Macronutrient optimization and seasonal diet mixing in a large omnivore, the grizzly bear: a geometric analysis.

ABSTRACT: Nutrient balance is a strong determinant of animal fitness and demography. It is therefore important to understand how the compositions of available foods relate to required balance of nutrients and habitat suitability for animals in the wild. These relationships are, however, complex, particularly for omnivores that often need to compose balanced diets by combining their intake from diverse nutritionally complementary foods. Here we apply geometric models to understand how the nutritional compositions of foods available to an omnivorous member of the order Carnivora, the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos L.), relate to optimal macronutrient intake, and assess the seasonal nutritional constraints on the study population in west-central Alberta, Canada. The models examined the proportion of macron

SUBMITTER: Coogan SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4026535 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature