Article
Environmental Sciences
Ludovick Brown, Boris Fuchs, Jon M. Arnemo, Jonas Kindberg, Ilia Rodushkin, Andreas Zedrosser, Fanie Pelletier
Summary: Brown bears in Sweden have higher blood lead levels compared to other populations, and this study found that the consumption of slaughter remains discarded by moose hunters is a likely significant pathway of lead exposure in female brown bears.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Boris Fuchs, Alexandra Thiel, Andreas Zedrosser, Ludovick Brown, Helle B. Hydeskov, Ilia Rodushkin, Alina L. Evans, Amanda H. Boesen, Anne Randi Graesli, Jonas Kindberg, Jon M. Arnemo
Summary: Exposure to lead remains a problem for wildlife species despite the overall reduction of Pb entering the environment, with Scandinavian brown bears showing high blood Pb concentrations that may have adverse effects on both individual and population levels. Lactating females have higher Pb blood concentrations compared to younger, non-lactating females.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matteo Pedrelli, Paolo Parini, Jonas Kindberg, Jon M. Arnemo, Ingemar Bjorkhem, Ulrika Aasa, Maria Westerstahl, Anna Walentinsson, Chiara Pavanello, Marta Turri, Laura Calabresi, Katariina Oorni, German Camejo, Ole Frobert, Eva Hurt-Camejo
Summary: Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels in hibernating brown bears are double those of healthy humans, yet bears do not show signs of early atherosclerosis. Analysis revealed higher levels of certain lipids in bear VLDL and LDL during winter, along with differences in lipid composition. Additionally, bear plasma demonstrated higher cholesterol efflux capacity and lower LDL binding to arterial proteoglycans compared to humans.
JOURNAL OF LIPID RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Vesna Orazem, Tadeja Smolej, Iztok Tomazic
Summary: This study examined the attitudes and knowledge of brown bears among secondary school students and found that factors like gender and encountering bears in nature significantly influenced their attitudes and knowledge. Other factors such as residence, owning a dog, having a hunter in the family, breeding livestock, and visiting a zoo had a smaller effect. The results indicated that greater knowledge was correlated with proconservation attitudes and reduced fear among the students.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
S. P. Finnegan, N. J. Svoboda, S. L. Schooler, J. L. Belant
Summary: Climate change is affecting the timing and availability of key food resources, leading to potential trophic mismatch in predator-prey interactions. A study conducted on brown bears in the Kodiak Archipelago found no decrease in salmon consumption despite variations in terrestrial and marine food overlap. However, future declines in salmon abundance due to climate change could negatively impact brown bear populations.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Neda Bogdanovic, Anne G. Hertel, Andreas Zedrosser, Milan Paunovic, Milan Plecas, Disko Cirovic
Summary: The study evaluated how seasonality and reproductive class affected diel movement patterns of brown bears in Serbia and found that different reproductive classes showed variations in movement distances and probability. Adult males, solitary females, and subadult males exhibited a crepuscular movement pattern, while females with offspring showed differences in movement between mating and hyperphagia seasons.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Lucie Lemiere, Alexandra Thiel, Boris Fuchs, Emmanuelle Gilot-Fromont, Anne G. Hertel, Andrea Friebe, Jonas Kindberg, Ole-Gunnar Stoen, Jon M. Arnemo, Alina L. Evans
Summary: Climate change can affect the timing of gestation in ursids, and this study aimed to understand the factors that influence the termination of embryonic diapause and parturition in brown bears. The study found that the termination of embryonic diapause was later in the northern area compared to the southern area and occurred earlier with higher ambient temperatures. The availability of bilberry also affected parturition timing and reproductive success, particularly in young adults.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alexander Kopatz, Oddmund Kleven, Ilpo Kojola, Jouni Aspi, Anita J. Norman, Goran Spong, Niclas Gyllenstrand, Love Dalen, Ida Floystad, Snorre B. Hagen, Jonas Kindberg, Oystein Flagstad
Summary: The study on the genetic connectivity between brown bear populations in Scandinavia and Karelia revealed asymmetric gene flow between the two populations, possibly influenced by different recovery histories and population densities. By coordinating monitoring efforts between neighboring countries, a better understanding of biological processes across relevant spatial scales was achieved.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Astrid Olejarz, Jouni Aspi, Ilpo Kojola, Vesa Nivala, Alina K. Niskanen, Jenni Harmoinen
Summary: This study combined genetic and spatial data on brown bears to examine the relationship between kinship and home range overlap. The results showed a positive correlation between relatedness and home range overlap among female brown bears. The study also found significant differences between central and eastern Finland in terms of relatedness and home range sizes. The findings highlight the importance of considering social structures in species management.
Article
Physiology
Alexandra Thiel, Sylvain Giroud, Anne G. Hertel, Andrea Friebe, Olivier Devineau, Boris Fuchs, Stephane Blanc, Ole-Gunnar Stoen, Timothy G. Laske, Jon M. Arnemo, Alina L. Evans
Summary: This study investigates the changes in biological rhythms of free-ranging brown bears over an annual cycle, focusing on the differences during hibernation compared to the active state. The results show that brown bears adjust their biological rhythms to the seasonal environment they inhabit.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Elias Papadopoulos, Anastasia Komnenou, Alexandros A. Karamanlidis, Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos, Domenico Otranto
Summary: Thelazia callipaeda, a zoonotic eyeworm transmitted by lachryphagus drosophilids, has spread in both Europe and the United States in recent years. This study reports brown bears as hosts of T. callipaeda for the first time, indicating a potential role in the maintenance of the parasite’s life cycle.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sylvain Giroud, Isabelle Chery, Mathilde Arrive, Michel Prost, Julie Zumsteg, Dimitri Heintz, Alina L. Evans, Guillemette Gauquelin-Koch, Jon M. Arnemo, Jon E. Swenson, Etienne Lefai, Fabrice Bertile, Chantal Simon, Stephane Blanc
Summary: Research shows that hibernating brown bears are able to avoid atherogenic hyperlipidemia during hibernation through mechanisms such as regulating lipoprotein and cholesterol metabolism, increasing antioxidant capacities, and lowering inflammatory markers levels. This allows the bears to manage large lipid fluxes without developing adverse atherogenic effects seen in non-hibernating animals and humans.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Flavio Augusto da Silva Coelho, Stephanie Gill, Crystal M. Tomlin, Marilena Papavassiliou, Sean D. Farley, Joseph A. Cook, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, George K. Sage, Timothy H. Heaton, Sandra L. Talbot, Charlotte Lindqvist
Summary: During the Late Pleistocene, there were ice sheets covering parts of North America. However, it is unclear whether ice-free refugia existed in the Alexander Archipelago along the SE Alaska coast during the last glacial maximum (LGM). Genetic analyses of black and brown bears in SE Alaska show that there were two subclades of black bears, one preglacial and one postglacial, that diverged over 100,000 years ago. Ancient brown bears are closely related to modern brown bears in the archipelago, suggesting colonization after the LGM. These findings suggest that there were no refugia in SE Alaska during the LGM, but vegetation quickly expanded after deglaciation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alberto Garcia-Rodriguez, Nuria Selva, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Jorg Albrecht, Clement Lionnet, Delphine Rioux, Pierre Taberlet, Marta De Barba
Summary: A study on the diet of brown bears in Tatra National Park revealed a marked seasonality, with fleshy-fruited plants being the main food source. Despite high levels of human disturbance, brown bears continue to play a key role as seed dispersers.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Ludovick Brown, Andreas Zedrosser, Jon M. Arnemo, Boris Fuchs, Jonas Kindberg, Fanie Pelletier
Summary: Hunters can influence the behavior of wildlife through fear, selective targeting, and altering resource availability. This study examined how the hunting activities of moose affected the resource selection of female brown bears in Sweden. The results showed that brown bears avoided areas where moose hunting activities were more likely to occur, selecting concealed locations in young and coniferous forests further away from roads during the hunting season. These findings highlight the indirect effects of hunting on brown bear behavior and suggest the need for considering these consequences when planning hunting seasons.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kevin S. White, Taal Levi, Jessica Breen, Meghan Britt, Justin Merondun, Daria Martchenko, Yasaman N. Shakeri, Boyd Porter, Aaron B. A. Shafer
Summary: Obtaining field data and analytical methods for wildlife population conservation and management are significant challenges, especially for species in difficult-to-reach landscapes or small, isolated populations. Integrating genetic and non-genetic data can enhance understanding of population dynamics. Studying a low-density mountain goat population, genetic and morphologic data indicated demographically isolated peninsular subpopulations and influenced sustainable harvest quotas. The importance of using genetic and morphologic data, along with demographic modeling, in delineating population boundaries and dynamics for small, isolated populations was highlighted.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jenny Urbina, Tara Chestnut, Jennifer M. Allen, Taal Levi
Summary: Our research shows that Pd can persist or even grow on common environmental substrates, with results dependent on whether microbial competitors have been eliminated. Although we observed clear rapid declines in Pd on soil, viable spores were harvested four months after inoculation. These results suggest that environmental substrates and guano can serve as infectious environmental reservoirs due to long-term persistence and even growth of live Pd.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Carla Julia da Silva Pessoa Vieira, Christine Steiner Sao Bernardo, David Jose Ferreira da Silva, Janaina Rigotti Kubiszeski, Eriana Serpa Barreto, Hamilton Antonio Oliveira Monteiro, Gustavo Rodrigues Canale, Carlos Augusto Peres, Aimee Leigh Massey, Taal Levi, Roberta Vieira de Morais Bronzoni
Summary: The study conducted landscape-scale mosquito surveillance in the southern Amazon to evaluate the relationship between forest disturbance and mosquito communities, focusing on arbovirus emergence. Results show that land-use change influences mosquito communities and may have implications for the emergence of arboviruses.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Marie Tosa, Emily H. Dziedzic, Cara L. Appel, Jenny Urbina, Aimee Massey, Joel Ruprecht, Charlotte E. Eriksson, Jane E. Dolliver, Damon B. Lesmeister, Matthew G. Betts, Carlos A. Peres, Taal Levi
Summary: Ecologists are seeing a renaissance in natural history, now characterized by technological advancements and statistical tools that enable systematic collection and analysis of detailed observations, providing a foundation for hypothetico-deductive research and conservation efforts. Next-generation natural history datasets have transformed anecdotal observations into robust scientific evidence, encouraging scientists to embrace detailed descriptions of nature and engaging both scientists and non-scientists in the wonders of the natural world.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
James T. Thorson, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Taal Levi, Gretchen H. Roffler
Summary: This article introduces a new method using a Tweedie generalized linear model (GLM) to analyze compositional data of prey. By statistically deriving the predator foraging process, future theoretical and applied developments can be inspired. The authors provide a new mvtweedie package and use two examples to demonstrate the application of this method and software.
