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Compounding effects of human development and a natural food shortage on a black bear population along a human development-wildland interface.
- Source :
-
Biological Conservation . Aug2018, Vol. 224, p188-198. 11p. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Human development and climate change are two stressors that threaten numerous wildlife populations, and their combined effects are likely to be most pronounced along the human development-wildland interface where changes in both natural and anthropogenic conditions interact to affect wildlife. To better understand the compounding influence of these stressors, we investigated the effects of a climate-induced natural food shortage on the dynamics of a black bear population in the vicinity of Durango, Colorado. We integrated 4 years of DNA-based capture-mark-recapture data with GPS-based telemetry data to evaluate the combined effects of human development and the food shortage on the abundance, population growth rate, and spatial distribution of female black bears. We documented a 57% decline in female bear abundance immediately following the natural food shortage coinciding with an increase in human-caused bear mortality (e.g., vehicle collisions, harvest and lethal removals) primarily in developed areas. We also detected a change in the spatial distribution of female bears with fewer bears occurring near human development in years immediately following the food shortage, likely as a consequence of high mortality near human infrastructure during the food shortage. Given expected future increases in human development and climate-induced food shortages, we expect that bear dynamics may be increasingly influenced by human-caused mortality, which will be difficult to detect with current management practices. To ensure long-term sustainability of bear populations, we recommend that wildlife agencies invest in monitoring programs that can accurately track bear populations, incorporate non-harvest human-caused mortality into management models, and work to reduce human-caused mortality, particularly in years with natural food shortages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *NATURAL foods
*FOOD shortages
*BLACK bear
*ANIMAL populations
*CLIMATE change
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00063207
- Volume :
- 224
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Biological Conservation
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 130419774
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.05.004