Identifying mechanisms of population change in two threatened grizzly bear populations

• Main Author: Michelle McLellan
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Population Ecology; Terrestrial Ecology; Small populations; Population trends; Vital Rates; Resource Selection Functions; Spatial capture-recapture; Ursus arctos; Habitat; School: School of Biological Sciences; 060207 Population Ecology; 060208 Terrestrial Ecology; 960805 Flora; Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales; 960806 Forest and Woodlands Flora; Fauna and Biodiversity; 960810 Mountain and High Country Flora; Degree Discipline: Conservation Biology; Degree Level: Doctoral; Degree Name: Doctor of Philosophy; British Columbia; Canada
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.17145731.v1; https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Identifying_mechanisms_of_population_change_in_two_threatened_grizzly_bear_populations/17145731

Identifying the mechanisms causing population change is essential for conserving small and declining populations. Substantial range contraction of many carnivore species has resulted in fragmented global populations with numerous small isolates in need of conservation. Here I investigate the rate and possible agents of change in two threatened grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. I use a combination of population vital rates estimates, population trends, habitat quality analyses, and comparisons to what has been described in the literature, to carefully compare among possible mechanisms of change. First, I estimate population density, realized growth rates (λ), and the demographic components of population change for each population using DNA based capture-recapture data in both spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) and non-spatial Pradel robust design frameworks. The larger population had 21.5 bears/1000km2 and between 2006 and 2016 was growing (λPradel = 1.02 ± 0.02 SE, λsecr = 1.01 ± 4.6 x10-5 SE) following the cessation of hunting. The adjacent but smaller population had 6.3 bears/1000km2 and between 2005 and 2017 was likely declining (λPradel = 0.95 ± 0.03 SE, λsecr = 0.98 ± 0.02 SE). Estimates of apparent survival and recruitment indicated that lower recruitment was the dominant factor limiting population growth in the smaller population. Then I use data from GPS-collared bears to estimate reproduction, survival and projected population change (λ) in both populations. Adult female survival was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.80-0.99) in the larger population (McGillvary Mountains or MM) and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.69-0.95) in the small, isolated population (North Stein-Nahatlatch or NSN). Cub survival was also higher in the MM (0.85, 95%CI: 0.62-0.95) than the NSN population (0.33, 95%CI: 0.11-0.67). This analysis identifies both low adult female survival and low cub survival as the demographic factors associated with population decline in the smaller population. By comparing the ...