Polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western Hudson Bay: a bottom-up approach to resource selection functions
We examined habitat characteristics of 101 polar bear (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) den sites and 83 adjacent unoccupied sites in western Hudson Bay, Canada, between mid-August and early October 2001 and 2002. Bears denned almost exclusively in peat banks (n = 100) along the edges of creeks, rivers...
Published in: | Canadian Journal of Zoology |
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Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2005
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z05-075 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z05-075 |
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crcansciencepubl:10.1139/z05-075 2024-06-23T07:53:34+00:00 Polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western Hudson Bay: a bottom-up approach to resource selection functions Richardson, Evan Stirling, Ian Hik, David S 2005 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z05-075 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z05-075 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Zoology volume 83, issue 6, page 860-870 ISSN 0008-4301 1480-3283 journal-article 2005 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/z05-075 2024-06-06T04:11:18Z We examined habitat characteristics of 101 polar bear (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) den sites and 83 adjacent unoccupied sites in western Hudson Bay, Canada, between mid-August and early October 2001 and 2002. Bears denned almost exclusively in peat banks (n = 100) along the edges of creeks, rivers, and lakes adjacent to open lichen tundra sites. Den sites differed from unoccupied sites by having greater tree cover (P = 0.002), less moss cover (P < 0.001), and less herbaceous cover (P = 0.005). The presence of tree roots improved substrate stability, providing support to den structures. Den entrance azimuths were weighted toward a southeasterly aspect (P < 0.005), away from the prevailing northwest winds. To identify habitats with the greatest relative probability of having a den, a resource selection function (RSF) model was developed using remote sensing imagery and 1245 known den locations. High normalized difference vegetation index and brightness values derived from Landsat imagery, which were in close proximity to water, corresponded well with polar bear den sites. Identification of critical denning areas through the use of RSF will provide resource managers with a valuable tool for ensuring the protection of denning habitat, and consequently female bears and their young. Article in Journal/Newspaper Hudson Bay Tundra Ursus maritimus Canadian Science Publishing Canada Hudson Hudson Bay Canadian Journal of Zoology 83 6 860 870 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Canadian Science Publishing |
op_collection_id |
crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
description |
We examined habitat characteristics of 101 polar bear (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) den sites and 83 adjacent unoccupied sites in western Hudson Bay, Canada, between mid-August and early October 2001 and 2002. Bears denned almost exclusively in peat banks (n = 100) along the edges of creeks, rivers, and lakes adjacent to open lichen tundra sites. Den sites differed from unoccupied sites by having greater tree cover (P = 0.002), less moss cover (P < 0.001), and less herbaceous cover (P = 0.005). The presence of tree roots improved substrate stability, providing support to den structures. Den entrance azimuths were weighted toward a southeasterly aspect (P < 0.005), away from the prevailing northwest winds. To identify habitats with the greatest relative probability of having a den, a resource selection function (RSF) model was developed using remote sensing imagery and 1245 known den locations. High normalized difference vegetation index and brightness values derived from Landsat imagery, which were in close proximity to water, corresponded well with polar bear den sites. Identification of critical denning areas through the use of RSF will provide resource managers with a valuable tool for ensuring the protection of denning habitat, and consequently female bears and their young. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Richardson, Evan Stirling, Ian Hik, David S |
spellingShingle |
Richardson, Evan Stirling, Ian Hik, David S Polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western Hudson Bay: a bottom-up approach to resource selection functions |
author_facet |
Richardson, Evan Stirling, Ian Hik, David S |
author_sort |
Richardson, Evan |
title |
Polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western Hudson Bay: a bottom-up approach to resource selection functions |
title_short |
Polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western Hudson Bay: a bottom-up approach to resource selection functions |
title_full |
Polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western Hudson Bay: a bottom-up approach to resource selection functions |
title_fullStr |
Polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western Hudson Bay: a bottom-up approach to resource selection functions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western Hudson Bay: a bottom-up approach to resource selection functions |
title_sort |
polar bear ( ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western hudson bay: a bottom-up approach to resource selection functions |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z05-075 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z05-075 |
geographic |
Canada Hudson Hudson Bay |
geographic_facet |
Canada Hudson Hudson Bay |
genre |
Hudson Bay Tundra Ursus maritimus |
genre_facet |
Hudson Bay Tundra Ursus maritimus |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Zoology volume 83, issue 6, page 860-870 ISSN 0008-4301 1480-3283 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/z05-075 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Zoology |
container_volume |
83 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
860 |
op_container_end_page |
870 |
_version_ |
1802645287759511552 |