Indirect effects of bear hunting: a review from Scandinavia

Frank, Shane C.; Ordiz, Andrés; Gosselin, Jacinthe; Hertel, Anne G.; Kindberg, Jonas; Leclerc, Martin; Pelletier, Fanie; Steyaert, Sam M. J. G.; Støen, Ole‐Gunnar; Walle, Joanie Van de; Zedrosser, Andreas; Swenson, Jon E.

doi:10.2192/ursu-d-16-00028.1

Cited by 38 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 135 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Brown bear hunting in Sweden has known impacts beyond the initial offtake of direct mortality, such as altering life history traits (Bischof et al, 2017;Frank et al, 2017) or inducing an increase in sexually-selected infanticide through an increased male turnover (Swenson et al, 1997). Furthermore, adult bears that would naturally face low mortality rates (Bischof and Zedrosser, 2009;Bischof et al, , 2017 adopt antipredator behaviors in response to human hunting pressure (Ordiz et al, 2013a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Scandinavian Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) to Dog Hunts and Human Encounters

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Innovations in biologging have offered new possibilities to better understand animals in their natural environment. Biologgers can be used by researchers to measure the impact of human disturbances on wildlife and guide conservation decisions. In this study, the behavioral and physiological responses of brown bears (Ursus arctos) to hunts using dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and human encounters were assessed to better understand the impact of human outdoor activities on brown bears. In Scandinavia, brown bear hunting and the use of dogs during hunts is increasing in popularity. Nonetheless, not every hunt leads to a killed bear. This means that for each bear that is shot, multiple bears may be chased but not killed. In addition, bears can also be disturbed when encountering non-hunting humans. Heart rates, body temperatures, GPS coordinates and dual-axis activity data were collected from 52 simulated hunts (a simulated hunt using dogs with the bear allowed to flee at the end) and 70 human encounters (humans intentionally approaching the bear) that were carried out on 28 free-ranging female brown bears in two study areas in Sweden. The results showed that: (1) simulated hunts had a greater impact and induced a greater energy cost than human encounters; (2) the amount of time bears rested the day after the simulated hunts increased linearly with the duration of the simulated hunts, implying a lasting behavioral impact relative to the intensity of the disturbance. Although not tested in this study, brown bears that are repeatedly disturbed by dog hunts and human encounters may be unable to compensate the disturbances' energy cost, and their fitness may, therefore, be altered. If it is the case, this effect should be accounted for by managers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Scandinavian Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) to Dog Hunts and Human Encounters

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This may increase the probability of encounters between unfamiliar individuals leading to elevated rates of conflict, sexually selected infanticide, and increased local extinction risk (Creel et al, , ; Gosselin, Zedrosser, Swenson, & Pelletier, ; Whitman, Starfield, Quadling, & Packer, ). Moreover, directed harvest toward a specific sex, age, or size cohort disrupts dispersal patterns (Frank, Ordiz, et al, ; Milner, Nilsen, & Andreassen, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unsustainable anthropogenic mortality disrupts natal dispersal and promotes inbreeding in leopards

Naude

Balme

O’Riain

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anthropogenic mortality of wildlife is typically inferred from measures of the absolute decline in population numbers. However, increasing evidence suggests that indirect demographic effects including changes to the age, sex, and social structure of populations, as well as the behavior of survivors, can profoundly impact population health and viability. Specifically, anthropogenic mortality of wildlife (especially when unsustainable) and fragmentation of the spatial distribution of individuals (homeranges) could disrupt natal dispersal mechanisms, with long-term consequences to genetic structure, by compromising outbreeding behavior and gene flow. We investigate this threat in African leopards (Panthera pardus pardus), a polygynous felid with male-biased natal dispersal. Using a combination of spatial (home-range) and genetic (21 polymorphic microsatellites) data from 142 adult leopards, we contrast the structure of two South African populations with markedly different histories of anthropogenically linked mortality. Home-range overlap, parentage assignment, and spatio-genetic autocorrelation together show that historical exploitation of leopards in a recovering protected area has disrupted and reduced subadult male dispersal, thereby facilitating opportunistic male natal philopatry, with sons establishing territories closer to their mothers and sisters. The resultant kin-clustering in males of this historically exploited population is comparable to that of females in a well-protected reserve and has ultimately led to localized inbreeding. Our findings demonstrate novel evidence directly linking unsustainable anthropogenic mortality to inbreeding through disrupted dispersal in a large, solitary felid and expose the genetic consequences underlying this behavioral change. We therefore emphasize the importance of managing and mitigating the effects of unsustainable exploitation on local populations and increasing habitat fragmentation between contiguous protected areas by promoting in situ recovery and providing corridors of suitable habitat that maintain genetic connectivity. K E Y W O R D S home-range, kin-clustering, microsatellites, Panthera pardus, philopatry, relatedness S U PP O RTI N G I N FO R M ATI O N Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section. How to cite this article: Naude VN, Balme GA, O'Riain J, et al. Unsustainable anthropogenic mortality disrupts natal dispersal and promotes inbreeding in leopards.

show abstract

“…Geisser & Reyer, ; Teichman, Cristescu, & Darimont, ). Altogether, our results underscore the need to better understand the short‐ and long‐term indirect effects of hunting on animal social structure and their resulting distribution in space, which, if not understood, could have unforeseen consequences on population parameters such as fitness and population growth (Frank et al., in press).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Sociodemographic factors modulate the spatial response of brown bears to vacancies created by hunting

Frank

Leclerc

Pelletier

et al. 2017

Journal of Animal Ecology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract1. There is a growing recognition of the importance of indirect effects from hunting on wildlife populations, e.g. social and behavioural changes due to harvest, which occur after the initial offtake. Nonetheless, little is known about how the removal of members of a population influences the spatial configuration of the survivors.2. We studied how surviving brown bears (Ursus arctos) used former home ranges that had belonged to casualties of the annual bear hunting season in southcentral Sweden (2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015). We used resource selection functions to explore the effects of the casualty's and survivor's sex, age and their pairwise genetic relatedness, population density and hunting intensity on survivors' spatial responses to vacated home ranges.3. We tested the competitive release hypothesis, whereby survivors that increase their use of a killed bear's home range are presumed to have been released from intraspecific competition. We found strong support for this hypothesis, as survivors of the same sex as the casualty consistently increased their use of its vacant home range. Patterns were less pronounced or absent when the survivor and casualty were of opposite sex.4. Genetic relatedness between the survivor and the casualty emerged as the most important factor explaining increased use of vacated male home ranges by males, with a stronger response from survivors of lower relatedness. Relatedness was also important for females, but it did not influence use following removal; female survivors used home ranges of higher related female casualties more, both before and after death. Spatial responses by survivors were further influenced by bear age, population density and hunting intensity.5. We have shown that survivors exhibit a spatial response to vacated home ranges caused by hunting casualties, even in nonterritorial species such as the brown bear.This spatial reorganization can have unintended consequences for population dynamics and interfere with management goals. Altogether, our results underscore the need to better understand the short-and long-term indirect effects of hunting on animal social structure and their resulting distribution in space.

show abstract

Indirect effects of bear hunting: a review from Scandinavia

Cited by 38 publications

References 135 publications

Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Scandinavian Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) to Dog Hunts and Human Encounters

Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Scandinavian Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) to Dog Hunts and Human Encounters

Unsustainable anthropogenic mortality disrupts natal dispersal and promotes inbreeding in leopards

Sociodemographic factors modulate the spatial response of brown bears to vacancies created by hunting

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About