar bears into brown bears and occurred as climate changes caused overlap in the ranges of the two species. These findings highlight the complex reticulate paths that evolution can take within a regime of radically shifting climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Shan Wang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Gemma G R Murray
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel Mann
- Department of Geosciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, USA.,Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Pamela Groves
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Alisa O Vershinina
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Megan A Supple
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Joshua D Kapp
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Russell Corbett-Detig
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Sarah E Crump
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Ian Stirling
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kristin L Laidre
- Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael Kunz
- University of Alaska Museum of the North, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Love Dalén
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.,Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Richard E Green
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Beth Shapiro
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA. .,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
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13
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Psaralexi M, Lazarina M, Mertzanis Y, Michaelidou DE, Sgardelis S. Exploring 15 years of brown bear (Ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern Greece. NATURE CONSERVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.47.71348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Road networks provide several benefits to human societies; however, they are also one of the major drivers of fragmentation and habitat degradation. Their negative effects include wildlife-vehicle collisions which are associated with increased barrier effects, restricted gene flow, and increased local extinction risk. Large carnivores, such as the brown bear (Ursus arctos), are vulnerable to road mortality while they also put human safety at risk in every collision. We recorded approximately 100 bear-vehicle collisions during the last 15 years (2005–2020) in northwestern Greece and identified common aspects for collisions, i.e., spatial, or temporal segregation of collision events, road features, and age or sex of the involved animals. We recorded collisions in both the core distribution area of brown bears, as well as at the periphery, where few individuals, mostly males, disperse. According to our findings, there are four collision hotspots which include ca. 60% of total collisions. Bear-vehicle collisions occurred mostly in periods of increased animal mobility, under poor light conditions and low visibility. In most cases, we deem that a collision was unavoidable at the time of animal detection, because the driver could not have reacted in time to avoid it. Appropriate fencing, in combination with the retention of safe passages for the animals, can minimize collisions. Therefore, such mitigation measures, wildlife warning signs and other collision prevention systems, such as animal detection systems, should be adopted to decrease the number of bear-vehicle collisions and improve road safety.
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14
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Age Ain't Nothing But a Number: factors other than age shape brown bear movement patterns. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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15
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Wilson AE, Michaud SA, Jackson AM, Stenhouse G, McClelland CJR, Coops NC, Janz DM. Protein biomarkers in serum as a conservation tool to assess reproduction: a case study on brown bears ( Ursus arctos). CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coab091. [PMID: 34888057 PMCID: PMC8651255 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring the reproductive characteristics of a species can complement existing conservation strategies by understanding the mechanisms underlying demography. However, methodology to determine important aspects of female reproductive biology is often absent in monitoring programs for large mammals. Protein biomarkers may be a useful tool to detect physiological changes that are indicative of reproductive state. This study aimed to identify protein biomarkers of reproductive status in serum collected from free-ranging female brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Alberta, Canada, from 2001 to 2018. We hypothesized that the expression of proteins related to reproduction in addition to energetics and stress can be used to answer specific management-focused questions: (i) identify when a female is pregnant, (ii) detect if a female is lactating, (iii) determine age of sexual maturity (i.e. primiparity) and (iv) assess female fertility (i.e. reproduction rate). Furthermore, we investigated if silver spoon effects (favourable early life conditions provide fitness benefits through adulthood) could be determined using protein expression. A target panel of 19 proteins with established relationships to physiological function was measured by peptide-based analysis using liquid chromatography and multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry and their differential expression was evaluated using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. We found biomarkers of pregnancy (apolipoprotein B-100 and afamin), lactation (apolipoprotein B-100 and alpha-2-macroglobulin) and sexual maturity (corticosteroid-binding globulin), but there were no statistically significant relationships with protein expression and fertility. The expression of proteins related to reproduction (afamin) and energetics (vitamin-D binding protein) was associated with the nutritional quality of the individual's present habitat rather than their early life habitat. This study highlights potential biomarkers of reproductive status and provides additional methods for monitoring physiological function in wildlife to inform conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbey E Wilson
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Sarah A Michaud
- The University of Victoria Genome BC Proteomics Centre, 4464 Markham St #3101, Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 7X8, Canada
| | - Angela M Jackson
- The University of Victoria Genome BC Proteomics Centre, 4464 Markham St #3101, Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 7X8, Canada
| | - Gordon Stenhouse
- Grizzly Bear Program, fRI Research, 1176 Switzer Drive, Hinton, Alberta T7V 1V3, Canada
| | | | - Nicholas C Coops
- Department of Forest Resource Management, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - David M Janz
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
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16
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Lamamy C, Delgado MM, Kojola I, Heikkinen S, Penteriani V. Does moonlight affect movement patterns of a non‐obligate carnivore? Brown bears do not mind that the moon exists. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. Lamamy
- Forest is life, TERRA Research Unit Gembloux Agro‐Bio Tech Université de Liège Gembloux Belgium
| | - M. M. Delgado
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)‐University of Oviedo‐Principality of Asturias), Campus Mieres Mieres Spain
| | - I. Kojola
- LUKE, Natural Resources Institute Rovaniemi Finland
| | - S. Heikkinen
- LUKE, Natural Resources Institute Rovaniemi Finland
| | - V. Penteriani
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)‐University of Oviedo‐Principality of Asturias), Campus Mieres Mieres Spain
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17
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Bogdanović N, Hertel AG, Zedrosser A, Paunović M, Plećaš M, Ćirović D. Seasonal and diel movement patterns of brown bears in a population in southeastern Europe. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:15972-15983. [PMID: 34824804 PMCID: PMC8601923 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Most animals concentrate their movement into certain hours of the day depending on drivers such as photoperiod, ambient temperature, inter- or intraspecific competition, and predation risk. The main activity periods of many mammal species, especially in human-dominated landscapes, are commonly set at dusk, dawn, and during nighttime hours. Large carnivores, such as brown bears, often display great flexibility in diel movement patterns throughout their range, and even within populations, striking between individual differences in movement have been demonstrated. Here, we evaluated how seasonality and reproductive class affected diel movement patterns of brown bears of the Dinaric-Pindos and Carpathian bear populations in Serbia. We analyzed the movement distances and general probability of movement of 13 brown bears (8 males and 5 females) equipped with GPS collars and monitored over 1-3 years. Our analyses revealed that movement distances and probability of bear movement differed between seasons (mating versus hyperphagia) and reproductive classes. Adult males, solitary females, and subadult males showed a crepuscular movement pattern. Compared with other reproductive classes, females with offspring were moving significantly less during crepuscular hours and during the night, particularly during the mating season, suggesting temporal niche partitioning among different reproductive classes. Adult males, solitary females, and in particular subadult males traveled greater hourly distances during the mating season in May-June than the hyperphagia in July-October. Subadult males significantly decreased their movement from the mating season to hyperphagia, whereas females with offspring exhibited an opposite pattern with almost doubling their movement from the mating to hyperphagia season. Our results provide insights into how seasonality and reproductive class drive intrapopulation differences in movement distances and probability of movement in a recovering, to date little studied, brown bear population in southeastern Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anne G. Hertel
- Behavioral EcologyDepartment of BiologyLudwig‐Maximilians University of MunichPlanegg‐MartinsriedGermany
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental HealthFaculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime SciencesUniversity of South‐Eastern NorwayBø i TelemarkNorway
- Department of Integrative BiologyInstitute of Wildlife Biology and Game ManagementUniversity of Natural Resources and Applied Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | | | - Milan Plećaš
- Faculty of BiologyUniversity of BelgradeBelgradeSerbia
| | - Duško Ćirović
- Faculty of BiologyUniversity of BelgradeBelgradeSerbia
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18
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Hansen JE, Hertel AG, Frank SC, Kindberg J, Zedrosser A. Social environment shapes female settlement decisions in a solitary carnivore. Behav Ecol 2021; 33:137-146. [PMID: 35197809 PMCID: PMC8857934 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
How and where a female selects an area to settle and breed is of central importance in dispersal and population ecology as it governs range expansion and gene flow. Social structure and organization have been shown to influence settlement decisions, but its importance in the settlement of large, solitary mammals is largely unknown. We investigate how the identity of overlapping conspecifics on the landscape, acquired during the maternal care period, influences the selection of settlement home ranges in a non-territorial, solitary mammal using location data of 56 female brown bears (Ursus arctos). We used a resource selection function to determine whether females’ settlement behavior was influenced by the presence of their mother, related females, familiar females, and female population density. Hunting may remove mothers and result in socio-spatial changes before settlement. We compared overlap between settling females and their mother’s concurrent or most recent home ranges to examine the settling female’s response to the absence or presence of her mother on the landscape. We found that females selected settlement home ranges that overlapped their mother’s home range, familiar females, that is, those they had previously overlapped with, and areas with higher density than their natal ranges. However, they did not select areas overlapping related females. We also found that when mothers were removed from the landscape, female offspring selected settlement home ranges with greater overlap of their mother’s range, compared with mothers who were alive. Our results suggest that females are acquiring and using information about their social environment when making settlement decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- J E Hansen
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø i Telemark, Norway
| | - A G Hertel
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø i Telemark, Norway
- Senkenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - S C Frank
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø i Telemark, Norway
| | - J Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Umeå, Sweden
| | - A Zedrosser
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø i Telemark, Norway
- Department of Integrative Biology, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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19
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Van de Walle J, Pelletier F, Zedrosser A, Swenson JE, Jenouvrier S, Bischof R. The interplay between hunting rate, hunting selectivity, and reproductive strategies shapes population dynamics of a large carnivore. Evol Appl 2021; 14:2414-2432. [PMID: 34745335 PMCID: PMC8549626 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Harvest, through its intensity and regulation, often results in selection on female reproductive traits. Changes in female traits can have demographic consequences, as they are fundamental in shaping population dynamics. It is thus imperative to understand and quantify the demographic consequences of changes in female reproductive traits to better understand and anticipate population trajectories under different harvest intensities and regulations. Here, using a dynamic, frequency-dependent, population model of the intensively hunted brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in Sweden, we quantify and compare population responses to changes in four reproductive traits susceptible to harvest-induced selection: litter size, weaning age, age at first reproduction, and annual probability to reproduce. We did so for different hunting quotas and under four possible hunting regulations: (i) no individuals are protected, (ii) mothers but not dependent offspring are protected, (iii) mothers and dependent offspring of the year (cubs) are protected, and (iv) entire family groups are protected (i.e., mothers and dependent offspring of any age). We found that population growth rate declines sharply with increasing hunting quotas. Increases in litter size and the probability to reproduce have the greatest potential to affect population growth rate. Population growth rate increases the most when mothers are protected. Adding protection on offspring (of any age), however, reduces the availability of bears for hunting, which feeds back to increase hunting pressure on the nonprotected categories of individuals, leading to reduced population growth. Finally, we found that changes in reproductive traits can dampen population declines at very high hunting quotas, but only when protecting mothers. Our results illustrate that changes in female reproductive traits may have context-dependent consequences for demography. Thus, to predict population consequences of harvest-induced selection in wild populations, it is critical to integrate both hunting intensity and regulation, especially if hunting selectivity targets female reproductive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanie Van de Walle
- Département de biologie & Centre for Northern StudiesUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
- Biology DepartmentWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods HoleMAUSA
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de biologie & Centre for Northern StudiesUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental HealthUniversity of South‐Eastern NorwayBø i TelemarkNorway
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game ManagementUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Jon E. Swenson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | | | - Richard Bischof
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
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20
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Ma Y, Wang M, Wei F, Nie Y. Geographic distributions shape the functional traits in a large mammalian family. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13175-13185. [PMID: 34646461 PMCID: PMC8495830 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Traits of organisms are shaped by their living environments and also determined in part by their phylogenetic relationships. For example, phylogenetic relationships often affect the geographic distributions of animals and cause variation in their living environments, which usually play key roles in the life history and determine the functional traits of species. As an ancient family of mammals, bears widely distribute and have evolved some specific strategies for survival and reproduction during their long-term evolutionary histories. Many studies on the ecology of bears have been conducted in recent decades, but few have focused on the relationships between their geographic distributions and ecological adaptations. Here, using bears as a model system, we collected and reanalyzed data from the available literatures to explore how geographic distributions and phylogenetic relationships shape the functional traits of animals. We found a positive relationship between phylogenetic relatedness and geographic distributions, with bears distributed in adjacent areas applying more similar strategies to survive and reproduce: (a) Bears living at high latitudes consumed a higher proportion of vertebrates, which may provide more fat for adaptation to low temperatures, and (b) their reproduction rhythms follow fluctuations in seasonal forage availability and quality, in which bears reach mating status from March to May and give birth in approximately November or later.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingjie Ma
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Meng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Fuwen Wei
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and GeneticsChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Yonggang Nie
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and GeneticsChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
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21
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Tamatani H, Hiorns A, Yamamoto T. An apparent case of infanticide in the Asiatic black bear in Japan. URSUS 2021. [DOI: 10.2192/ursus-d-20-00019.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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22
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Naganuma T, Tanaka M, Tezuka S, M.J.G. Steyaert S, Tochigi K, Inagaki A, Myojo H, Yamazaki K, Koike S. Animal-borne video systems provide insight into the reproductive behavior of the Asian black bear. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9182-9190. [PMID: 34306614 PMCID: PMC8293739 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies on the mating system of the Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) have been limited to observations of captive populations and estimations of multiple paternities. Hence, the mating system of wild bears remains poorly understood. Animal-borne camera systems (i.e., cameras mounted on animals) provide novel tools to study the behavior of elusive animals. Here, we used an animal-borne video system to record the activities of wild bears during the mating season. Video camera collars were attached to four adult Asian black bears (male "A" and "B," and female "A" and "B") captured in Tokyo, central Japan, in May and June 2018. The collars were retrieved in July 2018, after which the video data were downloaded and analyzed in terms of bear activity and mating behavior. All the bears were found to interact with other uniquely identifiable bears for some of the time (range 9-22 days) during the deployment period (range 36-45 days), and multiple mating in males was documented. Both males and females exhibited different behaviors on social days (i.e., days when the bear interacted with conspecifics) compared with solitary days (i.e., days with no observed interactions with conspecifics). Compared with solitary days, the bears spent a lower proportion of time on foraging activities and higher proportion of time on resting activities on social days. Our results suggest that Asian black bears have a polygamous mating system, as both sexes consort and potentially mate with multiple partners during a given mating season. Furthermore, bears appeared to reduce their foraging activities on social days and engaged more in social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko Naganuma
- Institute of Global Innovation ResearchTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyFuchuJapan
| | - Mii Tanaka
- Faculty of AgricultureTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyFuchuJapan
| | - Shiori Tezuka
- Faculty of AgricultureTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyFuchuJapan
| | | | - Kahoko Tochigi
- United Graduate School of Agricultural ScienceTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyFuchuJapan
| | - Akino Inagaki
- United Graduate School of Agricultural ScienceTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyFuchuJapan
| | - Hiroaki Myojo
- United Graduate School of Agricultural ScienceTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyFuchuJapan
| | - Koji Yamazaki
- Department of Forest ScienceFaculty of Regional Environmental ScienceTokyo University of AgricultureSetagayaJapan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Institute of Global Innovation ResearchTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyFuchuJapan
- Institute of AgricultureTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyFuchuJapan
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23
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Kojola I, Hallikainen V, Heikkinen S, Nivala V. Inadvertent shooting of brown bear cubs in Finland: what can managers do to reduce it? WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilpo Kojola
- I. Kojola ✉ , V. Hallikainen and V. Nivala, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Rovaniemi, Finland. – S. Heikkinen, Natural Resorces Institute Finland (Luke), Oulu, Finland
| | - Ville Hallikainen
- I. Kojola ✉ , V. Hallikainen and V. Nivala, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Rovaniemi, Finland. – S. Heikkinen, Natural Resorces Institute Finland (Luke), Oulu, Finland
| | - Samuli Heikkinen
- I. Kojola ✉ , V. Hallikainen and V. Nivala, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Rovaniemi, Finland. – S. Heikkinen, Natural Resorces Institute Finland (Luke), Oulu, Finland
| | - Vesa Nivala
- I. Kojola ✉ , V. Hallikainen and V. Nivala, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Rovaniemi, Finland. – S. Heikkinen, Natural Resorces Institute Finland (Luke), Oulu, Finland
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24
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Penteriani V, González-Bernardo E, Hartasánchez A, Ruiz-Villar H, Morales-González A, Ordiz A, Bombieri G, Diaz García J, Cañedo D, Bettega C, Delgado MDM. Visual marking in mammals first proved by manipulations of brown bear tree debarking. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9492. [PMID: 33947891 PMCID: PMC8096968 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88472-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The rather limited human ability to understand animal vision and visual signalling has frequently clouded our expectations concerning the visual abilities of other animals. But there are multiple reasons to suspect that visual signalling is more widely employed by animals than previously thought. Because visibility of visual marks depends on the background in which they are seen, species spending most of their time living in dark conditions (e.g., in forests and/or having crepuscular and nocturnal habits) may rely on bright signals to enhance visual display. Here, as a result of experimental manipulations, we present, for the first time ever, evidence supporting the use of a new channel of intraspecific communication by a mammal species, i.e., brown bear Ursus arctos adult males relying on visual marks during mating. Bear reactions to our manipulation suggest that visual signalling could represent a widely overlooked mechanism in mammal communication, which may be more broadly employed than was previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Penteriani
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Mieres Campus, 33600, Mieres, Spain.
| | - Enrique González-Bernardo
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Mieres Campus, 33600, Mieres, Spain
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE), C.S.I.C., Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Alfonso Hartasánchez
- FAPAS Fondo para la Protección de los Animales Salvajes, Ctra. AS-228, km 8,9 - Tuñón, 33115, Santo Adriano, Asturias, Spain
| | - Héctor Ruiz-Villar
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Mieres Campus, 33600, Mieres, Spain
| | - Ana Morales-González
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C.S.I.C, Avda. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Andrés Ordiz
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postbox 5003, NO-1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Giulia Bombieri
- MUSE - Museo delle Scienze, Sezione Zoologia dei Vertebrati, Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza 3, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - Juan Diaz García
- Consejería de Ordenación del Territorio, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Oviedo, Principado de Asturias, Spain
| | - David Cañedo
- Consejería de Ordenación del Territorio, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Oviedo, Principado de Asturias, Spain
| | - Chiara Bettega
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Mieres Campus, 33600, Mieres, Spain
| | - María Del Mar Delgado
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Mieres Campus, 33600, Mieres, Spain
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25
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Morehouse AT, Loosen AE, Graves TA, Boyce MS. The smell of success: Reproductive success related to rub behavior in brown bears. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247964. [PMID: 33657186 PMCID: PMC7928475 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Several species of bears are known to rub deliberately against trees and other objects, but little is known about why bears rub. Patterns in rubbing behavior of male and female brown bears (Ursus arctos) suggest that scent marking via rubbing functions to communicate among potential mates or competitors. Using DNA from bear hairs collected from rub objects in southwestern Alberta from 2011–2014 and existing DNA datasets from Montana and southeastern British Columbia, we determined sex and individual identity of each bear detected. Using these data, we completed a parentage analysis. From the parentage analysis and detection data, we determined the number of offspring, mates, unique rub objects where an individual was detected, and sampling occasions during which an individual was detected for each brown bear identified through our sampling methods. Using a Poisson regression, we found a positive relationship between bear rubbing behavior and reproductive success; both male and female bears with a greater number of mates and a greater number of offspring were detected at more rub objects and during more occasions. Our results suggest a fitness component to bear rubbing, indicate that rubbing is adaptive, and provide insight into a poorly understood behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea T. Morehouse
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Winisk Research and Consulting, Bellevue, Alberta, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Anne E. Loosen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Tabitha A. Graves
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, West Glacier, Montana, United States of America
| | - Mark S. Boyce
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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26
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Hassanin A, Veron G, Ropiquet A, Jansen van Vuuren B, Lécu A, Goodman SM, Haider J, Nguyen TT. Evolutionary history of Carnivora (Mammalia, Laurasiatheria) inferred from mitochondrial genomes. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0240770. [PMID: 33591975 PMCID: PMC7886153 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The order Carnivora, which currently includes 296 species classified into 16 families, is distributed across all continents. The phylogeny and the timing of diversification of members of the order are still a matter of debate. Here, complete mitochondrial genomes were analysed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships and to estimate divergence times among species of Carnivora. We assembled 51 new mitogenomes from 13 families, and aligned them with available mitogenomes by selecting only those showing more than 1% of nucleotide divergence and excluding those suspected to be of low-quality or from misidentified taxa. Our final alignment included 220 taxa representing 2,442 mitogenomes. Our analyses led to a robust resolution of suprafamilial and intrafamilial relationships. We identified 21 fossil calibration points to estimate a molecular timescale for carnivorans. According to our divergence time estimates, crown carnivorans appeared during or just after the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum; all major groups of Caniformia (Cynoidea/Arctoidea; Ursidae; Musteloidea/Pinnipedia) diverged from each other during the Eocene, while all major groups of Feliformia (Nandiniidae; Feloidea; Viverroidea) diversified more recently during the Oligocene, with a basal divergence of Nandinia at the Eocene/Oligocene transition; intrafamilial divergences occurred during the Miocene, except for the Procyonidae, as Potos separated from other genera during the Oligocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Hassanin
