Nutrient intake and its possible drivers in free-ranging European brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos).

ABSTRACT: The dietary nutrient profile has metabolic significance and possibly contributes to species' foraging behavior. The brown bear (Ursus arctos) was used as a model species for which dietary ingredient and nutrient concentrations as well as nutrient ratios were determined annually, seasonally and per reproductive class. Brown bears had a vertebrate- and ant-dominated diet in spring and early summer and a berry-dominated diet in fall, which translated into protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich diets, respectively. Fiber concentrations appeared constant over time and averaged at 25% of dry matter intake. Dietary ingredient proportions differed between reproductive classes; however, these differences did not translate into a difference in dietary nutrient concentrations, suggesting that bear

SUBMITTER: De Cuyper A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10227639 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature