Thermoregulation, Risk, And Den Stability Influence Grizzly Bear Den-Site Selection

• Main Author: Libal, Nathan Steven
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Scholars Junction 2011
• Subjects: infanticide; hierarchical selection; denning; Yukon; Ursus arctos; Alaska
• Online Access: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/4717; https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5716&context=td

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) den-site selection may be influenced by multiple factors at varying spatial extents. To test for hierarchical selection, I compared grizzly bear den sites (n = 21) to random locations in the Southern Lakes, Yukon at two scales: mesoscale (within 1 km of dens) and microscale (within 100 m of dens). I observed selection for den opening slope, pixel slope, soil content, and horizontal cover at the mesoscale. At the microscale, I observed selection for opening slope and horizontal cover. To further test the role of security and the sex hypothesis of sexual segregation, I compared adult female (n = 142), adult male (n = 36), and juvenile (n = 35) den locations in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Adult females spatially segregated from adult males, with dens characterized by higher elevations and steeper slopes than adult male den sites.