Herbivory Dominates the Spring Diet of American Black Bears (<i>Ursus americanus</i>) in a Wood Bison (<i>Bison bison athabascae</i>) Neonatal Range, Suggesting Minimal Bison Consumption.

ABSTRACT: Studying an organism's foraging behavior, especially for predator species, provides insight into their ecology, habitat needs, and interspecific relationships. American black bears (Ursus americanus) are generalist omnivores, with a diet primarily composed of vegetation and are known predators of a number of ungulate species, particularly their neonates. In this study, we analyzed the spring diet of black bears occupying the neonatal range of a small, threatened wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) herd in the Ronald Lake area of northeast Alberta to determine the predation risk of neonate bison. To estimate black bear consumption rates of bison, we used scat analysis and DNA metabarcoding to describe the spring diet of bears occupying the Ronald Lake wood bison herd's (RLBH)

SUBMITTER: Sharp ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12435978 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature