Relationship of Acorn Mast Production to Black Bear Population Growth Rates and Human—Bear Interactions in Northwestern South Carolina

Azad, Shefali; Wactor, Tammy; Jachowski, David S.

doi:10.1656/058.016.0210

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…These results corroborate a long history of research findings on conflicts between people and bears (Howe et al 2010, Baruch-Mordo et al 2014, Johnson et al 2015, Artelle et al 2016, Azad et al 2017). This research shows that when natural food is available, bears generally avoid humans, leading to reduced conflict; however, when food is scarce, bears seek out any available food source, coming into close contact with humans resulting in increased rates of conflict (Schorger 1946, Rogers 1987, Garshelis and Noyce 2007, Ryan et al 2007).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Experimental test of the efficacy of hunting for controlling human–wildlife conflict

et al. 2023

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Human-wildlife conflict can cause major declines in wildlife populations and pose a threat to human safety and livelihoods.Large carnivores are among the most conflict-prone species because they range widely, eat human-associated foods, and can pose a risk to human safety. Legal harvest of carnivores by licensed hunters is an attractive method to attempt to reduce conflict; however, there is mixed evidence for its effectiveness.We leveraged a unique management project in Ontario, Canada in which a new spring American black bear (Ursus americanus) hunting season was implemented in selected wildlife management units in addition to the existing fall season. We examined human-bear interactions and incidents before (2012 and 2013) and after (2014 and 2015) this implementation in treatment and control areas. Further, using data from 2004-2019, we examined the longer-term patterns of human-bear interactions and incidents before and after this management project when a spring season was implemented throughout the entire province beginning in 2016. Harvest increased significantly upon the implementation of the spring season in selected units, but there was no concomitant reduction in interactions or incidents, and these were higher in areas with the new spring season relative to control areas.Human-bear interactions, incidents, and harvest were strongly related to the availability of natural foods in all analyses. Regulated, presumably sustainable harvest was ineffective at reducing human-bear interactions and incidents in the near-

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Experimental test of the efficacy of hunting for controlling human–wildlife conflict

et al. 2023

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“…Apodemus speciosus is just one of numerous species worldwide that experience seasonal changes in tannin intake due to their reliance on acorns. Many of these species' population dynamics or social structure are directly linked to acorn production (Azad, Wactor, & Jachowski, 2017;Elkinton et al, 1996;McShea, 2000;Wolff, 1996). However, the complexities of these relationships are often realized (Díaz & Alonso, 2003;Selås, 2016).…”

Section: Implications Of Cold-induced Tannin Tolerancementioning

confidence: 99%

Cold temperature improves tannin tolerance in a granivorous rodent

Windley

Shimada

2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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The foraging ecology of mammalian herbivores is regulated in part by their ability to detoxify plant secondary metabolites (PSM). Ambient temperature has been shown to alter liver function in rodents and the toxicity of some PSMs, but little is known about the physiological and nutritional consequences of consuming PSMs at different ambient temperatures. Furthermore, the effect of ambient temperature on the response of mammals to the most ubiquitous class of PSM, tannins, is unknown. We measured the effect of temperature and tannin intake on liver function, and the subsequent effect on the tannin tolerance of wild Japanese wood mice, Apodemus speciosus. The experiment involved acclimation to one of two ambient temperatures (10°C or 20°C) followed by acclimation to a diet of acorns (6.2% tannin DW). Liver function was measured both before and after acclimation to acorns by measuring the clearance time of a hypnotic agent. Finally, the mice were fed only acorns in a 5‐day feeding experiment to assess their tolerance to tannin in the diet. Acclimation to acorns had a significant effect on liver function, but the direction of this effect was dependent on ambient temperature. Acorn consumption improved the liver function of wood mice at 10°C, but reduced liver function at 20°C, revealing a complex relationship between ambient temperature and tannin intake on liver function. Furthermore, mice with better liver function, indicated by faster clearance of the hypnotic agent, exhibited higher protein digestibility on an acorn‐only diet, indicative of higher tannin tolerance. These results suggest that environmental temperature plays a significant role in the tolerance of A. speciosus to tannins, providing new insight into their seasonal feeding behaviour and winter ecology. We contend that cold‐induced tannin tolerance may help to explain the population dynamics of mammalian herbivores with seasonal changes in the tannin content of their diet, and inform predictions about the response of these animals to a changing climate.

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“…Over the next decade, average annual harvest increased to 44.2 individuals (SE = 21.3), and from 2010 to 2015, average annual harvest was 79.8 individuals (SE = 30.7). Whereas there was some evidence that increased bear–human interactions could be attributed to cyclic food abundance (Azad et al ), increasing urbanization, recreation, or hunting effort, it was not known if it also stemmed from an expanding population. It was thus important for state wildlife managers to establish a more robust and accurate population estimate to review hunting options or revise conflict management strategies.…”

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Applying spatially explicit capture–recapture models to estimate black bear density in South Carolina

et al. 2019

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Population density is an important component of wildlife management decisions, but can be difficult to estimate directly for an itinerant, wide-ranging species such as the American black bear (Ursus americanus). In South Carolina, USA, where there has been growth in black bear populations and bear-human-conflict reports during the past several decades, managers need robust estimates of population size to inform management strategies. We used maximum-likelihood capture-recapture models, using hair snares to collect DNA samples, to estimate density and abundance for a harvested population of black bear in northwestern South Carolina during 2013 to 2014. Models were tested in a spatially explicit framework using the secr package in Program R. Black bear density was estimated at 0.133 bears/km 2 (SE = 0.034) in 2013 and 0.179 bears/km 2 (SE = 0.043) in 2014. Black bear abundance in our study area was estimated to be 586 bears (SE = 95) in 2013 and 680 bears (SE = 128) in 2014, which are 2-3-fold lower than previous estimates. We suggest that these estimates be considered a baseline for state biologists to employ in the population's management and in developing future harvest-regulation strategies. Overall our study highlighted the potential for model choice to influence density estimates, and we concluded that spatially explicit models were appropriate for this study because geographic closure could not be assumed.

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Relationship of Acorn Mast Production to Black Bear Population Growth Rates and Human—Bear Interactions in Northwestern South Carolina

Cited by 8 publications

References 49 publications

Experimental test of the efficacy of hunting for controlling human–wildlife conflict

Experimental test of the efficacy of hunting for controlling human–wildlife conflict

Cold temperature improves tannin tolerance in a granivorous rodent

Applying spatially explicit capture–recapture models to estimate black bear density in South Carolina

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