Contrasting Activity Patterns of Sympatric and Allopatric Black and Grizzly Bears

Schwartz, Charles C.; Cain, Steven L.; Podruzny, Shannon; Cherry, Steve; Frattaroli, Leslie

doi:10.2193/2009-571

Cited by 105 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…One explanation is that the reduced HRs exhibited by females were a result of reduced activity in response to human activities. Bears have been observed to limit diurnal foraging activity to avoid competitors (Schwartz et al 2010) or in response to human presence (Ayres et al 1986, Baruch-Mordo et al 2014. Alternatively, what we observed may have been complicated by road crossing.…”

Section: Human Disturbance Effectsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Behavioral and physiological responses of American black bears to landscape features within an agricultural region

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Human activities and variation in habitat quality and configuration have been shown to influence space use patterns in many species, but few studies have documented the physiological responses of free-ranging animals to these factors. We combined remote biologger technology, capturing continuous heart rate values, with locational data from GPS collars to investigate the behavioral and physiological reactions of American black bears (Ursus americanus) to a landscape dominated by agriculture (52.5% areal cover). Our study occurred at the edge of the range of this species, with small, scattered patches of forest within a mosaic of crop fields and an extensive road network. However, only ;2-4% of the area contained crops that bears consumed (corn, sunflowers, oats). We used GPS locations to identify the habitat that bears occupied, and to estimate their rates of travel. Heart rates increased with movement rates, rising by over 30% from resting rate to their fastest travel speeds. We used a modeling approach to distinguish among factors that influenced heart rates independent of movement rates. Bears commonly crossed agricultural areas that provided no food or cover and their heart rates, elevated beyond what was expected from their movement rate, were indicative of a stress response. However, when bears entered agricultural areas composed of edible crops, many individuals showed reduced movement and slower heart rates, suggesting that bears foraging there felt at ease or crops allow bears to more easily forage due to their dense spatial arrangements. Unexpectedly, female bears elicited lower heart rates and lower levels of activity in the most fragmented patches of natural habitat, possibly a sign of humanavoidance behavior or a reaction related to crossing roads. During fall, as bears prepared for hibernation, their heart rates declined two weeks before their movements slackened, evidence that metabolism slowed to enhance fat accumulation; they also shifted to a nocturnal activity pattern, likely to reduce exertion during the heat of the day. The use of a physiological monitor provided new insights on bear biology and ecology that would not have otherwise been apparent.

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Section: Human Disturbance Effectsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Behavioral and physiological responses of American black bears to landscape features within an agricultural region

et al. 2015

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“…We chose 1-h time units because these were our most finescaled temporal data and hourly readings were possible after 2004 using improved collars that allowed a collar to last 1.5 years at an hourly fix rate during the non-denning period. We only measured movements outside the denning period because previous research has shown that Grizzly Bear movements are reduced before den entry (nelson et al 1983;Friebe et al 2001;Manchi and Swenson 2005) and immediately after den exit (Craighead and Craighead 1972;nelson et al 1983;Schwartz et al 2010). to exclude the denning period, we removed data locations within 500 m of known den sites and within an average of 7 days of den entry and exit dates (see below).…”

Section: Movement Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home range, movements, and denning chronology of the Grizzly Bear (<em>Ursus arctos</em>) in west-central Alberta

Graham

Stenhouse

2014

Can Field Nat

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. 2014. Home range, movements, and denning chronology of the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) in west-central Alberta. Canadian Field-naturalist 128(3): 223-234.An understanding of the natural history of the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) is important for recovery planning. We present data on home range size, movements and denning chronology collected using Global Positioning System (GPS) collars on Grizzly Bears in west-central Alberta. Mean annual kernel estimates for adult (1034 ± 656 (SD) km 2 ) and subadult (1298 ± 1207 km 2 ) males were larger than those for females with cubs of the year (213 ± 212 km 2 ) and lone adult females (337 ± 176 km 2 ) but not different from sub-adult females, females with yearlings, or females with ≥ 2-yr old cubs (P > 0.05). Mean rates of movement among female age-reproductive classes were different from each other (Z 9 < 2.70, P > 0.05) but not different from sub-adult males (Z 9 < 2.70, P > 0.05). Rates of movement of adult males were significantly different only from those of females with cubs of the year (Z 9 = 3.94, P = 0.001). the greatest amount of movement occurred in June and the least in october. Bears traveled fastest in the morning and evening and slowest at night. Pregnant females had the longest denning period (175 days, ± 16 days SD). no difference was detected in denning duration among the remaining five age-sex-reproductive classes (P > 0.05). GPS collars provided large location datasets from which accurate home range estimates, hourly movement rates, and precise denning dates were determined. examining similarities and differences in the basic biology of Grizzly Bears from various locations will improve our understanding of the plasticity of this species and the potential impacts of habitat and climate change.

