Human recreation impacts seasonal activity and occupancy of American black bears (Ursus americanus) across the anthropogenic-wildland interface

Abstract

Protected areas serve an important role in wildlife conservation, yet most wildlife occur outside these areas, subject to varying degrees of human disturbance. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, American black bears (Ursus americanus), a highly mobile, opportunistic species, are common despite an extensive outdoor recreation industry with the potential to affect black bear spatial and temporal activity. We investigated how environmental and anthropogenic factors influence black bear occupancy, detection, and diel activity patterns across the anthropogenic–wildland interface before and after hibernation. Using 30 camera traps deployed across a rural–wildland interface, we captured black bears at 23 camera sites (~ 77%), which exhibited co-occurrence with humans at 10 sites (~ 33%), revealing that human presence and human population density exert negative effects on black bear seasonal occupancy. Bears were more nocturnal during the hunting season, before hibernation. Human recreational activity increased ~ 38% after hibernation, but bear diurnal activity also increased ~ 36%, except when cubs were present. Our results suggest bears prioritize avoiding humans spatially, rather than temporally, except during the hunting season and when cubs are present. Understanding black bear responses to human recreation patterns and environmental variation is essential for minimizing human-mediated disturbance, and fueling conservation efforts of large, charismatic carnivores.

Bed-site selection of Asiatic black bears in the Central Alps, Japan

“…In our study, approximately 70% of the bed sites were classified as night bed sites. It is well-known that bears are generally diurnal (e.g., Larivia `re et al 1994, MacHutchon et al 1998, Kaczensky et al 2006, although they shift to being nocturnal in areas with high human disturbance (Arimoto et al 2014, Ordiz et al 2017, Hubbard et al 2022. Our study targeted bed sites located at an average distance of 945 m away from the boundary with the human-dominant landscapes (i.e., bed sites with relatively low human disturbance), so it is likely that these bears were more diurnal than were bears in the vicinity of human-dominant landscapes (Mori and Izumiyama, in press).…”

Diel activity structures the occurrence of a mammal community in a human‐dominated landscape

“…Individual species or communities may react differently to the cost or benefit of using a space during a given diel time period or season (Ellington et al., 2020 ; Gaynor et al., 2018 ; Murray & St. Clair, 2015 ; Riley et al., 2003 ). For example, studies have shown that predators such as pumas ( Puma concolor ) and bobcats ( Lynx rufus ) are more active at night in areas of higher human disturbance (Lewis et al., 2015 ), and white‐tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) and American black bear ( Ursus americanus ) can become more nocturnal during certain times of the year in response to hunting activity (Hubbard et al., 2022 ; Kilgo et al., 1998 ). Coyotes ( Canis latrans ) are often more nocturnal in areas where the population has been historically exploited (Atwood et al., 2004 ) and their diel activity can shift based on the extent and temporal patterns of human disturbance (Melville et al., 2020 ; Way et al., 2004 ).…”