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Sorbonne Université, MNHN, CNRS, EPHE, UA, Paris, France
| | - Géraldine Veron
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Sorbonne Université, MNHN, CNRS, EPHE, UA, Paris, France
| | - Anne Ropiquet
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Natural Sciences, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bettine Jansen van Vuuren
- Department of Zoology, Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Alexis Lécu
- Parc zoologique de Paris, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Steven M. Goodman
- Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Jibran Haider
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Sorbonne Université, MNHN, CNRS, EPHE, UA, Paris, France
- Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah, Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
- Forest Parks & Wildlife Department Gilgit-Baltistan, Skardu, Pakistan
| | - Trung Thanh Nguyen
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Sorbonne Université, MNHN, CNRS, EPHE, UA, Paris, France
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Revilla E, Ramos Fernández D, Fernández-Gil A, Sergiel A, Selva N, Naves J. Brown bear communication hubs: patterns and correlates of tree rubbing and pedal marking at a long-term marking site. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10447. [PMID: 33575120 PMCID: PMC7849508 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical communication is important for many species of mammals. Male brown bears, Ursus arctos, mark trees with a secretion from glands located on their back. The recent discovery of pedal glands and pedal-marking at a site used for tree-rubbing led us to hypothesize that both types of marking form part of a more complex communication system. We describe the patterns of chemical communication used by different age and sex classes, including differences in the roles of these classes as information providers or receivers over four years at a long-term marking site. Using video recordings from a camera trap, we registered a total of 285 bear-visits and 419 behavioral events associated with chemical communication. Bears visited the site more frequently during the mating season, during which communication behaviors were more frequent. A typical visit by male bears consisted of sniffing the depressions where animals pedal mark, performing pedal-marking, sniffing the tree, and, finally, rubbing against the trunk of the tree. Adult males performed most pedal- and tree-marking (95% and 66% of the cases, respectively). Males pedal-marked and tree-rubbed in 81% and 48% of their visits and sniffed the pedal marks and the tree in 23% and 59% of visits, respectively. Adult females never pedal marked, and juveniles did so at very low frequencies. Females rubbed against the tree in just 9% of their visits; they sniffed the tree and the pedal marks in 51% and 21% of their visits, respectively. All sex and age classes performed pedal- and tree-sniffing. There were significant associations between behaviors indicating that different behaviors tended to occur during the same visit and were more likely if another individual had recently visited. These associations leading to repeated marking of the site can promote the establishment of long-term marking sites. Marking sites defined by trees and the trails leading to them seem to act as communication hubs that brown bears use to share and obtain important information at population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloy Revilla
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Damián Ramos Fernández
- Consejería de Infraestructuras, Ordenación del Territorio y Medio Ambiente, Gobierno del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Alberto Fernández-Gil
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Agnieszka Sergiel
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Javier Naves
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville, Spain
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Ballesteros F, Palomero G, Blanco JC, López-Bao JV. Sexually selected infanticide or predation? Killing and consumption of a female brown bear in a male infanticide attempt. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-021-01466-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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29
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The role of the brown bear Ursus arctos as a legitimate megafaunal seed disperser. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1282. [PMID: 33446727 PMCID: PMC7809135 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80440-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Megafaunal frugivores can consume large amounts of fruits whose seeds may be dispersed over long distances, thus, affecting plant regeneration processes and ecosystem functioning. We investigated the role of brown bears (Ursus arctos) as legitimate megafaunal seed dispersers. We assessed the quantity component of seed dispersal by brown bears across its entire distribution based on information about both the relative frequency of occurrence and species composition of fleshy fruits in the diet of brown bears extracted from the literature. We assessed the quality component of seed dispersal based on germination experiments for 11 fleshy-fruited plant species common in temperate and boreal regions and frequently eaten by brown bears. Across its distribution, fleshy fruits, on average, represented 24% of the bear food items and 26% of the total volume consumed. Brown bears consumed seeds from at least 101 fleshy-fruited plant species belonging to 24 families and 42 genera, of which Rubus (Rosaceae) and Vaccinium (Ericaceae) were most commonly eaten. Brown bears inhabiting Mediterranean forests relied the most on fleshy fruits and consumed the largest number of species per study area. Seeds ingested by bears germinated at higher percentages than those from whole fruits, and at similar percentages than manually depulped seeds. We conclude that brown bears are legitimate seed dispersers as they consume large quantities of seeds that remain viable after gut passage. The decline of these megafaunal frugivores may compromise seed dispersal services and plant regeneration processes.
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Van de Walle J, Zedrosser A, Swenson JE, Pelletier F. Disentangling direct and indirect determinants of the duration of maternal care in brown bears: Environmental context matters. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:376-386. [PMID: 33064848 PMCID: PMC7894530 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The duration of maternal care, an important life‐history trait affecting population dynamics, varies greatly within species. Yet, our understanding of its predictors is limited, mostly correlative and subject to misinterpretations, due to difficulties to disentangle the role of maternal‐ and offspring‐related characteristics. We conducted path analysis on a dataset including 217 brown bear litters captured over a 29‐year period in two populations in Sweden (‘North’ and ‘South’) facing contrasting environmental conditions to identify and quantify the causes of variation in the duration of maternal care (1.5 or 2.5 years). We showed that the causal determinants of the duration of maternal care were context‐dependent. Contrary to their expected central role in the determination of the duration of maternal care, yearling mass and its direct determinants (i.e. litter size and maternal mass) were only important in the North population, where environmental conditions are harsher and the cost of extended maternal care presumably higher. In the South, the duration of maternal care was not caused by yearling mass nor any maternal or litter characteristics. Extension of maternal care may thus result from factors independent from maternal and offspring condition in the South, such as an artificial hunting‐induced selection for longer maternal care through the legal protection of family groups. Our results provide an important contribution to our very limited knowledge of the direct and indirect determinants of the duration of maternal care and highlight the importance of accounting for the environmental context when assessing maternal reproductive tactics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanie Van de Walle
- Département de biologie & Centre for Northern Studies, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø, Norway.,Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jon E Swenson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de biologie & Centre for Northern Studies, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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31
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González-Bernardo E, Bombieri G, Mar Delgado MD, Penteriani V. The role of spring temperatures in the den exit of female brown bears with cubs in southwestern Europe. URSUS 2020. [DOI: 10.2192/ursus-d-19-00015.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Giulia Bombieri
- Research Unit of Biodiversity, UMIB (CSIC/UO/PA), E-33600 Mieres, Spain
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32
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Torii Y, Matsumoto N, Sakamoto H, Nagano M, Katagiri S, Yanagawa Y. Monitoring follicular dynamics to determine estrus type and timing of ovulation induction in captive brown bears (Ursus arctos). J Reprod Dev 2020; 66:563-570. [PMID: 33041275 PMCID: PMC7768176 DOI: 10.1262/jrd.2020-044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
It is important to understand ovarian physiology when developing an artificial insemination (AI) protocol. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) have a breeding season from May to July, although the type of estrus (polyestrus or monoestrus) is still contested. The present study aimed to define the ovarian dynamics, including follicular waves and ovulatory follicle size, and estrus type in brown bears. Six brown bears were used for ovarian ultrasonography; four were observed between April and October (before the start and after the end of the breeding season) and two in June (breeding season). In addition, we attempted to induce ovulation by administering a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist. We observed follicular development in April in four bears, but follicles did not develop to greater than 6.0 mm in diameter until May. Thereafter, a group of follicles developed to more than 6.0 mm and grew as dominant follicles, except in one bear. After ovulation and subsequent corpus luteum (CL) formation, the follicular waves disappeared. Furthermore, in three bears treated with GnRH, follicles between 8.2 to 11.2 mm in diameter at the time of treatment ovulated and formed CLs. In two bears, follicles between 5.8 to 8.8 mm ovulated spontaneously within the observation interval. Our results suggest that brown bears may be monoestrous animals. Therefore, AI can only be performed once during the breeding season. Our results also suggest that dominant follicles larger than 8.0 mm are a suitable size for inducing ovulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiko Torii
- Laboratory of Theriogenology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | | | | | - Masashi Nagano
- Laboratory of Theriogenology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | - Seiji Katagiri
- Laboratory of Theriogenology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | - Yojiro Yanagawa
- Laboratory of Theriogenology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
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33
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García-Rodríguez A, Rigg R, Elguero-Claramunt I, Bojarska K, Krofel M, Parchizadeh J, Pataky T, Seryodkin I, Skuban M, Wabakken P, Zięba F, Zwijacz-Kozica T, Selva N. Phenology of brown bear breeding season and related geographical cues. THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2020.1801866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- A. García-Rodríguez
- Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Nature Conservation, Kraków, Poland
| | - R. Rigg
- Slovak Wildlife Society, Liptovský Hrádok, Slovakia
| | | | - K. Bojarska
- Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Nature Conservation, Kraków, Poland
| | - M. Krofel
- Department of Forestry, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - T. Pataky
- Department of Applied Zoology and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - I. Seryodkin
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Animals, Pacific Institute of Geography of Far East Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
- Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - M. Skuban
- Carpathian Wildlife Society, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - P. Wabakken
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - F. Zięba
- Tatra National Park, Zakopane, Poland
| | | | - N. Selva
- Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Nature Conservation, Kraków, Poland
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34
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Wilson AE, Michaud SA, Jackson AM, Stenhouse G, Coops NC, Janz DM. Development and validation of protein biomarkers of health in grizzly bears. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 8:coaa056. [PMID: 32607241 PMCID: PMC7311831 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Large carnivores play critical roles in the maintenance and function of natural ecosystems; however, the populations of many of these species are in decline across the globe. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel techniques that can be used as sensitive conservation tools to detect new threats to the health of individual animals well in advance of population-level effects. Our study aimed to determine the expression of proteins related to energetics, reproduction and stress in the skin of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) using a liquid chromatography and multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry assay. We hypothesized that a suite of target proteins could be measured using this technique and that the expression of these proteins would be associated with biological (sex, age, sample location on body) and environmental (geographic area, season, sample year) variables. Small skin biopsies were collected from free-ranging grizzly bears in Alberta, Canada, from 2013 to 2019 (n = 136 samples from 111 individuals). Over 700 proteins were detected in the skin of grizzly bears, 19 of which were chosen as targets because of their established roles in physiological function. Generalized linear mixed model analysis was used for each target protein. Results indicate that sample year influenced the majority of proteins, suggesting that physiological changes may be driven in part by responses to changes in the environment. Season influenced the expression of proteins related to energetics, reproduction and stress, all of which were lower during fall compared to early spring. The expression of proteins related to energetics and stress varied by geographic area, while the majority of proteins that were affected by biological attributes (age class, sex and age class by sex interaction) were related to reproduction and stress. This study provides a novel method by which scientists and managers can further assess and monitor physiological function in wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbey E Wilson
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3, Canada
| | - Sarah A Michaud
- The University of Victoria Genome BC Proteomics Centre, 4464 Markham St #3101, Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 7X8, Canada
| | - Angela M Jackson
- The University of Victoria Genome BC Proteomics Centre, 4464 Markham St #3101, Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 7X8, Canada
| | - Gordon Stenhouse
- Foothills Research Institute, Grizzly Bear Program, 1176 Switzer Drive, Hinton, Alberta T7V 1V3, Canada
| | - Nicholas C Coops
- Department of Forest Resource Management, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - David M Janz
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3, Canada
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Shimozuru M, Shirane Y, Tsuruga H, Yamanaka M, Nakanishi M, Ishinazaka T, Kasai S, Nose T, Masuda Y, Fujimoto Y, Mano T, Tsubota T. Incidence of Multiple Paternity and Inbreeding in High-Density Brown Bear Populations on the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan. J Hered 2020; 110:321-331. [PMID: 30629255 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esz002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the breeding ecology of a species is essential for the appropriate conservation and management of wildlife. In brown bears, females occasionally copulate with multiple males in one breeding season, which may lead to multiple paternity in a single litter. In contrast, inbreeding, a potential factor in the reduction of genetic diversity, may occur, particularly in threatened populations. However, few studies have reported the frequency of these phenomena in brown bear populations. Here, we investigated the incidence of multiple paternity and inbreeding in a high-density brown bear population on the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan. A total of 837 individuals collected from 1998 to 2017 were genotyped at 21 microsatellite loci, and parentage analysis was performed. Out of 70-82 litters with ≥2 offspring, 14.6-17.1% of litters were sired by multiple males. This was comparable to the rate reported in a Scandinavian population, although population density and litter size, factors that potentially affect the incidence of multiple paternity, differed between the 2 populations. Out of 222 mother-father mating pairs, 6 litters (2.7%) resulted from matings between fathers and daughters. Additionally, 1 (0.5%) and 4 (1.8%) cases of mating between maternal half-siblings and between paternal half-siblings, respectively, were observed; however, no cases of mating between mothers and sons or between full siblings were observed. Our results suggest that male-biased natal dispersal effectively limits mating between closely related individuals (aside from fathers and daughters) in brown bears.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michito Shimozuru
- The Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Department of Environmental Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Yuri Shirane
- The Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Department of Environmental Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Hifumi Tsuruga
- Hokkaido Research Organization, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | - Takane Nose
- Shiretoko Nature Foundation, Shari, Hokkaido, Japan
| | | | - Yasushi Fujimoto
- The South Shiretoko Brown Bear Information Center, Shibetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Mano
- Hokkaido Research Organization, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Toshio Tsubota
- The Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Department of Environmental Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