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“…The risks to non-target animals from wider use of the GnRH vaccine are low; a species-specific system for delivery of baits to wild boar has been developed that could prevent uptake of baits by non-target species (Massei et al 2010;Campbell et al 2011), and consumption of meat from GnRH- Table 1. Comparison of regression models by Bayesian information criterion (BIC) scores contrasting differences in temporal patterns of activity and movement between wild boars treated with the immunocontraceptive GonaConÔ and wild boars treated with saline only (controls) Models 1 and 2 fitted means with uncorrelated and correlated errors, respectively, and Models 3 and 4 used radian-transformed hours as independent variables with uncorrelated and correlated errors, respectively (Schwartz Cain et al 2010). The lowest score for Model 1 or 2 indicates no difference in the daily activity or movement cycle, whereas a low score for Model 3 or 4 signifies a difference in the cycle between groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To test for differences between the daily patterns of activity and movement for treated and control groups of wild boar each season, the approach used by Schwartz et al (2010) was followed in which four regression models were fitted for each comparison. The response variable was the difference in the mean activity count (z-score) or distance moved between the two groups (treated, control).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Models were fitted using SPSSv19 and compared using the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) (Schwarz 1978). Similar to Schwartz et al (2010), in group comparisons, if the BIC scores were lowest for Models 1 and 2, (i.e. adding the two temporal variables did not improve the fit of the model), it was concluded that the difference between the two groups (treated, control) did not significantly vary during the 24-h cycle, and hence there were no differences between the two groups in the pattern of daily activity or movement described by the shape of the plotted curves.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of a GnRH vaccine on the movement and activity of free-living wild boar (Sus scrofa)

et al. 2014

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Context. Fertility control is being promoted as a non-lethal means of managing wildlife populations. We recently evaluated a single-dose injectable immunocontraceptive vaccine (GonaConÔ) on captive female wild boar for effectiveness and potential side effects; reproductive output was inhibited for 4-6 years, with no obvious detrimental effects on physiology and behaviour.Aims. We injected individual free-living wild boar individuals with the fertility-control vaccine GonaConÔ to examine its effectiveness (measured as raised levels of GnRH antibodies) and looked for potential changes in movement and activity patterns.Methods. We trapped, fitted telemetry devices to, and released wild boar individuals living in woodland in the West Midlands region of England between 2006 and 2010. We compared data on movements and activity among 10 adult females treated with the vaccine and 11 controls treated with saline only. We measured anti-GnRH antibody titres in six recaptured boar individuals as an indicator of the effectiveness of the vaccine.Key results. Post-treatment GnRH antibody titres varied among the boar individuals; four of five treated sows resampled between 9 and 30 weeks post-injection had antibody titres high enough to block reproduction (detectable at 1 : 32 000-1 : 64 000 dilution). At least three treated females were pregnant at the time of vaccination; there was no subsequent evidence that the vaccine interfered with pregnancy. According to the distances moved per hour over a 24-h cycle and the daily activity cycle in relation to season, there were no differences in the behaviour of treated and control females that were likely to be biologically significant. The behaviour of two treated females monitored soon after vaccination and again 12 months later also showed no major differences.Conclusions. Free-living wild boar responded to treatment with a 1.0-mL (1000 mg) dose of an anti-GnRH vaccine and no major adverse effects on activity and movement were subsequently detected.Implications. Our results indicated that the vaccine could be more widely evaluated in the field against overabundant or nuisance populations. Such populations are increasingly found in urban areas and parks, where culling may not be an option. We suggest that further refinement of this approach for managing wild boar populations, including development of an oral vaccine, are warranted.

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Contrasting Activity Patterns of Sympatric and Allopatric Black and Grizzly Bears

Cited by 105 publications

References 56 publications

Behavioral and physiological responses of American black bears to landscape features within an agricultural region

Behavioral and physiological responses of American black bears to landscape features within an agricultural region

Home range, movements, and denning chronology of the Grizzly Bear (<em>Ursus arctos</em>) in west-central Alberta

Effects of a GnRH vaccine on the movement and activity of free-living wild boar (Sus scrofa)

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