Article
Ecology
Charlotte E. Eriksson, Daniel L. Z. Kantek, Selma S. Miyazaki, Ronaldo G. Morato, Manoel dos Santos-Filho, Joel S. Ruprecht, Carlos A. Peres, Taal Levi
Summary: Aquatic subsidies have a significant impact on jaguar diet and population density, as well as transforming their social behavior to include cooperative fishing and play interactions among same-sex adults.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aimee L. Massey, Roberta Vieira de Morais Bronzoni, David Jose Ferreira da Silva, Jennifer M. Allen, Patrick Ricardo de Lazari, Manoel dos Santos-Filho, Gustavo Rodrigues Canale, Christine Steiner Sao Bernardo, Carlos Augusto Peres, Taal Levi
Summary: Metabarcoding and iDNA sampling were used to study vertebrate diversity in 39 forested sites in the southern Amazon, with carrion flies showing the highest vertebrate species richness. Camera traps may have biases towards certain species.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Brent R. Barry, Katie Moriarty, David Green, Rebecca A. Hutchinson, Taal Levi
Summary: This study presents a comprehensive framework using camera traps and detection dogs to study wildlife space use and population occupancy. By applying a Bayesian spatial occupancy model, researchers successfully estimated the distribution of Pacific fishers in Oregon and identified unexpected findings. Through comparing models within different ecological regions, they determined patterns of habitat selection and spatial use by fishers.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gretchen H. Roffler, Charlotte E. Eriksson, Jennifer M. Allen, Taal Levi
Summary: Sea otters and wolves, two apex predators, have interacted for the first time after their ranges overlap, with sea otters becoming an abundant marine subsidy for wolves. The reintroduction and restoration of sea otters have caused a dietary switch in wolves, eliminating deer and linking nearshore and terrestrial food webs. This study highlights the unexpected nutrient pathway and cross-boundary subsidy cascades resulting from species restoration.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Joel Ruprecht, Michael J. Wisdom, Darren A. Clark, Mary M. Rowland, Taal Levi
Summary: Understanding how animals respond to changes in their habitat caused by natural disturbances is increasingly important. These disturbances can affect herbivores' use of the habitat, with changes in plant communities improving forage conditions but potentially reducing other habitat functions. Quantifying the overall effects of these disturbances is challenging and requires long-term observations to fully understand their impact.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Taal Levi, Aimee L. Massey
Article
Ecology
Cara L. Appel, Damon B. Lesmeister, Adam Duarte, Raymond J. Davis, Matthew J. Weldy, Taal Levi
Summary: Managing forests for biodiversity conservation while maintaining economic output is a major challenge globally. In the Pacific Northwest, USA, forest management is heavily influenced by the status of northern spotted owls, which have been in continued population decline for the past four decades. The monitoring program for northern spotted owls is transitioning from mark-resight surveys to a passive acoustic framework.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emily Dziedzic, Brian Sidlauskas, Richard Cronn, James Anthony, Trevan Cornwell, Thomas A. Friesen, Peter Konstantinidis, Brooke E. Penaluna, Staci Stein, Taal Levi
Summary: The use of eDNA for species detection is changing the way global biodiversity is monitored. However, the lack of regional, vouchered, genomic sequence information, especially including intraspecific variation, hinders management agencies from fully utilizing eDNA to monitor taxa and implement eDNA analyses. This study created a database of complete mitogenomic sequences for all of Oregon's fishes, providing valuable insights into the taxonomic value and limits of complete mitogenomic sequences and informing the development of future eDNA assays and environmental genomics methods.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Robert J. Lennox, Jacob W. Brownscombe, Chris Darimont, Andrij Horodysky, Taal Levi, Graham D. Raby, Steven J. Cooke
Summary: Human predators exploit animals at high rates, targeting different age classes and phenotypes. They have significant ecological and evolutionary impacts and can replace wild predators in maintaining ecosystem services. Poorly managed human activities can harm ecosystems and human well-being.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Phoebe Parker-Shames, Christopher Choi, Van Butsic, David Green, Brent Barry, Katie Moriarty, Taal Levi, Justin S. Brashares
Summary: The study mapped and characterized outdoor cannabis production in a large legacy cannabis-producing region of Southern Oregon during the first season of legal recreational production in 2016. The results showed that cannabis production areas were preferentially located in forested areas and undeveloped land, with smaller, spatially clustered farms. Cannabis farms were slightly closer to rivers, especially in areas predicted to have coho salmon presence.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2022)
