Proximity to humans is associated with longer maternal care in brown bears

• Published in: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
• Main Authors: Van de Walle, Joanie, Leclerc, Martin, Steyaert, Sam M. J. G., Zedrosser, Andreas, Swenson, Jon E., Pelletier, Fanie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Biologie et autres sciences connexes; sexual conflict; maternal care; spatial segregation; brown bear; Ursus arctos
• Online Access: https://constellation.uqac.ca/id/eprint/9557/1/Van_de_Walle_et_al_2019_BAES.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-019-2764-y

In the sexual conflict over the duration of maternal care, male mammals may improve their reproductive success by forcing early mother–offspring separation in species where lactation supresses estrus. However, when individual females benefit from continuing to care for their current offspring, they should adopt counter-strategies to avoid separation from offspring. Here, we tested whether spatial segregation from adult males and proximity to humans during the mating season could be associated with longer maternal care in the Scandinavian brown bear (Ursus arctos). Using resource selection functions (RSFs), we contrasted habitat selection patterns of adult males and those of adult females with yearlings that either provided 1.5 years of maternal care (“short-care females”) or continued care for an additional year (“long-care females”) during the mating season, the period when family break-ups typically occur. Males and short-care females had similar habitat selection patterns during the mating season. In contrast, habitat selection patterns differed between males and long-care females, suggesting spatial segregation between the two groups. In particular, long-care females used areas closer to human habitations compared with random locations (defined here as selection), whereas males used areas further to human habitations compared with random locations (defined here as avoidance). Our results show a correlation between habitat selection behavior and the duration of maternal care. We suggest that proximity to humans during the mating season may represent a female tactic to avoid adverse interactions with males that may lead to early weaning of offspring.