Article
Virology
Arturo Oliver-Guimera, Alzbeta Hejtmankova, Kenneth Jackson, Patricia A. Pesavento
Summary: Polyomaviruses are ancient DNA viruses that infect various species of animals. Black bears are the natural hosts for Ursus americanus polyomavirus 1 (UaPyV1), with the virus detected in tissues of six out of seven bears submitted for examination. However, there is currently no evidence of a specific disease associated with UaPyV1 infection in this small group of bears.
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joanna Klees van Bommel, Catherine Sun, Adam T. Ford, Melissa Todd, A. Cole Burton
Summary: The urban-wildland interface is expanding and increasing the risk of human-wildlife conflict. In this study, we investigated black bear habitat use in a North American hotspot of conflict and found that bears modify their behaviors by avoiding humans in space and time, but conflicts still occur in summer and autumn.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Don W. Hardeman Jr, Hannah B. Vander Zanden, J. Walter McCown, Brian K. Scheick, Robert A. McCleery
Summary: Growing human populations and development have led to increased conflicts between humans and carnivores, especially bears. Wildlife managers often remove bears from developed areas under the assumption that they will become food conditioned and more likely to cause conflicts. However, our study using isotopic values of bear hair found that the presence of bears in developed areas does not necessarily indicate food conditioning. Therefore, assumptions about bears in developed areas should not be made based solely on observations of their behavior.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ludovick Brown, Maikel Rosabal, Christian Dussault, Jon M. Arnemo, Boris Fuchs, Andreas Zedrosser, Fanie Pelletier
Summary: This study investigated the long-term lead (Pb) exposure in American black bears in areas with higher big game harvest densities in Quebec, Canada. The results showed that female black bears had higher tooth Pb concentrations in these areas, and older bears had higher tooth Pb concentrations compared to younger ones. The study suggests that hunters may drive mammalian scavengers into an evolutionary trap due to increased Pb exposure from bullet fragments.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Michael J. Hooker, Joseph D. Clark, Bobby T. Bond, Michael J. Chamberlain
Summary: Habitat fragmentation and loss have negative impacts on the isolation and extinction risks of American black bear populations. The study found limited demographic connectivity between the central Georgia bear population and surrounding bear populations, and the establishment of corridors may have marginal effects on gene flow.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Melanie R. Boudreau, Mariela G. Gantchoff, Laura Conlee, Charles Anderson, Nathaniel R. Bowersock, Jerrold L. Belant, Raymond B. Iglay
Summary: Having reproducible and transparent science-based processes is crucial in wildlife management, especially when establishing harvest frameworks. This study provides an example of using multiple data sets to assess spatial and temporal vulnerability of black bear harvest, resulting in the establishment of bear management zones and timing recommendations to limit female harvest bias.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Benjamin Kilham, James R. Spotila
Summary: New data on black bear social structure revealed the presence of a matrilinear hierarchy, where dominant females compete and establish control over food, space, and younger bears. Affiliative behavior between bears, both related and unrelated, helps to establish the social structure of the bear community.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hannah S. Tiffin, Michael J. Skvarla, Erika T. Machtinger
Summary: The study indicates that black bears may play an important role in tick ecology and dispersal, as all three mobile life-stages of Ixodes scapularis were found parasitizing black bears in a region with high numbers of Lyme disease cases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Matthew J. Gould, James W. Cain, Todd C. Atwood, Larisa E. Harding, Heather E. Johnson, Dave P. Onorato, Frederic S. Winslow, Gary W. Roemer
Summary: The genetic structure of the American black bear in the American Southwest and northern Mexico was studied using microsatellites and a sample of 550 bears. The study found that the fragmentation of habitat following the glacial period was the main factor contributing to genetic subdivision, while contemporary anthropogenic barriers had less impact on gene flow.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emily E. Puckett, Isis S. Davis, Dawn C. Harper, Kazumasa Wakamatsu, Gopal Battu, Jerrold L. Belant, Dean E. Beyer, Colin Carpenter, Anthony P. Crupi, Maria Davidson, Christopher S. DePerno, Nicholas Forman, Nicholas L. Fowler, David L. Garshelis, Nicholas Gould, Kerry Gunther, Mark Haroldson, Shosuke Ito, David Kocka, Carl Lackey, Ryan Leahy, Caitlin Lee-Roney, Tania Lewis, Ashley Lutto, Kelly McGowan, Colleen Olfenbuttel, Mike Orlando, Alexander Platt, Matthew D. Pollard, Megan Ramaker, Heather Reich, Jaime L. Sajecki, Stephanie K. Sell, Jennifer Strules, Seth Thompson, Frank van Manen, Craig Whitman, Ryan Williamson, Frederic Winslow, Christopher B. Kaelin, Michael S. Marks, Gregory S. Barsh
Summary: Color variation in large mammals is not well understood, unlike in small mammals. The American black bear exhibits color variation, including a cinnamon morph similar to the brown bear. A single major locus in the TYRP1 gene was identified to affect hair color, and a specific missense alteration was found to decrease pigment production.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Jennifer Vonk
Summary: By training an American black bear, it was found that the bear was able to choose the correct response button for a preferred food item but struggled with a less preferred food item. This study represents the first attempt to train a bear to indicate its preferences using a Likert scale-like method, and it could be beneficial for improving animal welfare.
Article
Ecology
Joshua D. Alston, Joseph D. Clark, Daniel B. Gibbs, John Hast
Summary: This study used spatially explicit capture-recapture methods to estimate the abundance and growth of reintroduced American black bear population in Kentucky and Tennessee. The results showed that hunting seasons had minimal impact on the population growth, and genetic diversity was retained. This could be attributed to the lack of conspecifics, highly productive habitat, and initial age and sex distribution.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Genevieve Pugesek, Matthew A. Mumma, Shane P. Mahoney, Lisette P. Waits
Summary: This study utilized molecular methods to assess the consumption of ungulates by American black bears in a diversionary feeding program. Results showed that factors such as gender, year, and implementation of the diversionary feeding program did not affect the bears' consumption of caribou and moose.
Article
Ecology
Nalleli E. Lara-Diaz, Heli Coronel-Arellano, Christian A. Delfin-Alfonso, Maria Eugenia Espinosa-Flores, Juan L. Pena-Mondragon, Carlos A. Lopez-Gonzalez
Summary: The study assessed and validated long-distance corridors for black bears in the southern distribution by using resistance models, occurrence records, and radio-telemetry data. It identified connectivity core areas and important corridors through Natural Protected Areas, emphasizing the need for monitoring dispersal individuals to understand the plasticity of organisms and the barriers they face.
Article
Ecology
Michelle L. Crabb, Matthew J. Clement, Andrew S. Jones, Kirby D. Bristow, Larisa E. Harding
Summary: This study investigates the habitat selection and home ranges of American black bears before and after the largest wildfire in Arizona history. The results show that after the fire, black bears continued to use all levels of burn severity and their home ranges did not expand.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2022)
