scholarly journals Population genetics of the main population of brown bears in southwest Asia

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hüseyin Ambarlı ◽  
Deniz Mengüllüoğlu ◽  
Jörns Fickel ◽  
Daniel W. Förster
Keyword(s):  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Habitat Alterations ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Lesser Caucasus

Genetic studies of the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos) have so far focused on populations from Europe and North America, although the largest distribution area of brown bears is in Asia. In this study, we reveal population genetic parameters for the brown bear population inhabiting the Grand Kaçkar Mountains (GKM) in the north east of Turkey, western Lesser Caucasus. Using both hair (N = 147) and tissue samples (N = 7) collected between 2008 and 2014, we found substantial levels of genetic variation (10 microsatellite loci). Bear samples (hair) taken from rubbing trees worked better for genotyping than those from power poles, regardless of the year collected. Genotyping also revealed that bears moved between habitat patches, despite ongoing massive habitat alterations and the creation of large water reservoirs. This population has the potential to serve as a genetic reserve for future reintroductions in the Middle East. Due to the importance of the GKM population for on-going and future conservation actions, the impacts of habitat alterations in the region ought to be minimized; e.g., by establishing green bridges or corridors over reservoirs and major roads to maintain habitat connectivity and gene flow among populations in the Lesser Caucasus.

scholarly journals The smell of success: Reproductive success related to rub behavior in brown bears

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247964
Author(s):  
Andrea T. Morehouse ◽  
Anne E. Loosen ◽  
Tabitha A. Graves ◽  
Mark S. Boyce
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Parentage Analysis ◽  
Fitness Component ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Rubbing Behavior ◽  
Insight Into

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.

scholarly journals Heart rate during hyperphagia differs between two bear species

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 20180681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Fuchs ◽  
Koji Yamazaki ◽  
Alina L. Evans ◽  
Toshio Tsubota ◽  
Shinsuke Koike ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Generalized Additive Mixed Models ◽  
Additive Mixed Models ◽  
Increased Activity

Hyperphagia is a critical part of the yearly cycle of bears when they gain fat reserves before entering hibernation. We used heart rate as a proxy to compare the metabolic rate between the Asian black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ) in Japan and the Eurasian brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) in Sweden from summer into hibernation. In the hyperphagic period, black bears feed on fat- and carbohydrate-rich hard masts whereas brown bears feed on sugar-rich berries. Availability of hard masts has quantitative and spatial annual fluctuations, which might require increased activity and result in intraspecific stress. Using generalized additive mixed models we analysed the differences in heart rate between the two species. Black bears had decreased heart rates during summer but had doubled heart rate values throughout the hyperphagic period compared to brown bears. This letter illustrates the different physiological consequences of seasonal differences in food availability in two species of the same genus dealing with the same phenological challenge.

scholarly journals Use of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) by Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) in an Arctic, interior, montane environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew S. Sorum ◽  
Kyle Joly ◽  
Matthew D. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Brooks Range ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Arctic Circle ◽  
Aerial Surveys

Salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) is a key dietary item for temperate coastal Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) across much of their circumpolar range. Brown Bears living in Arctic, interior, and montane environments without large annual runs of salmon tend to be smaller bodied and occur at much lower densities than coastal populations. We conducted ground and aerial surveys to assess whether Brown Bears fished for salmon above the Arctic Circle, in and around Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Here, we document the use of salmon by interior Brown Bears in the Arctic mountains of the central Brooks Range of Alaska. We believe our findings could be important for understanding the breadth of the species’ diet across major biomes, as well as visitor safety in the park and Brown Bear conservation in the region.

