Selection of rub trees by brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Hokkaido, Japan

Sato, Yoshikazu; Kamiishi, Chisato; Tokaji, Tomoaki; Mori, M.; Koizumi, Sanae; Kobayashi, Kyoko; Itoh, Toshiya; Sonohara, Waka; Takada, Mayura B.; Urata, Tsuyoshi

doi:10.1007/s13364-013-0143-z

Cited by 69 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Other studies of bear rubs have found them on game trails (Burst and Pelton 1983, Green and Mattson 2003, Sato et al 2014), but did not quantify how common bear rubs were along game trails. By controlling for habitat differences between searches for bear rubs along developed tracks and game trails, we were able to demonstrate that, in regard to use of bear rubs, bears do not seem to differentiate between game trails and developed tracks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Green and Mattson (2003) found that bear rub locations in Yellowstone National Park, USA, tended to be associated with micro-sites of decreased slope, decreased distance to forest edge, and decreased amount of deadfall, and on slopes oriented away from north when compared with sites of bear activity without bear rubs. Bear rubs in northern Japan were also associated with sites of low slope near trails and game trails (Sato et al 2014), and Burst and Pelton (1983) noted that bear rubs used by black bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA, tended to be on trails infrequently used by people and on ridge tops. These studies suggest that bear rub locations may be associated with potential bear travel routes such as ridge tops, trails, and areas with decreased amounts of deadfall.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Modeling multi-scale resource selection for bear rubs in northwestern Montana

Henderson

Hebblewhite

Mitchell

et al. 2015

Ursus

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Both black (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (U. arctos) are known to rub on trees and other objects, producing a network of repeatedly used and identifiable rub sites. In 2012, we used a resource selection function to evaluate hypothesized relationships between locations of 887 bear rubs in northwestern Montana, USA, and elevation, slope angle, density of open roads and distance from areas of heightened plant-productivity likely containing forage for bears. Slope and density of open roads were negatively correlated with rub presence. No other covariates were supported as explanatory variables. We also hypothesized that bear rubs would be more strongly associated with closed roads and developed trails than with game trails. The frequencies of bear rubs on 30 paired segments of developed tracks and game trails were not different. Our results suggest bear rubs may be associated with bear travel routes, and support their use as ''random'' sampling devices for non-invasive spatial capture-recapture population monitoring.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Modeling multi-scale resource selection for bear rubs in northwestern Montana

Henderson

Hebblewhite

Mitchell

et al. 2015

Ursus

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“…Brown bears often rub themselves against trees (Green and Mattson 2003;Karamalidis et al 2007;Clapham et al 2014;Sato et al 2014) placed along travel routes, perhaps as landmarks (Green andMattson 2003, Clapham et al 2013). Adult male bears rub against trees more often than other age and sex classes throughout the non-denning period, and D r a f t 4 adult males might utilize chemical signaling to impart dominance information (Clapham et al 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Adult male bears rub against trees more often than other age and sex classes throughout the non-denning period, and D r a f t 4 adult males might utilize chemical signaling to impart dominance information (Clapham et al 2012). This behavior peaks during the breeding season (Green and Mattson 2003;Clapham et al 2012Clapham et al , 2014Sato et al 2014). A study of the motor activity of sent marking in brown bears (Clapham et al 2014), identified bipedal back rubbing as a core marking posture.…”

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Testosterone-related and seasonal changes in sebaceous glands in the back skin of adult male brown bears (Ursusarctos)

et al. 2018

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Keyword:brown bear, sebaceous gland, testosterone, tree rubbing, back skin, scent gland, Ursus arctos https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjz-pubs AbstractAdult male brown bears (Ursus arctos; Linnaeus, 1758) display tree-marking behavior to chemically signalize the dominance throughout the non-denning period, and this behavior peaks during breeding season. Within the scent-marking sequence, back rub is one of a core marking postures. The present study investigated 1) seasonal changes in sebaceous glands in the back skin of brown bears and 2) the relationship between those changes and testosterone levels. Back skin tissue samples and blood were collected from captive adult intact and castrated males during pre-breeding, transitional, breeding and post-breeding seasons, which were concurrent with back skin observations. In intact males, during the transitional and breeding seasons, an oily secretion from the back skin was observed along with enlarged sebaceous glands. The plasma testosterone concentrations during the transitional and breeding seasons were increased compared with the pre-and post-breeding seasons. Secretions and enlarged sebaceous glands were not found in castrated males, and the plasma testosterone concentrations remained at baseline levels. Oily secretions of the back skin glands that appear more abundant during breeding season are rubbed against trees. Changes in size and volume of sebaceous glands, and thus their secreting capacity, are likely testosterone-regulated.

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Seasonal ultrastructural changes in apocrine gland cells in back skin of male brown bears (Ursus arctos)

Tomiyasu

Bochimoto

Kondoh

et al. 2020

Microscopy Res & Technique

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Oily secretions from the back skin are involved in the marking behavior of male brown bears (Ursus arctos), and apocrine glands in back skin are activated during the breeding season. Here, we investigated seasonal changes in the intracellular organelles of apocrine gland cells in the back skin of male brown bears using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and osmium-maceration scanning electron microscopy (OM-SEM). The morphological features of mitochondria and intracellular granules, and secretory mechanisms obviously differed between breeding and non-breeding seasons. The TEM findings showed that contents of low-density granules were released into the glandular lumen by frequent exocytosis, and sausage-shaped mitochondria were located in the perinuclear region during the non-breeding season. In contrast, high-density granules appeared in the apical region and in projections during the breeding season, and swollen mitochondria and lysosome-like organelles separating into high-density granules were located in the perinuclear region. The OM-SEM findings revealed swollen mitochondria with only a few partially developed cristae, and small mitochondria with cristae shaped like those in swollen mitochondria in the apical regions during the breeding season. These findings indicated that the small mitochondria corresponded to the high-density granules identified by TEM. These findings suggested that mitochondria in apocrine gland cells swell, degenerate, fracture into small pieces, and are finally released by apocrine secretions during the breeding season. Small mitochondria released in this secretory manner might function as the source of chemical signals in the oily secretions of brown bears during the breeding season.

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Selection of rub trees by brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Hokkaido, Japan

Cited by 69 publications

References 22 publications

Modeling multi-scale resource selection for bear rubs in northwestern Montana

Modeling multi-scale resource selection for bear rubs in northwestern Montana

Testosterone-related and seasonal changes in sebaceous glands in the back skin of adult male brown bears (Ursusarctos)

Seasonal ultrastructural changes in apocrine gland cells in back skin of male brown bears (Ursus arctos)

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