Dynamics of a grizzly bear population during a period of industrial resource extraction. I. Density and age–sex composition
The characteristics of a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) population in southeastern British Columbia were studied between 1979 and 1986, a period of timber harvest, gas exploration, and outdoor recreation, including grizzly hunting. I investigated the hypothesis that collectively these activities were d...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Zoology |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
1989
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z89-264 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z89-264 |
| Summary: | The characteristics of a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) population in southeastern British Columbia were studied between 1979 and 1986, a period of timber harvest, gas exploration, and outdoor recreation, including grizzly hunting. I investigated the hypothesis that collectively these activities were detrimental to the grizzly population. I predicted a low density of bears compared with other interior populations and (or) a negative rate of increase. The sex ratio of cubs and yearlings captured was 50:50 and they represented 21.5 and 17.5% of the population, respectively. Although more adult males than adult females were captured, I estimated that there were more adult females than males in the population. I used two methods of population estimation and assumed saturation trapping : one method was based on home range characteristics and the other on the proportion of aerial locations in the study area. The average estimated bear density was 6.4/100 km 2 , which was high for an interior population, and increased from approximately 5.7/100 km 2 in 1981 to 8.0/100 km 2 in 1986, for an average annual observed rate of increase of r = 0.07. |
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