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Shimozuru M, Shirane Y, Jimbo M, Yamanaka M, Nakanishi M, Ishinazaka T, Kasai S, Nose T, Fujimoto Y, Tsuruga H, Mano T, Tsubota T. Male reproductive input, breeding tenure, and turnover in high-density brown bear (Ursus arctos yesoensis) populations on the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan. CAN J ZOOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2019-0061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Male reproductive behavior has not been thoroughly investigated in large, non-social mammals. We studied male reproductive input using field observations and microsatellite DNA data for the brown bear (Ursus arctos yesoensis Lydekker, 1897) population in a special wildlife protection area on the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan. We identified the father of 82 offspring born between 2006 and 2018 from 54 litters produced by 20 females and revealed that they were sired by a total of 19 males. Overall, paternity was distributed relatively evenly among different males, although litter production tended to be skewed to a few bears in some years. Male breeding tenure varied among individuals, but most tenures were within the range of 1 to 6 years. Human-caused mortality, mostly occurring near human residential areas, induced male turnover, indicating that the special wildlife protection area located in the inner part of the Shiretoko Peninsula is not free from human impact. The frequency of successful reproduction was highest in 10- to 14-year-old bears, which is consistent with the period when males reach physical maturity. These results contribute to an understanding of breeding systems in large solitary mammals and to appropriate conservation and management strategies for brown bear populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michito Shimozuru
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | - Yuri Shirane
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | - Mina Jimbo
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | - Masami Yamanaka
- Shiretoko Nature Foundation, 531 Iwaubetsu, Shari, Hokkaido 099-4356, Japan
| | - Masanao Nakanishi
- Shiretoko Nature Foundation, 531 Iwaubetsu, Shari, Hokkaido 099-4356, Japan
| | | | - Shinsuke Kasai
- Shiretoko Nature Foundation, 531 Iwaubetsu, Shari, Hokkaido 099-4356, Japan
| | - Takane Nose
- Shiretoko Nature Foundation, 531 Iwaubetsu, Shari, Hokkaido 099-4356, Japan
| | - Yasushi Fujimoto
- South Shiretoko Brown Bear Information Center, 2-1 Minami 5 Higashi 1, Shibetsu, Hokkaido 086-1655, Japan
| | - Hifumi Tsuruga
- Hokkaido Research Organization, Kita 19 Nishi 11, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Mano
- Hokkaido Research Organization, Kita 19 Nishi 11, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Toshio Tsubota
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
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Penteriani V, Zarzo-Arias A, del Mar Delgado M, Dalerum F, Gurarie E, Torre PP, Corominas TS, Vázquez VM, García PV, Ordiz A. Female brown bears use areas with infanticide risk in a spatially confined population. URSUS 2020. [DOI: 10.2192/ursus-d-18-00019r4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Penteriani
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Campus Mieres, 33600 Mieres, Spain
| | - Alejandra Zarzo-Arias
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Campus Mieres, 33600 Mieres, Spain
| | - María del Mar Delgado
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Campus Mieres, 33600 Mieres, Spain
| | - Fredrick Dalerum
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Campus Mieres, 33600 Mieres, Spain
| | - Eliezer Gurarie
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Paloma Peón Torre
- Consejería de Desarrollo Rural y Recursos Naturales, Principado de Asturias, 33005 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Teresa Sánchez Corominas
- Consejería de Desarrollo Rural y Recursos Naturales, Principado de Asturias, 33005 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Víctor M. Vázquez
- Consejería de Desarrollo Rural y Recursos Naturales, Principado de Asturias, 33005 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Pablo Vázquez García
- Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Universidad de Valencia, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Andrés Ordiz
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NO-1432 Ås, Norway
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38
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Van de Walle J, Zedrosser A, Swenson JE, Pelletier F. Trade-off between offspring mass and number: the lightest offspring bear the costs. Biol Lett 2020. [PMCID: PMC7058944 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Life-history theory predicts a trade-off between offspring size and number. However, the role of intra-litter phenotypic variation in shaping this trade-off is often disregarded. We compared the strength of the relationship between litter size and mass from the perspective of the lightest and the heaviest yearling offspring in 110 brown bear litters in Sweden. We showed that the mass of the lightest yearlings decreased with increasing litter size, but that the mass of the heaviest yearling remained stable, regardless of litter size. Consistent with a conservative reproductive strategy, our results suggest that mothers maintained a stable investment in a fraction of the litter, while transferring the costs of larger litter size to the remaining offspring. Ignoring intra-litter phenotypic variation may obscure our ability to detect a trade-off between offspring size and number.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanie Van de Walle
- Département de biologie and Centre for Northern Studies, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway, 3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jon E. Swenson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de biologie and Centre for Northern Studies, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
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39
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Proximity to humans is associated with longer maternal care in brown bears. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2764-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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40
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Furusaka S, Tochigi K, Yamazaki K, Naganuma T, Inagaki A, Koike S. Estimating the seasonal energy balance in Asian black bears and associated factors. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shino Furusaka
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
| | - Kahoko Tochigi
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
| | - Koji Yamazaki
- Tokyo University of Agriculture 1‐1‐1 Sakuragaoka Setagaya Tokyo 156‐8502 Japan
| | - Tomoko Naganuma
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
| | - Akino Inagaki
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
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41
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Ferguson SH, Yurkowski DJ, Young BG, Willing C, Zhu X, Muir DCG, Fisk AT, Thiemann GW. Do intraspecific life history patterns follow interspecific predictions? A test using latitudinal variation in ringed seals. POPUL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/1438-390x.12008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven H. Ferguson
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - David J. Yurkowski
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - Brent G. Young
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - Cornelia Willing
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
- Centre for Earth Observation Science University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - Xinhua Zhu
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research University of Windsor Windsor Ontario Canada
| | - Derek C. G. Muir
- Environment and Climate Change Canada Aquatic Contaminants Research Division Burlington Ontario Canada
| | - Aaron T. Fisk
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research University of Windsor Windsor Ontario Canada
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42
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Panasiewicz G, Lipka A, Majewska M, Bieniek-Kobuszewska M, Saveljev AP, Szafranska B. Identification of pregnancy-associated glycoprotein family (PAG) in the brown bear (Ursus arctos L.). Acta Histochem 2019; 121:240-247. [PMID: 30616842 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2018.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) are abundant embryo-originated products expressed in the pre-placental trophoblast and, later, in the post-implantational chorionic epithelium of some mammalian species. This paper describes the identification and cellular immunolocalization of the chorionic PAG family in the discoidal-type placenta of the brown bear (Ursus arctos L. - Ua), in which the PAGs were named 'UaPAG-Ls'. The study used: 1) Western blot for total placental glycoproteins; and 2) cross-species heterologous double fluorescent immunohistochemistry (IHC) for cellular immune-localization of the PAGs. This is the first study reporting the identification and immunolocalization of the UaPAG-L family in placental cells during early pregnancy in the brown bear. Our Western analysis revealed a dominant mature 72 kDa UaPAG-L isoform was expressed in all Ua placentas during early pregnancy. Various other UaPAG-L isoforms (16-66 kDa) were also identified. Using IHC, the UaPAG-L proteins were localized to trophectodermal cells (TRD), where signal intensity resembled intense TRD proliferation within developing placenta. The data increases our general knowledge of PAG proteins localized in discoidal-type placenta during early pregnancy in the brown bear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grzegorz Panasiewicz
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego Str 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn-Kortowo, Poland.