Brown bear habitat selection in relation to anthropogenic structures in the Bieszczady Mountains, Poland

Biologia ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Witold Frąckowiak ◽  
Jörn Theuerkauf ◽  
Bartosz Pirga ◽  
Roman Gula
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Human Settlements ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Anthropogenic Structures ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractIn Europe, brown bear Ursus arctos habitats frequently overlap with human settlements and infrastructure. We tested whether anthropogenic structures played an important role in habitat selection by brown bears in the Bieszczady Mountains, Poland. We analysed 668 signs of brown bear presence recorded during 6 counts along 246 km of transects (total 1,476 km) in spring, summer and autumn of 1993 and 1994. Habitat selection of bears was more related to habitat and altitude than to human factors. Avoidance of roads, settlements and forest clearings influenced habitat selection by brown bears in spring but less in summer and autumn.

scholarly journals STAGES OF MINERALIZATION AND LOCALIZATION FACTORS OF THE AGYURT GOLD-COPPER-MOLYBDENUM DEPOSIT (LESSER CAUCASUS, AZERBAIJAN)

2020 ◽  
pp. 96-101
Author(s):  
U. Kerimli
Keyword(s):  
Decisive Role ◽  
Texture Features ◽  
North West ◽  
Gold Telluride ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Molybdenum Deposit ◽  
Tectonic Zones ◽  
Lesser Caucasus ◽  
Mo Content

The article considers the stages of mineralization of the Agyurt gold-copper-molybdenum deposit of the Lesser Caucasus. The following mineralization stages were established at the field: 1) quartz-molybdenum; 2) quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite with gold; 3) quartz-carbonate-sphalerite; 4) quartz-carbonate. Gold ore bodies are mainly composed of aggregates of the second stage of mineralization, which is productive. Its mineral substance is represented by three paragenetic associations: 1) quartz-pyrite; 2) calcite-chalcopyrite-marcasite; 3) gold-telluride-bismuth. Chemical analyzes of pyrites, bismuthin, tellurium bismuthite are given. It has been found that native gold is found in the form of small, simple forms of gold in grains of early pyrite. In veins of chalcopyrite and grains of pyrite, it is usually confined to the marginal parts. The largest amount of gold is in close intergrowth with tellurium-bismuth minerals. It was found that the ore deposition environment (mineral composition, chemistry and structural and texture features of the host rocks) played a decisive role for various types of mineralization. It is established that, in the plan, the Agyurt deposit is localized in the contour of a rock block elongated in the northwest (submeridional) direction, bounded by tectonic zones from the north-north-west and north-east, which also bear a certain imprint of the formation of the structural plan of the ore field with near latitudinal strike of tectonic elements. These structures are most tectonically prepared for the localization of gold-copper-molybdenum mineralization (updated in the pre-ore stages and most permeable for hydrothermal structures), and were the main ore-supplying and ore-locating structural elements. The ore zones represented by hydrothermal-metasomatic formations, as well as quartz veins piercing them and numerous veinlets and sometimes mineralized dykes, are controlled by the Main Ordubad longitudinal (280°∠70–80°NE) and Agyurt-Misdag transverse (40–50°∠70° NE) with discontinuous violations and adjoin the hanging side (northeast flank) of the first. The combination of structural and petrogenetic factors not only predetermined the formation of deposits of the Agyurt type, but also determined the horizontal and vertical zonation of mineralization: an increase in the Mo content and a decrease in Cu with depth are established. The same pattern is observed in the horizontal direction: as you move away from the intrusive massif and the ore-removing channel, there is a transition from Cu-Mo-mineralization to copper and then polymetallic, i.e. the role of Cu increases, then Pb and Zn. The horizontal zoning in Agyurt is expressed in an increase in Au content and the total amount of sulfides with distance from the Main Ordubad Fault, and vertical shows an increase in Au content and decreases in Ag with depth.

scholarly journals Catalan ethnoflora: a meta-analytic approach to life forms and geographic territories

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Airy Gras ◽  
Montse Parada ◽  
Joan Vallès ◽  
Teresa Garnatje
Keyword(s):  
Global Analysis ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
New Approach ◽  
North East ◽  
Plant Life Forms ◽  
The North ◽  
Plant Life ◽  
Large Distribution

