Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus) display selective behaviors while foraging bromeliads (Puya spp.) in high elevation puna grasslands.

ABSTRACT: Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus) forage extensively on bromeliads (Puya spp.) across their range, although their selectivity for bromeliads is less understood. We report on foraging activity by Andean bears on two species of bromeliad, Puya leptostachya and Puya membranacea, in high elevation puna grasslands (3499-3806 m.a.s.l) within and near Manu National Park (MNP) in SE Peru. We established two ridgeline transects (inside and outside MNP) with perpendicular transects running downslope. We recorded whether bromeliad plants were foraged by Andean bears on four separate sampling occasions that included wet and dry seasons from July 2017 to August 2018. We observed foraging by Andean bears at 6.8% of the available individual plants spread across 16.7% of the available patches. We utilized

SUBMITTER: Pilfold NW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11654964 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature