Habitat suitability and connectivity for the brown bear (Ursus arctos) along the Iran-Iraq border

In the heavily managed boreal forest of Scandinavia, ants, especially large colonies of red forest ants (Formica spp.), are abundant and brown bears (Ursus arctos) intensively feed on them. In contrast, the beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests of Slovenia provide only suboptimal habitat for ants and large ant colonies are virtually absent. To quantify how much ant use by brown bears is a matter of availability or preference, we quantified ant availability, species composition, and ant use. The estimated biomass of ants available to brown bears was very low in Slovenia compared with those in Sweden, averaging 135 vs. 9600 g/ha, respectively. Nevertheless, the frequency of occurrence of ants in Slovenian brown bear scats was high, averaging 85% and accounting for 25% of the ingested dry mass during the summer, which was nearly as much as their frequency of occurrence in Swedish brown bear scats during the summer. Although brown bears in Slovenia had year-round access to artificial feeding sites and the availability of ants is only about 1% of the biomass found in Sweden, they consumed about 50% of the quantity of ants compared with the brown bears in Sweden. Our results show that ants are an important and sought-after food source for brown bears in Slovenia, and the occurrence of ants should be considered in habitat-suitability models.

Download Full-text

Identifying key denning habitat to conserve brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Croatia

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr16164 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (4) ◽

pp. 309 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A. Whiteman ◽

G. Passoni ◽

J. M. Rowcliffe ◽

D. Ugarković ◽

J. Kusak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Suitability ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Brown Bear ◽

Structural Elements ◽

Rugged Terrain ◽

Anthropogenic Habitat ◽

Management Plans ◽

Core Areas ◽

Site Disturbance ◽

Habitat Variables

Context The preservation of denning habitat is paramount to the recovery of threatened bear populations because of the effect that den site disturbance can have on cub mortality. Understanding habitat suitability for denning can allow management efforts to be directed towards the regions where conservation interventions would be most effective. Aim We sought to identify the environmental and anthropogenic habitat variables associated with the presence of Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos) den sites in Croatia. Based on these associations, in order to inform future conservation decisions, we also sought to identify regions of high suitability for denning across Croatia. Methods Using the locations of 91 dens inhabited by bears between 1982 and 2011, we opted for the presence-only modelling option in software Maxent to determine the most important predictors of den presence, and thus predict the distribution of high-value denning habitat across Croatia. Key results We found that structural elements were the most important predictors, with ruggedness and elevation both relating positively to den presence. However, distance to nearest settlement was also positively associated with den presence. Conclusion We determine that there is considerable denning habitat value in areas with high and rugged terrain as well as areas with limited human activity. We suspect that high and rugged terrain contains a greater concentration of the karstic formations used for denning than lower-lying regions. Implications Our study presents the first habitat suitability model for brown bears in Croatia, and identifies core areas suitable for denning both within and outside the species’ current range. As such, it provides useful evidence for conservation decision making and the development of scientifically-based management plans. Our results also support the need for finer spatial scale studies that can reveal specific denning preferences of subpopulations.

Download Full-text

GENETIC DIVERSITY OF MARGINAL POPULATIONS OF TWO BEARS SPECIES: BROWN BEAR URSUS ARCTOS LINNAEUS, 1758 AND ASIAN BLACK BEAR URSUS THIBETANUS G. CUVIER, 1823

MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS ◽

10.30826/molphy2018-20 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

V. YU. GUSKOV ◽

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Brown Bear ◽

Black Bear ◽

Marginal Populations ◽

Ursus Thibetanus

Download Full-text

Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) Habitat Use and Food Resources on Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska

10.21236/ada480156 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Sean D. Farley ◽

Herman Griese ◽

Rick Sinnott ◽

Jessica Coltrane ◽

Chris Garner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Air Force ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Brown Bear ◽

Food Resources ◽

Air Force Base

Download Full-text

Using Landscape Change Analysis and Stakeholder Perspective to Identify Driving Forces of Human–Wildlife Interactions

Land ◽

10.3390/land10020146 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 146

Author(s):

Mihai Mustățea ◽

Ileana Pătru-Stupariu

Keyword(s):

Landscape Change ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Brown Bear ◽

Mountain Range ◽

Change Analysis ◽

Local Stakeholders ◽

Stakeholder Perspective ◽

Forested Ecosystems ◽

Forest Habitats

Human–wildlife interactions (HWI) were frequent in the post-socialist period in the mountain range of Central European countries where forest habitats suffered transitions into built-up areas. Such is the case of the Upper Prahova Valley from Romania. In our study, we hypothesized that the increasing number of HWI after 1990 could be a potential consequence of woodland loss. The goal of our study was to analyse the effects of landscape changes on HWI. The study consists of the next steps: (i) applying 450 questionnaires to local stakeholders (both citizens and tourists) in order to collect data regarding HWI temporal occurrences and potential triggering factors; (ii) investigating the relation between the two variables through the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA); (iii) modelling the landscape spatial changes between 1990 and 2018 for identifying areas with forest loss; (iv) overlapping the distribution of both the households affected by HWI and areas with loss of forested ecosystems. The local stakeholders indicate that the problematic species are the brown bear (Ursus arctos), the wild boar (Sus scrofa), the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the grey wolf (Canis lupus). The number of animal–human interactions recorded an upward trend between 1990 and 2018, and the most significant driving factors were the regulation of hunting practices, the loss of habitats, and artificial feeding. The landscape change analysis reveals that between 1990 and 2018, the forest habitats were replaced by built-up areas primarily on the outskirts of settlements, these areas coinciding with frequent HWI. The results are valid for both forest ecosystems conservation in the region, wildlife management, and human infrastructures durable spatial planning.

Download Full-text