| | - Aleksandra Lipka
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Niepodleglosci Str 44, 10-045 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Marta Majewska
- Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Warszawska Str 30, 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Martyna Bieniek-Kobuszewska
- Department of Dermatology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Wojska Polskiego Str 30, 10-229 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Alexander P Saveljev
- Department of Animal Ecology, Russian Research Institute of Game Management and Fur Farming, Preobrazhenskaya Str 79, 610000 Kirov, Russian Federation
| | - Bozena Szafranska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego Str 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn-Kortowo, Poland
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43
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Hertel AG, Zedrosser A, Kindberg J, Langvall O, Swenson JE. Fluctuating mast production does not drive Scandinavian brown bear behavior. J Wildl Manage 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anne G. Hertel
- Norwegian University of Life SciencesFaculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNO‐1430 ÅsNorway
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- University of Southeast NorwayDepartment of Natural Sciences and Environmental HealthNO‐3800 BøNorway
| | - Jonas Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchNO‐7485 Trondheim and Department of Fish, Wildlife and Environmental StudiesSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUmeåSweden
| | - Ola Langvall
- Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesSE‐75007 UppsalaSweden
| | - Jon E. Swenson
- Norwegian University of Life SciencesFaculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNO‐1430 ÅsNorway
- Norway and Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchNO‐7485 TrondheimNorway
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44
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Delgado MM, Tikhonov G, Meyke E, Babushkin M, Bespalova T, Bondarchuk S, Esengeldenova A, Fedchenko I, Kalinkin Y, Knorre A, Kosenkov G, Kozsheechkin V, Kuznetsov A, Larin E, Mirsaitov D, Prokosheva I, Rozhkov Y, Rykov A, Seryodkin IV, Shubin S, Sibgatullin R, Sikkila N, Sitnikova E, Sultangareeva L, Vasin A, Yarushina L, Kurhinen J, Penteriani V. The seasonal sensitivity of brown bear denning phenology in response to climatic variability. Front Zool 2018; 15:41. [PMID: 30410564 PMCID: PMC6211405 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-018-0286-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND For brown bears (Ursus arctos), hibernation is a critical part of the annual life cycle because energy savings during hibernation can be crucial for overwintering, and females give birth to cubs at that time. For hibernation to be a useful strategy, timing is critical. However, environmental conditions vary greatly, which might have a negative effect on the functionality of the evolved biological time-keeping. Here, we used a long-term dataset (69 years) on brown bear denning phenology recorded in 12 Russian protected areas and quantified the phenological responses to variation in temperature and snow depth. Previous studies analyzing the relationship between climate and denning behavior did not consider that the brown bear response to variation in climatic factors might vary through a period preceding den entry and exit. We hypothesized that there is a seasonal sensitivity pattern of bear denning phenology in response to variation in climatic conditions, such that the effect of climatic variability will be pronounced only when it occurs close to den exit and entry dates. RESULTS We found that brown bears are most sensitive to climatic variations around the observed first den exit and last entry dates, such that an increase/decrease in temperature in the periods closer to the first den exit and last entry dates have a greater influence on the denning dates than in other periods. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that climatic factors are modulating brown bear hibernation phenology and provide a further structuring of this modulation. The sensitivity of brown bears to changes in climatic factors during hibernation might affect their ability to cope with global climate change. Therefore, understanding these processes will be essential for informed management of biodiversity in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Delgado
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University, Campus Mieres, 33600 Mieres, Spain
| | - G Tikhonov
- University of Helsinki, PO BOX 65, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - E Meyke
- EarthCape OY, Viikinkaari 6, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - M Babushkin
- Darwin Nature Biosphere Reserve, Borok, 44 p/o Ploskovo, Cherepovets District, Vologda Region Russian Federation 162723
| | - T Bespalova
- Kondinskie Lakes National Park, Komsomolski st., 5, City Sovietsky, Hanty-Mansijsk District Russian Federation 628240
| | - S Bondarchuk
- Sikhote-Alin State Nature Biosphere Reserve named after K.G. Abramov, Partizanskaya 44, Primorsky krai, Terney Russian Federation 692150
| | - A Esengeldenova
- Kondinskie Lakes National Park, Komsomolski st., 5, City Sovietsky, Hanty-Mansijsk District Russian Federation 628240
| | - I Fedchenko
- Pinezhsky State Nature Reserve, Pervomayskaya Street, 123 А, Arhangel Region, Pinezkiy District, Pinega Russian Federation 164610
| | - Y Kalinkin
- Altai State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Naberezhnyi st., 1, Gorno-Altaysk, Altai Republic Russian Federation 649000
| | - A Knorre
- State Nature Reserve Stolby, Kariernaya 26, Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Region Russian Federation 660006
| | - G Kosenkov
- Smolenskoe Poozerje National Park, Gurevitch street 19, Demidovskiy District, Przhevalskoe, Smolensk Region Russian Federation 216270
| | - V Kozsheechkin
- State Nature Reserve Stolby, Kariernaya 26, Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Region Russian Federation 660006
| | - A Kuznetsov
- Darwin Nature Biosphere Reserve, Borok, 44 p/o Ploskovo, Cherepovets District, Vologda Region Russian Federation 162723
| | - E Larin
- Visimsky Nature Biosphere Reserve, Stepana Razina, 23, Kirovgrad, Russian Federation 624140
| | - D Mirsaitov
- State Nature Reserve Malaya Sosva, Lenina str., 46, Sovetskiy, Tjumen Region Russian Federation 628242
| | - I Prokosheva
- State Nature Reserve Vishersky, Gagarina Street 36 B, Krasnovishersk, Perm Region Russian Federation 618590
| | - Y Rozhkov
- State Nature Reserve Olekminsky, Filatova 6, Olekminsk, Republic Sakha Russian Federation 678100
| | - A Rykov
- Pinezhsky State Nature Reserve, Pervomayskaya Street, 123 А, Arhangel Region, Pinezkiy District, Pinega Russian Federation 164610
| | - I V Seryodkin
- Pacific Geographical Institute, Far-Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 7 Radio Street, Vladivostok, Russian Federation 690041
- Far Eastern Federal University, 8 Sukhanova Street, Vladivostok, Russian Federation 690091
| | - S Shubin
- State Nature Reserve Nurgush, Lenina Street, 129a, Kirov, Russian Federation 610002
| | - R Sibgatullin
- Visimsky Nature Biosphere Reserve, Stepana Razina, 23, Kirovgrad, Russian Federation 624140
| | - N Sikkila
- Kostomuksha Nature Reserve, Priozernaya Street, 2, Kostomuksha, Karelia Republic Russian Federation 186930
| | - E Sitnikova
- Bryansk Forest Nature Reserve, Nerussa St., Zapovednaya Street, 2, Suzemka District, Bryansk Region Russian Federation 242180
| | - L Sultangareeva
- National Park Bashkirija, Nurgush, Abubakirova 1, Meleuzovskiy District, Bashkortostan Republic Russian Federation 453870
| | - A Vasin
- State Nature Reserve Malaya Sosva, Lenina str., 46, Sovetskiy, Tjumen Region Russian Federation 628242
| | - L Yarushina
- Darwin Nature Biosphere Reserve, Borok, 44 p/o Ploskovo, Cherepovets District, Vologda Region Russian Federation 162723
| | - J Kurhinen
- University of Helsinki, PO BOX 65, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Forest Research Institute, Karelian Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Puskinskaya Street, Petrozavodsk, Russian Federation 11
| | - V Penteriani
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University, Campus Mieres, 33600 Mieres, Spain
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE), C.S.I.C., Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
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45
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Reljic S, Jerina K, Nilsen EB, Huber D, Kusak J, Jonozovic M, Linnell JD. Challenges for transboundary management of a European brown bear population. Glob Ecol Conserv 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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46
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Penteriani V, Zarzo-Arias A, Bombieri G, Cañedo D, Díaz García J, Delgado MM, Peón Torre P, Fernández Otero M, Vázquez García P, Vázquez VM, Sánchez Corominas T. Density and reproductive characteristics of female brown bears in the Cantabrian Mountains, NW Spain. THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2018.1499826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- V. Penteriani
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE), CSIC, Zaragoza, Spain
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University, Mieres, Spain
| | - A. Zarzo-Arias
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University, Mieres, Spain
| | - G. Bombieri
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University, Mieres, Spain
| | - D. Cañedo
- Consejería de Ordenación del Territorio, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
| | - J. Díaz García
- Consejería de Ordenación del Territorio, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
| | - M. M. Delgado
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University, Mieres, Spain
| | - P. Peón Torre
- Consejería de Ordenación del Territorio, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
| | - M. Fernández Otero
- Consejería de Ordenación del Territorio, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
| | - P. Vázquez García
- Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - V. M. Vázquez
- Consejería de Ordenación del Territorio, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
- Real Instituto de Estudios Asturianos (RIDEA), Oviedo, Spain
| | - T. Sánchez Corominas
- Consejería de Ordenación del Territorio, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
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47
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Martínez Cano I, Taboada FG, Naves J, Fernández-Gil A, Wiegand T. Decline and recovery of a large carnivore: environmental change and long-term trends in an endangered brown bear population. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1832. [PMID: 27903871 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding what factors drive fluctuations in the abundance of endangered species is a difficult ecological problem but a major requirement to attain effective management and conservation success. The ecological traits of large mammals make this task even more complicated, calling for integrative approaches. We develop a framework combining individual-based modelling and statistical inference to assess alternative hypotheses on brown bear dynamics in the Cantabrian range (Iberian Peninsula). Models including the effect of environmental factors on mortality rates were able to reproduce three decades of variation in the number of females with cubs of the year (Fcoy), including the decline that put the population close to extinction in the mid-nineties, and the following increase in brown bear numbers. This external effect prevailed over density-dependent mechanisms (sexually selected infanticide and female reproductive suppression), with a major impact of climate driven changes in resource availability and a secondary role of changes in human pressure. Predicted changes in population structure revealed a nonlinear relationship between total abundance and the number of Fcoy, highlighting the risk of simple projections based on indirect abundance indices. This study demonstrates the advantages of integrative, mechanistic approaches and provides a widely applicable framework to improve our understanding of wildlife dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Martínez Cano
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio s/n, E41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Fernando González Taboada
- Dpto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo, C/Valentín Andrés Álvarez s/n, E33071 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Javier Naves
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio s/n, E41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Alberto Fernández-Gil
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio s/n, E41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
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48
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Steyaert SMJG, Leclerc M, Pelletier F, Kindberg J, Brunberg S, Swenson JE, Zedrosser A. Human shields mediate sexual conflict in a top predator. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.0906. [PMID: 27335423 PMCID: PMC4936045 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Selecting the right habitat in a risky landscape is crucial for an individual's survival and reproduction. In predator-prey systems, prey often can anticipate the habitat use of their main predator and may use protective associates (i.e. typically an apex predator) as shields against predation. Although never tested, such mechanisms should also evolve in systems in which sexual conflict affects offspring survival. Here, we assessed the relationship between offspring survival and habitat selection, as well as the use of protective associates, in a system in which sexually selected infanticide (SSI), rather than interspecific predation, affects offspring survival. We used the Scandinavian brown bear (Ursus arctos) population with SSI in a human-dominated landscape as our model system. Bears, especially adult males, generally avoid humans in our study system. We used resource selection functions to contrast habitat selection of GPS-collared mothers that were successful (i.e. surviving litters, n = 19) and unsuccessful (i.e. complete litter loss, n = 11) in keeping their young during the mating season (2005-2012). Habitat selection was indeed a predictor of litter survival. Successful mothers were more likely to use humans as protective associates, whereas unsuccessful mothers avoided humans. Our results suggest that principles of predator-prey and fear ecology theory (e.g. non-consumptive and cascading effects) can also be applied to the context of sexual conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M J G Steyaert
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, University College of Southeast Norway, 3800 Bø, Norway
| | - M Leclerc
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - F Pelletier
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - J Kindberg
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 90183 Umeå, Sweden Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - S Brunberg
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - J E Swenson
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - A Zedrosser
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, University College of Southeast Norway, 3800 Bø, Norway Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180 Vienna, Austria
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49
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Kozakai C, Nemoto Y, Nakajima A, Koike S, Ohnishi N, Yamazaki K. Influence of Food Availability on Matrilineal Site Fidelity of Female Asian Black Bears. MAMMAL STUDY 2017. [DOI: 10.3106/041.042.0404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chinatsu Kozakai
- Central Region Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yui Nemoto
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ami Nakajima
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naoki Ohnishi
- Tohoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Morioka, Iwate, Japan
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50
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Frank SC, Leclerc M, Pelletier F, Rosell F, Swenson JE, Bischof R, Kindberg J, Eiken HG, Hagen SB, Zedrosser A. Sociodemographic factors modulate the spatial response of brown bears to vacancies created by hunting. J Anim Ecol 2017; 87:247-258. [PMID: 28994099 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
There is a growing recognition of the importance of indirect effects from hunting on wildlife populations, e.g. social and behavioural changes due to harvest, which occur after the initial offtake. Nonetheless, little is known about how the removal of members of a population influences the spatial configuration of the survivors. We studied how surviving brown bears (Ursus arctos) used former home ranges that had belonged to casualties of the annual bear hunting season in southcentral Sweden (2007-2015). We used resource selection functions to explore the effects of the casualty's and survivor's sex, age and their pairwise genetic relatedness, population density and hunting intensity on survivors' spatial responses to vacated home ranges. We tested the competitive release hypothesis, whereby survivors that increase their use of a killed bear's home range are presumed to have been released from intraspecific competition. We found strong support for this hypothesis, as survivors of the same sex as the casualty consistently increased their use of its vacant home range. Patterns were less pronounced or absent when the survivor and casualty were of opposite sex. Genetic relatedness between the survivor and the casualty emerged as the most important factor explaining increased use of vacated male home ranges by males, with a stronger response from survivors of lower relatedness. Relatedness was also important for females, but it did not influence use following removal; female survivors used home ranges of higher related female casualties more, both before and after death. Spatial responses by survivors were further influenced by bear age, population density and hunting intensity. We have shown that survivors exhibit a spatial response to vacated home ranges caused by hunting casualties, even in nonterritorial species such as the brown bear. This spatial reorganization can have unintended consequences for population dynamics and interfere with management goals. Altogether, our results underscore the need to better understand the short- and long-term indirect effects of hunting on animal social structure and their resulting distribution in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane C Frank
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences, and Maritime Sciences, University College of Southeast Norway, Telemark, Norway
| | - Martin Leclerc
- Département de Biologie, Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Demography and Conservation, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de Biologie, Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Demography and Conservation, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Frank Rosell
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences, and Maritime Sciences, University College of Southeast Norway, Telemark, Norway
| | - Jon E Swenson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.,Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Richard Bischof
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Jonas Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Hans Geir Eiken
- Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Svanhovd, Norway
| | - Snorre B Hagen
- Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Svanhovd, Norway
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences, and Maritime Sciences, University College of Southeast Norway, Telemark, Norway.,Department of Integrative Biology, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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