Long-term trends in food habits of a relict brown bear population in northern Spain: the influence of climate and local factors

摘要: SUMMARY Relict endangered populations may be especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. A data series for period 1974‐2003 was used examine shifts in brown bear Ursus arctos food habits its south-westernmostEuropeanpopulation.Thisfocused on hyperphagic season, when bears gain fat thatisessentialforwinterdormancyandreproduction. General climatic indicators were predictors diet trends. Other variables potentially able modify brownbearfoodhabitsatthelocalscalewereaccounted by considering two areas where local conditions changed different ways during study period. such as temperature and winter North Atlantic Oscillation index good some trends, although factors seemed modulate potential response recent Boreal temperate fooditemsdecreasinglycontributedtobrownbeardiet, replacedbyincreasingcontributionsofsouthernfoods, which suggested that warmer temperatures might determine occurrence items Cantabrian through plant distribution phenology. At scale, high cattle density one limited foodsourcesavailableforbrownbears.Importantfood sources bears, heath-like Vaccinium formationsandold-growthoakforestintheCantabrian Mountains, require increased levels protection.