Simulated impacts of black bear predation on neonatal loss in boreal caribou ...
Boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) populations are declining across their range and the direct cause is predation. Black bears (Ursus americanus) can be significant predators of caribou neonates, but at high black bear densities in the boreal forest only a small proportion of bears could kil...
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University of Alberta Library
2024
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.7939/r3-y9r6-wv96 https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/8b392ffc-f9dd-4b38-ae27-096c83e9e3cf |
| Summary: | Boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) populations are declining across their range and the direct cause is predation. Black bears (Ursus americanus) can be significant predators of caribou neonates, but at high black bear densities in the boreal forest only a small proportion of bears could kill neonates without extirpating them. Bear predation is likely driven by bear density and spatial overlap with caribou neonates, but the interactive effect of density and overlap on predation rates is poorly understood. Using a simulation parameterized by empirical black bear and caribou data, we assessed i) how bear movement, habitat use, and density interact to influence predation on caribou neonates, and ii) whether caribou spatially separate from bears during calving to reduce predation risk (spatial separation hypothesis). We placed simulated neonates (≤2 weeks old) in either high-quality calving habitat or throughout caribou range. Neonates remained immobile and were killed when the movement paths of ... |
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