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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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Penteriani V, Etchart L, González-Bernardo E, Hartasánchez A, Falcinelli D, Ruiz‑Villar H, Morales‑González A, Delgado MDM. Sex-, age-, and time-specific visual communication in brown bears. J Mammal 2023; 104:279-291. [PMID: 37032703 PMCID: PMC10075341 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyac126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Intraspecific communication in mammals is well-documented but generally restricted to chemical and acoustic signaling. However, other overlooked channels, such as visual signaling, may be used to communicate among conspecifics. Here, by using experimental manipulations together with camera traps on 13 brown bear (Ursus arctos) rubbing trees in the Cantabrian Mountains (northwestern Spain), we document detailed temporal patterns and behavioral aspects of a recently discovered novel communication channel for this species, visual signaling through the trunk debarking of focal trees. Video footage showed that visual marking is a sex-, age-, and time-specific means of communication in brown bears, being performed exclusively by adult males during the mating season (mainly April–June in the study area). Trunk debarking was always associated with chemical marking and was never an isolated behavior, suggesting that visual and chemical signals might be complementary. Visual and chemical marks may provide different information; for example, visual marks could be an indicator of individual size and, thus, the dominance status of adult males looking for mating opportunities. This is the first time that evidence is provided showing that visual signaling in a large carnivore is exclusive to a specific class of individuals (adult males) and linked to reproductive needs only. Bear visual signaling not only represents an advance in our comprehension of animal communication but may also serve to easily locate the mating areas of mammals, which are crucial for large carnivore species, such as the brown bear, that frequently need specific and urgent plans for conservation and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Penteriani
- National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) , c/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid , Spain
| | - Léa Etchart
- UMR 6249 Chrono-environnement, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté , 16 route de Gray, 25000 Besançon , France
| | - Enrique González-Bernardo
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Granada, Facultad de Ciencias , Avda. Fuente Nueva S/N, E-18071 Granada , Spain
| | - Alfonso Hartasánchez
- FAPAS Fondo para la Protección de los Animales Salvajes , Ctra. AS-228, km 8,9 – Tuñón, 33115 Santo Adriano, Asturias , Spain
| | - Daniele Falcinelli
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome , 00185 Rome , Italy
| | - Héctor Ruiz‑Villar
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB, CSIC-Oviedo University-Principality of Asturias), 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 Seville , Spain
| | - María del Mar Delgado
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB, CSIC-Oviedo University-Principality of Asturias), Mieres Campus , 33600 Mieres , Spain
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Penteriani V, Hartasánchez A, García JD, Magadan Ruitiña JR, Mar Delgado MD. Brown bear body patches are temporally stable and represent a unique individual visual signature. URSUS 2023. [DOI: 10.2192/ursus-d-22-00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Penteriani
- National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), c/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfonso Hartasánchez
- FAPAS Fondo para la Protección de los Animales Salvajes, Ctra. AS-228, km 8.9 – Tuñón, 33115 Santo Adriano, Asturias, Spain
| | - Juan Díaz García
- Consejería de Ordenación del Territorio, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Principado de Asturias, 33000 Oviedo, Spain
| | - José Ramón Magadan Ruitiña
- FAPAS Fondo para la Protección de los Animales Salvajes, Ctra. AS-228, km 8.9 – Tuñón, 33115 Santo Adriano, Asturias, Spain
| | - María del Mar Delgado
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB, CSIC-UO-PA), Mieres Campus, 33600 Mieres, Spain
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Blaise A, Kiewra D, Chrząścik K, Selva N, Popiołek M, Sergiel A. Anti‐parasitic function of tree‐rubbing behaviour in brown bears suggested by an
in vitro
test on a generalist ectoparasite. J Zool (1987) 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Blaise
- Faculty of Life Sciences University of Strasbourg Strasbourg France
| | - D. Kiewra
- Department of Microbial Ecology and Acaroentomology, Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Wroclaw Wroclaw Poland
| | - K. Chrząścik
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow Poland
| | - N. Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow Poland
| | - M. Popiołek
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Wroclaw Wroclaw Poland
| | - A. Sergiel
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow Poland
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Bowersock NR, Okada H, Litt AR, Gunther KA, van Manen FT. Rub tree use and selection by American black bears and grizzly bears in northern Yellowstone National Park. URSUS 2022. [DOI: 10.2192/ursus-d-21-00009.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel R. Bowersock
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173460, Bozeman, MT 59717-3460, USA
| | - Hitomi Okada
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173460, Bozeman, MT 59717-3460, USA
| | - Andrea R. Litt
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173460, Bozeman, MT 59717-3460, USA
| | - Kerry A. Gunther
- Bear Management Office, Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, USA
| | - Frank T. van Manen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, 2327 University Way, Suite 2, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA
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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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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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