Phenological tracking associated with increased salmon consumption by brown bears

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Animal Behavior
• Wildlife Conservation

Background:

• Phenological diversity and resource waves are crucial for mobile consumers.
• Understanding how consumers track resources is key to ecological dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify brown bear exploitation of salmon resource waves.
• To link bear foraging behavior to salmon consumption and diet.

Main Methods:

• GPS collaring of female brown bears to track space use.
• Stable isotope and mercury analyses of bear hair to estimate diet.

Main Results:

• Strong positive correlations found between time on salmon streams and salmon consumption.
• Individual foraging behavior was a better predictor of salmon consumption than annual salmon abundance.

Conclusions:

• Phenological tracking significantly influences brown bear foraging and diet.
• Individual variation in foraging behavior is critical for understanding resource consumption in Alaskan ecosystems.