Bear-Inflicted Human Injuries in Yellowstone National Park, 1970-1994
The implementation of a new bear management program in Yellowstone National Park in 1970 began a new era in bear-human interactions within the park. The rate of bear-inflicted human injuries decreased from 2.7/million visitors from 1970 through 1979 to 0.5/million visitors from 1980 through 1994. This was primarily due to decreased roadside injuries from black […]
Attitudes toward and Relative Value of Alaskan Brown and Black Bears to Resident Voters, Resident Hunters, and Nonresident Hunters
We describe and compare the economic benefits to and attitudes of 3 groups who use Alaskan brown bears (Ursus arctos) and black bears (U. americanus) for viewing and hunting. We compare benefits each group derived from use of bears with benefits derived from use of other wildlife species. The groups analyzed were resident and nonresident […]
The Role of Human Dimensions in Wildlife Resource Research in Wildlife Management
The human dimension in wildlife resource (HDWR) management is increasingly recognized by wildlife managers as an important component to understand and to integrate into daily decision-making. The nature of human dimensions and HDWR research has changed from a traditional emphasis on hunters and big game species to economic issues. To aid bear (Ursidae) managers, I […]
Bear in Human Imagination and in Ritual
The place and significance of the bear image (related to Ursus spp.) in the worldview of the peoples inhabiting the northern hemisphere, Eurasia and North America, has been long recognized. In the U.S., Paul Shepard and Barry Sanders recently examined (1985) the bear representation, primarily in myth and literature, from an historical and ecological perspective. […]
Genetic Variation in Black Bear Populations from Louisiana and Arkansas: Examining the Potential Influence of Reintroductions from Minnesota
Using multilocus DNA fingerprinting, we assessed potential genetic effects that may have been caused by translocation of American black bears (Ursus americanus americanus) from Minnesota to Louisiana and Arkansas. The bear population in northeastern Minnesota exhibits less within-population genetic similarity (similarity within = 0.57) than bear populations in Louisiana and Arkansas (similarities within = 0.74)(P […]
Patterns of Genetic Diversity in a Black Bear Population Indicate Recent Immigration
To determine whether the recent history of a black bear (Ursus americanus) population includes significant immigration, we examined patterns of genetic diversity in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from 37 individuals from the upper North Fork of the Flathead River (NFFH), Montana. Two major evolutionary clades of lineages were identified which differed at an average of […]
Use of Microsatellite DNA Analyses to Infer Breeding Behavior and Demographic Processes in an Arctic Grizzly Bear Population
Analyses of microsatellite DNA, combined with behavioral observations, indicated that female grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Arctic have a large male gene pool from which to choose. Males from a large surrounding area bred successfully with the females in our study area and competed with males who centered most of their activities in the […]
Phylogeography of Brown Bears in Europe and Excremental PCR: The New Tool in the Genetic Analysis of Animals in the Wild
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) in western and eastern Europe reportedly have different evolutionary histories. This finding is based on the occurrence of 2 distinct clades of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genotypes in bear populations throughout Europe. Contact zones between populations of the 2 clades are found in Sweden and Romania. Patterns of variation below the species […]
A Comparison of Genetic Diversity in North American Brown Bears
To determine if threatened brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations of Montana and Wyoming have lower levels of genetic variation than other North American populations, we examined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear microsatellite DNA diversity in 220 brown bears from 5 areas: Kodiak Island, Alaska; Kluane National Park, Canada; Eastern Slope of the Rockies (East Slope), […]
Ecological Genetic Studies of Bears Using Microsatellite Analysis
We developed primers for typing microsatellite markers in American black bears (Ursus americanus). It was demonstrated that these primers can be used to type individuals from all bear species. Over 1,000 individuals from 8 species of bears (Ursidae) were typed to assess the efficacy of microsatellite analysis for studying several types of ecological genetic questions. […]