Kindberg, Jonas
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
ContextIn mammals, reproductive strategies and movement behavior can differ between sexes, influenced by biological and environmental factors. Whereas males typically adopt a "roam-to-mate" strategy, increasing movement to locate females, females may also adjust their behavior to enhance mating opportunities. Habitat and human disturbance can further shape the spatial structure of mating encounters.ObjectivesThis study investigates sex-specific habitat use during mating in brown bears. We test (1) which habitats facilitate initial male-female encounters, and (2) how habitat use differs between solitary and consorting individuals, focusing on sex-based differences and responses to anthropogenic features.MethodsWe used GPS data from 70 unique adult brown bears (44 females, 26 males) during the mating season in Sweden (2006-2016). We contrasted initial encounter areas of male-female pairs with surrounding available habitat to assess encounter site preferences, accounting for natural and anthropogenic landscape features. Additionally, we compared habitat use for each sex when solitary versus consorting.ResultsBears most often encountered the opposite sex in clearcuts and young forests. When consorting, males moved farther away from anthropogenic areas than when solitary and increased their use of clearcuts, whereas females reduced their use of young and old forests, in contrast to males. Both sexes approached roads more when consorting.ConclusionThis study revealed distinct sex-specific habitat preferences during brown bear consorting behavior, supporting the evidence of female "roam-to-mate" behavior by adjusting to males' habitat use. Our findings emphasize the importance of managing anthropogenic landscapes for conservation efforts, especially if they disrupt mating behaviors.
Keywords
Brown bear; Ursus arctos; Resource selection; Movement behavior; Social behavior; Reproduction
Published in
Landscape Ecology
2025, volume: 40, number: 12, article number: 222
Publisher: SPRINGER
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Ecology
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02250-6
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/145293