Ursus arctos

Pasitschniak-Arts, Maria

doi:10.2307/3504138

Cited by 124 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Dental traits (enlarged and multicusped molars, loss of the three anterior premolars, molarization of the fourth upper premolars, and rapidly occurring wear on the cheekteeth) suggest that cave bears fed on abrasive food (presumably plants) and were more engaged in herbivory than the other bear species (5, 9-11). Skull and mandible morphology of cave bears was interpreted in a similar way (12), but recently, it has been shown to correlate with omnivory or even carnivory among bears (13), which was supported by taphonomical evidence (11,14,15 Nutritional ecology of North American extant bears (polar bears excluded) indicates that they are generalist omnivores, yet their diets range from almost complete vegetarianism to carnivory depending on season, habitat, sex, and/or foraging behavior (12,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25). However, similar information on the variation of cave bear diet through time has rarely been provided.…”

Section: Previous Morphological and Isotopic Studies Indicate That Latementioning

confidence: 90%

“…Nutritional ecology of North American extant bears (polar bears excluded) indicates that they are generalist omnivores, yet their diets range from almost complete vegetarianism to carnivory depending on season, habitat, sex, and/or foraging behavior (12,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25). However, similar information on the variation of cave bear diet through time has rarely been provided.…”

Section: Previous Morphological and Isotopic Studies Indicate That Latementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Predormancy omnivory in European cave bears evidenced by a dental microwear analysis of Ursus spelaeus from Goyet, Belgium

Peigné

Goillot

Germonpré

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Previous morphological and isotopic studies indicate that LatePleistocene cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) diet ranged from mostly vegetarian to omnivory or even carnivory. However, such analyses do not provide information on seasonal diets, and only provide an average record of diet. A dental microwear analysis of 43 young and adult individuals demonstrate that, during the predormancy period, cave bears from Goyet (Late Pleistocene, Belgium) were not strictly herbivorous, but had a mixed diet composed of hard items (e.g., possibly bone), invertebrates (e.g., insects), meat (ungulates, small vertebrates), and/or plant matter (hard mast, seeds, herbaceous vegetations, and fruits). Therefore, our results indicate that cave bears at Goyet were generalist omnivores during the predormancy period, which is consistent with current data on the dietary ecology of extant bears during this season. These data also raise questions about the ecological role and causes of the extinction of cave bears.ate Pleistocene caves of Europe have yielded abundant fossils of the cave bear Ursus spelaeus, an extinct close relative of the brown bear, Ursus arctos, and the polar bear, Ursus maritimus (1-4). It is one of the best known extinct mammals, and demographic and stable isotopes analyses have shown them to have had a metabolism similar to that of extant bears. In particular, they went through a period of dormancy during the winter, giving birth and nursing their offspring during the dormancy, and maintained their body temperature without defecating or urinating, eating or drinking (5-8). Cave bear diet is more controversial. Dental traits (enlarged and multicusped molars, loss of the three anterior premolars, molarization of the fourth upper premolars, and rapidly occurring wear on the cheekteeth) suggest that cave bears fed on abrasive food (presumably plants) and were more engaged in herbivory than the other bear species (5, 9-11). Skull and mandible morphology of cave bears was interpreted in a similar way (12), but recently, it has been shown to correlate with omnivory or even carnivory among bears (13), which was supported by taphonomical evidence (11,14,15 Nutritional ecology of North American extant bears (polar bears excluded) indicates that they are generalist omnivores, yet their diets range from almost complete vegetarianism to carnivory depending on season, habitat, sex, and/or foraging behavior (12,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25). However, similar information on the variation of cave bear diet through time has rarely been provided.

show abstract

Section: Previous Morphological and Isotopic Studies Indicate That Latementioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Previous Morphological and Isotopic Studies Indicate That Latementioning

confidence: 99%

Predormancy omnivory in European cave bears evidenced by a dental microwear analysis of Ursus spelaeus from Goyet, Belgium

Peigné

Goillot

Germonpré

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Implantation is delayed until November (Renfree & Calaby 1981). After 6-8 weeks of effective gestation, females give birth to 1-4 small cubs in January, while still hibernating in dens (Pasitschniak-Arts 1993). Young bears receive extended maternal care, staying with the mother for 1.5-2.5 years in the studied populations (Dahle & Swenson 2003b).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The dilemma of female mate selection in the brown bear, a species with sexually selected infanticide

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Because of differential investment in gametes between sexes, females tend to be the more selective sex. Based on this concept, we investigate mate selection in a large carnivore: the brown bear (Ursus arctos). We hypothesize that, in this species with sexually selected infanticide (SSI), females may be faced with a dilemma: either select a high-quality partner based on phenotypic criteria, as suggested by theories of mate choice, or rather mate with future potentially infanticidal males as a counter-strategy to SSI. We evaluated which male characteristics were important in paternity assignment. Among males available in the vicinity of the females, the largest, most heterozygous and less inbred and also the geographically closest males were more often the fathers of the female's next litter. We suggest that female brown bears may select the closest males as a counter-strategy to infanticide and exercise a post-copulatory cryptic choice, based on physical attributes, such as a large body size, reflecting male genetic quality. However, male-male competition either in the form of fighting before copulation or during the post-copulatory phase, in the form of sperm competition, cannot entirely be ruled out.

show abstract

“…We attempted to determine whether the probability of dispersal in brown bears was related to density and, if so, in which way. Because brown bears are generally not considered to be territorial (Pasitschniak-Arts 1993;Schwartz et al 2003), we predicted that dispersal distance is density independent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inversely density-dependent natal dispersal in brown bears Ursus arctos

et al. 2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is considerable controversy in the literature about the presence of density dependence in dispersal. In this study, we exploit a data series from a long-term study (>18 years) on radio-marked brown bears (Ursus arctos L.) in two study areas in Scandinavia to investigate how individual-based densities influence the probability of natal dispersal and natal dispersal distances. Cumulatively, 32% and 46% of the females and 81% and 92% of the males dispersed before reaching 5 years of age in the northern and southern study area, respectively. Density had a negative effect on both the probability of dispersal and dispersal distances for the dispersing animals, when controlling for study area, sex and age, making this the first study to show that natal dispersal probability and distances are inversely density dependent in a large carnivore. We suggest that female-female competition for space caused females in higher density areas to settle closer to their natal area. For males, however, merging of demes, resulting in decreased relatedness and increased heterozygosity in an expanding population, might be the reason for shorter dispersal distances in males living at higher densities. This has been hypothesised for small mammals. The high proportion of dispersing female brown bears in Scandinavian compared with North American studies might be due to lower densities in Scandinavia and recent population expansion, with unoccupied areas available at the edges of the population. The longer dispersal distances in female Scandinavian brown bears suggest less social constraints on movements than for North American females. The longer dispersal distances by Scandinavian males may be due to increased searching for potential mates in peripheral areas with lower densities of females. These results, in addition to results of other brown bear studies, suggest that brown bears might be more territorial than previously thought, and that density is regulated by social interactions.

show abstract

Ursus arctos

Cited by 124 publications

References 0 publications

Predormancy omnivory in European cave bears evidenced by a dental microwear analysis of Ursus spelaeus from Goyet, Belgium

Predormancy omnivory in European cave bears evidenced by a dental microwear analysis of Ursus spelaeus from Goyet, Belgium

The dilemma of female mate selection in the brown bear, a species with sexually selected infanticide

Inversely density-dependent natal dispersal in brown bears Ursus arctos

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About