Abstract Background Catalonia (in the north east of the Iberian Peninsula) is among the most prospected territories in Europe, from the ethnobotanical point of view. The aim of the present paper is to undertake a global analysis in the area considered, including plants, plant life forms, and ethnobotanical data within a physiographic and geographic framework. Methods Data from 21 ethnobotanical prospection areas in Catalonia were collected, analyzed, and compared, with the focus on plant life forms and geographic divisions. Results A total of 824 taxa constitute the Catalan ethnoflora, and 316 of them are shared by the six physiographic zones recognized in Catalonia. When three major geographic areas are considered (Pyrenean, inland, and littoral), 394 taxa have been reported in only one out of the three areas. Concerning life forms, phanerophytes and chamaephytes together, i.e., those taxa present all through the year, are the most cited (37.12%). Conclusions This first study constitutes a new approach to ethnobotanical data analysis. The results show the particular importance of plants with a large distribution area and plants with available biomass throughout the year. Apart from this, other kind of plants, e.g., those present in only one territory, are of interest for its originality and sometimes for the local significance.

242 EFFECT OF SPERMATOZOA HEAD MORPHOMETRIC DIMENSIONS ON FREEZABILITY IN BROWN BEAR (URSUS ARCTOS)

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Anel ◽  
V. Garcia-Macias ◽  
F. Martinez-Pastor ◽  
M. Alvarez ◽  
S. Borragan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Present Report ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
High Variability ◽  
Wilcoxon Test ◽  
Head Size ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Recovery Rates ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B

Having recently observed that survival of red deer spermatozoa after cryopreservation seemed to reflect the size of sperm heads, we hypothesized that cryoresistance of brown bear spermatozoa might also be dependent on head size, since in a preliminary study we had also observed significant differences in sperm head sizes among male brown bears (median values for area 22.2 �m2, perimeter 18.2, length 6.1 and width 4.4 �m). In the present report, we analyzed the post-thaw survival of spermatozoa of 6 brown bears that were assigned to 2 groups (3 bears/group) based on sperm size: Group A with large-size sperm heads; Group B with small-size heads. Ejaculates were obtained by electroejaculation of adult brown bears (semi-free ranging in Cabarceno Park, Cantabria, Spain) under general anesthesia (7 mg kg-1 tiletamine + zolazepan and 2 mg kg-1 ketamine). Semen was diluted (Tes-Tris-fructose, 8% glycerol, 20% egg yolk, EDTA, and Equex paste), loaded in 0.25-mL straws, and frozen in a biofreezer at 20�C min-1 to -100�C. After storage in liquid nitrogen, samples were thawed in water at 65�C for 6 s and survival was measured. Sperm motility (TM: total, and PM: progressive; %) was assessed microscopically, and sperm viability, acrosome integrity (PI/PNA-FITC), and mitochondrial status (JC-1) were assayed for fresh and thawed sperm by flow cytometry. Recovery rates (RR: thawed/fresh � 100) were calculated for all parameters. For measurement of head size, fresh sperm samples were fixed in glutaraldehyde and slides were air-dried for 2 h. The samples were then stained with Diff-Quik� staining at 37�C. The area (Ar), perimeter (P), length (L), and width (W) of the heads of >100 spermatozoa per slide were measured (Sperm Class Analyzer�; Microptic S.L., Barcelona, Spain). Data were analyzed with the SAS ver8 system, and the Wilcoxon test was applied. The respective morphometric dimensions of the 2 groups were practically identical (Ar = 22; P = 18; L = 6; W = 4). The post-thaw recovery rates of spermatozoa from Group A were: TM: 60.1 � 29.3; PM: 54.8 � 36.0; viability: 99.4 � 8.0; acrosomes: 96.2 � 3.1; mitochondria: 70.9 � 15.5. The recovery rates for Group B were: TM: 78.7 � 13.8; PM: 69.0 � 18.8; viability: 93.8 � 5.2; acrosomes: 98.2 � 9.8; mitochondria: 72.5 � 22.5. Because of the high variability of recovery rates between males within each group, there were no statistical differences between the 2 groups. The absence of differences can be explained by the small number of males examined and the high variability between them. More studies are necessary to determine whether large sperm cells of brown bears are more susceptible to damage during cryopreservation. This work was supported in part by CANTUR S.A. and CICYT (CGL 2004-0278/BOS).

Remote observation of animals by camera traps (example of the Vishersky reserve)

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-47
Author(s):  
S.V. Zimin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Observation Point ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Western Slope ◽  
The North ◽  
Remote Observation

In 2016-2020 in the FSBI «State Reserve «Vishersky» (Perm Territory, Russia), observations of game animals were carried out, including the brown bear – Ursus arctos, the elk - Alces alces, the wild reindeer – Rangifer tarandus using camera traps. Camera traps of following models were user Keep Guard CK 076 HD Boskon Guard BG 520 Suntek (Owl 120), Scoutguard SG 562-BW (Boly Guard), Scoutguard SG - 2060-k, Bushnell Natureview Cam HD Essential mainly on animal paths. The total number of camera s was 4097 traps/day. On the basis of the results of remote sensing, the indices of the abundance of species were calculated, the seasonal and daily activity of animals was assessed, and the features of their behavior were revealed. According to the camera traps, the population density of brown bear does not correspond to the indicator for the optimal habitats of this species [8]. The western slope of the North Ural taiga in general and for the Upper Visher population of brown bears in particular such low this density is probably optimal. In total, 227 photolocations were obtained, of which 11 species of mammals and 2 spesies of grouse birds were recorded. The most frequently recorded species is the elk. It has been confirmed that with the formation of a deep snow cover, it leaves the protected area, whist was noted in the second half of the 19 th century [5]. Information on the age and sex composition of the moose group was obtained. The sex ratio was 1.8 in favor of males. Brown bear and elk are most active during daylight hours. To determine the indicator of the abundance of animal throughout the reserve additional data from camera traps installed in the main biotopes of the protected area required. At the same time, a network of camera traps is desirable following the example of the Central Forest Reserve [6] of the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve and the Land of the Leopard National Park [11] with a network size of 5x5 km, where at least one observation point should be located.

scholarly journals The Genome of the North American Brown Bear or Grizzly: Ursus arctos ssp. horribilis

Genes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Taylor ◽  
Heather Kirk ◽  
Lauren Coombe ◽  
Shaun D. Jackman ◽  
Justin Chu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Close Relative ◽  
Grizzly Bear ◽  
Construction Technique ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Automated Annotation ◽  
The North ◽  
Long Read ◽  
Reference Quality

The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos ssp. horribilis) represents the largest population of brown bears in North America. Its genome was sequenced using a microfluidic partitioning library construction technique, and these data were supplemented with sequencing from a nanopore-based long read platform. The final assembly was 2.33 Gb with a scaffold N50 of 36.7 Mb, and the genome is of comparable size to that of its close relative the polar bear (2.30 Gb). An analysis using 4104 highly conserved mammalian genes indicated that 96.1% were found to be complete within the assembly. An automated annotation of the genome identified 19,848 protein coding genes. Our study shows that the combination of the two sequencing modalities that we used is sufficient for the construction of highly contiguous reference quality mammalian genomes. The assembled genome sequence and the supporting raw sequence reads are available from the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) under the bioproject identifier PRJNA493656, and the assembly described in this paper is version QXTK01000000.

scholarly journals Brown bear den characteristics and selection in eastern Transylvania, Romania

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 1177-1188
Author(s):  
Ulysse Faure ◽  
Csaba Domokos ◽  
Agathe Leriche ◽  
Bogdan Cristescu
Keyword(s):  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Maximum Entropy Modeling ◽  
Open Ground

Abstract Dens are important for species that need to survive and reproduce during harsh winters. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Romania, listed by the European Union as a population of concern, use dens for several months each year. To date, few quantitative assessments of denning habitat have been carried out for this population or others in Europe. In 2008–2013 and 2015–2017, we used local knowledge and telemetry data from brown bears fitted with GPS collars to identify 115 winter dens and eight open ground nests used by bears in eastern Transylvania, Romania. We located most dens in mountainous areas (64%) and fewer in foothills (36%). Den entrances in mountainous areas were significantly narrower than entrances in foothills, likely due to the need for reduced thermal loss during more severe winters at higher elevations. We selected seven habitat characteristics (abiotic and biotic) and human-related covariates associated with known locations of dens and open nests to identify potential brown bear denning habitat using maximum entropy modeling. We found that terrain ruggedness was the single most important factor when predicting bear denning habitat. The habitat map derived from this study can be used in the future to safeguard bear denning areas from potential human disturbances.

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