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Morehouse AT, Hughes C, Manners N, Bectell J, Tigner J. Dealing With Deadstock: A Case Study of Carnivore Conflict Mitigation From Southwestern Alberta. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.786013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Livestock deaths are an unfortunate reality for livestock producers and dead livestock (i.e., deadstock) disposal options can have implications beyond the ranch itself. In Alberta, Canada, natural disposal (i.e., disposing of the carcass in a manner that allows for scavenging) has increased since the 2003 detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canadian cattle. Prior to BSE, rendering companies removed deadstock for free. However, rendering companies started charging producers to remove deadstock to offset costs associated with new regulatory requirements enacted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which has resulted in increased on-farm natural disposal of deadstock. This increase has ecological implications because deadstock are a major attractant for large carnivores. Carnivores feeding on deadstock are often near other agricultural attractants such as stored grain and feed, silage, and living livestock, which can exacerbate conflict potential and pose a risk to human safety. To help mitigate conflicts associated with deadstock, the Waterton Biosphere Reserve's (a local non-profit) Carnivores and Communities Program (CACP) supported expansion of community deadstock removal efforts beginning in 2009, including reimbursement of on-farm removal costs, bear-resistant deadstock bins, and a livestock compost facility (operational 2013–2014). Here, we present an evaluative case study describing the development, implementation, and results of the deadstock removal program, including the compost facility. We tracked the number of head of livestock removed each year, the number of participating landowners, the average cost per head, and total program costs. We also used an online survey to assess participants' perspectives of the deadstock removal program and future needs. To date, the CACP has removed >5,400 livestock carcasses, representing between 15.1 and 22.6% of available carcasses in the program area, and 67.3% of livestock owners indicated they currently use the deadstock removal program to dispose of deadstock. Average cost to compost an animal was significantly less than other removal methods ($36.89 composting vs. $79.59 non-composting, one-tailed t-test, unequal sampling variances: t = 4.08, df = 5.87, p = 0.003). We conclude by discussing both ecological and social implications for deadstock removal as a conflict mitigation measure and make suggestions for future management considerations.
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Gould NP, Powell R, Olfenbuttel C, DePerno CS. Growth and reproduction by young urban and rural black bears. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Human-dominated landscapes contain fragmented natural land cover interspersed throughout an urban matrix. Animals that occupy human-dominated landscapes often grow and reproduce differently than conspecifics. Female American black bears (Ursus americanus) produce litters for the first time usually at age 4 years; 2-year-olds rarely give birth. We visited winter bear dens and trapped bears in spring and summer to compare the reproductive output and weight of female black bears within the city limits of Asheville, North Carolina, and three forested rural sites in North Carolina and Virginia representative of the undeveloped habitat of Asheville. Urban yearling females weighed nearly double (45.0 kg ± 8.1 [± SD]; n = 36) that of yearling females from the three rural study sites (23.2 ± 8.5 [Pisgah], 23.6 ± 8.3 [Virginia SW], and 23.9 ± 9.7 [Virginia NW]; n = 95). Across all sites, hard mast production during the autumn, when females were cubs, did not affect their weights as yearlings. Seven of 12 (58%) 2-year-old urban bears produced 11 cubs (mean litter size = 1.6 ± 0.8), but no 2-year-old rural females produced cubs. Production of hard mast in the autumn, when females were yearlings, did not influence cub production by 2-year-old female bears at the urban site. We hypothesize that reproduction by 2-year-old bears is linked to the availability of anthropogenic food sources associated with urban environments. To inform population level management decisions, managers and researchers should quantify urban food sources and the effects on black bear life history. If high fecundity allows urban populations to sustain relatively high mortality rates, then urban bear populations may be source populations for surrounding, rural areas. Alternately, if reproduction in urban populations cannot match high time-specific or age-specific urban mortality rates, then urban populations may be sinks for the surrounding areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P Gould
- Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Roger Powell
- Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Colleen Olfenbuttel
- Wildlife Management Division, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Pittsboro, NC, USA
| | - Christopher S DePerno
- Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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3
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Crevier LP, Salkeld JH, Marley J, Parrott L. Making the best possible choice: Using agent-based modelling to inform wildlife management in small communities. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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4
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Hou R, Chapman CA, Rothman JM, Zhang H, Huang K, Guo S, Li B, Raubenheimer D. The geometry of resource constraint: An empirical study of the golden snub-nosed monkey. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:751-765. [PMID: 33314075 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Apposite conceptualization and measurement of resource variation is critical for understanding many issues in ecology, including ecological niches, persistence and distribution of populations, the structure of communities and population resilience to perturbations. We apply the nutritional geometry framework to conceptualize and quantify the responses of a temperate-living primate, the golden snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus roxellana to variation in resource quality and quantity and in nutrient requirements associated with seasonal environments. We present a geometric model distinguishing qualitative constraint, quantitative constraint and 'pseudo-constraint' whereby nutrient intakes resemble response to qualitative resource constraint but are in fact driven by variation in nutrient requirements. The model is applied to analyse nutrient intakes recorded in 164 full-day observations of monkeys from two populations, one wild and the other captive, across seasons. Additionally, we recorded the diet of a single animal over 32 consecutive days in the wild. Despite considerable differences in available resources, the captive and wild populations showed marked similarities in nutrient intakes, including indistinguishable amounts and ratios of ingested macronutrients during summer and autumn and strong year-round maintenance of protein compared to seasonally variable fat and carbohydrate intakes. These similarities suggest homeostatically regulated nutritional targets and provide reference points to identify factors driving population differences in macronutrient intake in winter and spring. Our framework enabled us to distinguish examples of quantitative, qualitative and 'pseudo-constraint'. We suggest that this approach can increase the resolution at which resource constraint is conceptualized and measured in ecological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Colin A Chapman
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.,School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Jessica M Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - He Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Songtao Guo
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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6
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Panthi S, Aryal A, Coogan SCP. Diet and macronutrient niche of Asiatic black bear ( Ursus thibetanus) in two regions of Nepal during summer and autumn. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:3717-3727. [PMID: 31015961 PMCID: PMC6468138 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Relatively little is known about the nutritional ecology of omnivorous Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in Nepal. We characterized the diet of black bears in two seasons (June-July, "summer"; and October-November "autumn") and two study areas (Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve [DHR]; and Kailash Sacred Landscape [KSL]). We then conducted nutritional analysis of species consumed by black bears in each study area, in combination with nutritional estimates from the literature, to estimate the proportions of macronutrients (i.e., protein [P], lipid [L], and carbohydrate [C]) in the seasonal bear foods and diets, as well as their macronutrient niche breadth. We found that bamboo (Arundinaria spp.) had the highest relative frequency in both study areas and seasons. Ants and termites were found in DHR diets, but not KSL diets. One anthropogenic crop was found in DHR summer diets (Zea mays) and two were found in KSL summer diets (Z. mays; and Kodo millet [Paspalum scrobiculatum]). Other than insects, no animal prey was found in either diet. The proportions of macronutrients in diets (i.e., realized macronutrient niches) were relatively high in carbohydrate for both study areas and seasons: DHRsummer 24.1P:8.7L:67.2C; KSLsummer 16.7P:8.2L:75.1C; DHRautumn 21.1P:10.5L:68.4C; KSHautumn 19.0P:11.0L:70.0C. Macronutrient niche breadth was 3.1 × greater in the DHR than KSL during summer, and 4.0 × greater in the autumn, primarily due to the higher proportion of lipid in ants and termites relative to plant foods. Within-study area differences in niche breadth were greater during summer than autumn; in the KSH the macronutrient breadth was 1.4 × greater in summer, while in the DHR it was 1.1 × greater in summer. Similarity in dietary macronutrient proportions despite differences in foods consumed and niche breadth are suggestive of foraging to reach a preferred macronutrient balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saroj Panthi
- Department of Forests and Soil ConservationMinistry of Forests and EnvironmentKathmanduNepal
| | - Achyut Aryal
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical SciencesMassey UniversityAucklandNew Zealand
- Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of ScienceThe University of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Sean C. P. Coogan
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonAlbertaCanada
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7
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Machovsky-Capuska GE, Amiot C, Denuncio P, Grainger R, Raubenheimer D. A nutritional perspective on plastic ingestion in wildlife. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 656:789-796. [PMID: 30530148 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Although the perils of plastics to living organisms including humans have been neglected for decades, they have recently been recognized as a major environmental problem worldwide. Little progress has been made on understanding the factors that drive species' and populations' susceptibilities to the ingestion of plastic. Here, we propose using nutritional ecology as a multidisciplinary framework for bridging the gaps that link nutrition, behavior, plastics, physiology and ecology. We show that nutritional niches are tightly linked to plastic ingestion, illustrating the application of our framework in the context of nutritional niche theory, habitat-specific foraging from species to populations, and transfer patterns in food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christophe Amiot
- Université d'Angers, LETG-Angers, LEESA UMR 6554 CNRS, UFR Sciences, France
| | - Pablo Denuncio
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Departamento de Ciencias Marinas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata B7602AYL, Argentina
| | - Richard Grainger
- The University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre, Sydney, Australia; The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- The University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre, Sydney, Australia; The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, Australia
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8
