U. 1994. Pollination biology, mating system, and seedset in a Danish population of Su.r(frugu grunulutu -Nod-. J. Bot.-14! 257-268. ISSN 0107-055X.Saxifraga grunulutu is able to reproduce both sexually and vegetatively. In an earlier report from Denmark, seed set was said to be low, the species reproducing mainly vegetatively by means of bulbils. Furthermore, investigations in northern England have shown inbreeding depression in gynodioecious S. grunulatu populations. The present study, however, demonstrates that S. grunuluta is fully self-compatible in Denmark; seed set per flower in hand-selfings was on average 70%. compared to ca. 80% in control plants. Nevertheless, despite high seed set, reproduction by bulbils is probably the most important mode of reproduction. Saxifraga grunulutu has typically opportunistic flowers which are white, UV-neutral compared to the background reflexion, and offering only a small standing crop of nectar. Optical attraction by the massive flowering over a relatively short period is regarded as a way of overcoming competition from co-occurring, simultaneously flowering species. Suxijirugu grunulutu flowers received visits from at least 27 different insects species. Based on number of recorded flower visits, records on foraging time, and investigations of body surface pollen loads, Rhumphomyiu sulcutu (Empididae), Cheilosiu spp. (Syrphidae). Polyblephuris opucu (Empididae), and Hulictus spp. (s. 1.) (Halictidae) were found to be the most important pollen vectors in the S. grunulutu population.

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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Background The movement extent of mammals is influenced by human-modified areas, which can affect population demographics. Understanding how human infrastructure influences movement at different life stages is important for wildlife management. This is true especially for large carnivores, due to their substantial space requirements and potential for conflict with humans. Methods We investigated human impact on movement and habitat selection by GPS-collared male brown bears (Ursus arctos) in two life stages (residents and dispersers) in central Sweden. We identified dispersers visually based on their GPS locations and used hidden Markov models to delineate dispersal events. We used integrated step selection analysis (iSSA) to infer movement and habitat selection at a local scale (availability defined by hourly relocations), and resource selection functions (RSFs) to infer habitat selection at a landscape scale (availability defined by the study area extent). Results Movement of residents on a local scale was facilitated by small forestry roads as they moved faster and selected areas closer to forestry roads, and they avoided areas closer to larger public roads and buildings on both scales. Dispersers were more ambivalent in their response to human infrastructure. Dispersers increased their speed closer to small forestry roads and larger public roads, did not exhibit selection for or against any road class, and avoided areas closer to buildings only at local scale. Dispersers did not select for any features on the landscape, which is likely explained by the novelty of the landscape or their naivety towards it. Conclusion Our results show that movement in male brown bears is life stage-dependent and indicate that connectivity maps derived from movement data of dispersing animals may provide more numerous and more realistic pathways than those derived from resident animal data alone. This suggests that data from dispersing animals provide more realistic models for reconnecting populations and maintaining connectivity than if data were derived from resident animals alone.

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