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Bentley-Condit VK, Power ML. The nutritional content of Tana River yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus) foods in a partially forested habitat. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207186. [PMID: 30439991 PMCID: PMC6237341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we report the first dietary macronutrient and mineral content information for a little-studied yellow baboon group (i.e., the Mchelelo troop) at the Tana River Primate National Reserve, Kenya. We compare forest to savanna samples for this troop found in a partially forested habitat. Observations conducted between 1988 and 1992 determined our list of foods. Subsequently, flora samples, representing 56 species, were collected between April 2008 and March 2009 with nutrient content determined via standard procedures for fiber, gross energy, ash/minerals, crude protein, and crude fat/lipids. Concentrations of specific minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc) were also measured. We predicted forest items would be higher in gross energy and lipids and savanna items higher in crude protein, fiber, and minerals. Our analyses support only the predicted difference in crude protein for savanna items for the overall dataset. In our examination of the top 15 foods, savanna items had significantly higher crude protein, ash, magnesium, and manganese while forest items had higher gross energy. Right-angled mixture triangles show some clustering by location but with substantial overlap in values. Our data provide further indication of the particularity and purposefulness of dietary choices made by primates. They also contribute to the broader discussions of primate nutritional ecology and are a first step towards an examination of macronutrient balancing for this group. Finally, we discuss the impact heavy reliance upon forest products by a "savanna species" may have upon competitors and forest composition. Ultimately, we show that there is still much to be learned about baboon nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael L. Power
- Nutrition Laboratory, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C., United States of America
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9
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Coogan SCP, Coops NC, Janz DM, Cattet MRL, Kearney SP, Stenhouse GB, Nielsen SE. Towards grizzly bear population recovery in a modern landscape. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sean C. P. Coogan
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Nicholas C. Coops
- Department of Forest Resources ManagementUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - David M. Janz
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical SciencesUniversity of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SK Canada
| | - Marc R. L. Cattet
- RGL Recovery Wildlife Health & Veterinary Services Saskatoon SK Canada
| | - Sean P. Kearney
- Department of Forest Resources ManagementUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | | | - Scott E. Nielsen
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
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10
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana El‐Sabaawi
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Victoria Victoria BC Canada
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11
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Yuan L, Wilder S, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ, Shaw M, McAllan BM. Dietary protein supplementation and its consequences for intake, digestion, and physical activity of a carnivorous marsupial, Sminthopsis crassicaudata. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:3636-3647. [PMID: 29686845 PMCID: PMC5901163 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Diet regulation behavior can mediate the consequences of imbalanced diets for animal well-being, particularly for captive species that have little dietary choice. Dasyurids (carnivorous marsupials) are of conservation concern in Australia, and many species are in captive breeding programmes. However, their nutrient targets and dietary regulation behaviors are poorly understood, a limitation that may decrease the breeding success and well-being of captive animals. We tested how dietary protein content influenced the intake and utilization of nutrients, physical activity, and body mass of fat-tailed dunnarts Sminthopsis crassicaudata. Twelve adult dunnarts from six sibling pairs (one female and one male per pair) were provided ad libitum access to three diets in a repeated measures design: cat food, cat food supplemented with raw lean beef (1:1), and cat food supplemented with cooked lean beef (1:1). Food intake, activity level, and fecal output were measured daily. Dunnarts significantly decreased food intake, increased protein digestion, and physical activity, but body mass was unchanged when on the high-protein diet compared to the normal cat food diet. These observations suggest a capacity of dunnarts to maintain constant body mass using a dynamic balance of feeding, digestion, and activity. We also found a significant effect of family, with differences between families as large as the difference between the diet treatments, suggesting a genetic component to diet selection. The nutrient regulation responses of dunnarts to high-protein diets and the strong family effects provide important messages for the management of populations of small carnivores, including the aspects of dietary manipulation and conservation of genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihong Yuan
- School of Public Health Sun Yat-Sen University Guangzhou Guangdong Province China.,School of Medical Sciences University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia.,Present address: School of Public Health Sun Yat-Sen University Guangzhou Guangdong Province China
| | - Shawn Wilder
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia.,Department of Integrative Biology Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
| | - David Raubenheimer
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Michelle Shaw
- Department of Animal Nutrition Taronga Conservation Society Mosman NSW 2088 Australia
| | - Bronwyn M McAllan
- School of Medical Sciences University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
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12
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Investigating Niche Construction in Dynamic Human-Animal Landscapes: Bridging Ecological and Evolutionary Timescales. INT J PRIMATOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0033-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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13
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Coogan SCP, Raubenheimer D, Zantis SP, Machovsky‐Capuska GE. Multidimensional nutritional ecology and urban birds. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sean C. P. Coogan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta T6G 2H1 Canada
| | - David Raubenheimer
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Simon P. Zantis
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Gabriel E. Machovsky‐Capuska
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
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14
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Coogan SCP, Raubenheimer D, Stenhouse GB, Coops NC, Nielsen SE. Functional macronutritional generalism in a large omnivore, the brown bear. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:2365-2376. [PMID: 29468050 PMCID: PMC5817158 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
We combine a recently developed framework for describing dietary generalism with compositional data analysis to examine patterns of omnivory in a large widely distributed mammal. Using the brown bear (Ursus arctos) as a model species, we collected and analyzed data from the literature to estimate the proportions of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and lipid) in the diets of bear populations. Across their range, bears consumed a diversity of foods that resulted in annual population diets that varied in macronutrient proportions, suggesting a wide fundamental macronutrient niche. The variance matrix of pairwise macronutrient log-ratios indicated that the most variable macronutrient among diets was carbohydrate, while protein and lipid were more proportional or codependent (i.e., relatively more constant log-ratios). Populations that consumed anthropogenic foods, such agricultural crops and supplementary feed (e.g., corn), had a higher geometric mean proportion of carbohydrate, and lower proportion of protein, in annual diets. Seasonally, mean diets were lower in protein and higher in carbohydrate, during autumn compared to spring. Populations with anthropogenic subsidies, however, had higher mean proportions of carbohydrate and lower protein, across seasons compared to populations with natural diets. Proportions of macronutrients similar to those selected in experiments by captive brown bears, and which optimized primarily fat mass gain, were observed among hyperphagic prehibernation autumn diets. However, the majority of these were from populations consuming anthropogenic foods, while diets of natural populations were more variable and typically higher in protein. Some anthropogenic diets were close to the proportions selected by captive bears during summer. Our results suggest that omnivory in brown bears is a functional adaptation enabling them to occupy a diverse range of habitats and tolerate variation in the nutritional composition and availability of food resources. Furthermore, we show that populations consuming human-sourced foods have different dietary macronutrient proportions relative to populations with natural diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean C. P. Coogan
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, and the Charles Perkins CentreUniversity of SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| | | | - Nicholas C. Coops
- Department of Forest Resource ManagementUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
| | - Scott E. Nielsen
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
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Phenological synchronization disrupts trophic interactions between Kodiak brown bears and salmon. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:10432-10437. [PMID: 28827339 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1705248114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is altering the seasonal timing of life cycle events in organisms across the planet, but the magnitude of change often varies among taxa [Thackeray SJ, et al. (2016) Nature 535:241-245]. This can cause the temporal relationships among species to change, altering the strength of interaction. A large body of work has explored what happens when coevolved species shift out of sync, but virtually no studies have documented the effects of climate-induced synchronization, which could remove temporal barriers between species and create novel interactions. We explored how a predator, the Kodiak brown bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi), responded to asymmetric phenological shifts between its primary trophic resources, sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa). In years with anomalously high spring air temperatures, elderberry fruited several weeks earlier and became available during the period when salmon spawned in tributary streams. Bears departed salmon spawning streams, where they typically kill 25-75% of the salmon [Quinn TP, Cunningham CJ, Wirsing AJ (2016) Oecologia 183:415-429], to forage on berries on adjacent hillsides. This prey switching behavior attenuated an iconic predator-prey interaction and likely altered the many ecological functions that result from bears foraging on salmon [Helfield JM, Naiman RJ (2006) Ecosystems 9:167-180]. We document how climate-induced shifts in resource phenology can alter food webs through a mechanism other than trophic mismatch. The current emphasis on singular consumer-resource interactions fails to capture how climate-altered phenologies reschedule resource availability and alter how energy flows through ecosystems.
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16
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Coogan SCP, Machovsky-Capuska GE, Senior AM, Martin JM, Major RE, Raubenheimer D. Macronutrient selection of free-ranging urban Australian white ibis (Threskiornis moluccus). Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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17
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Machovsky‐Capuska GE, Coogan SCP, Simpson SJ, Raubenheimer D. Motive for Killing: What Drives Prey Choice in Wild Predators? Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel E. Machovsky‐Capuska
- The Charles Perkins Centre The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary Science The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | - Sean C. P. Coogan
- The Charles Perkins Centre The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | - Stephen J. Simpson
- The Charles Perkins Centre The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- The Charles Perkins Centre The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary Science The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
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