Abstract
The brown bear Ursus arctos L., 1758 population of the Cantabrian Mountains (northwestern Spain) became isolated from other bear populations in Europe about 500 years ago and has declined due to hunting and habitat degradation. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Cantabrian population split into eastern and western subpopulations, and genetic exchange between them ceased. In the early 1990s, total population size was estimated to be < 100 bears. Subsequently, reduction in human-caused mortality has brought about an increase in numbers, mainly in the western subpopulation, likely promoting male-mediated migration and gene flow from the western nucleus to the eastern. To evaluate the possible genetic recovery of the small and genetically depauperate eastern subpopulation, in 2013 and 2014 we genotyped hair and faeces samples (116 from the eastern subpopulation and 36 from the western) for 18 microsatellite markers. Data from the annual count of females with cubs of the year (COY) during the past twenty-six years was used to analyze demographic changes. The number of females with COY fell to a minimum of seven in the western and three in eastern subpopulations in the biennium 1993–1994 and reached a respective maximum of 54 and 10 individuals in 2013–2014. We also observed increased bear dispersal and gene flow, mainly from the western to the eastern subpopulation. Of the 26 unique genotypes detected in the eastern subpopulation, 14 (54%) presented an admixture composition, and seven (27%) were determined to be migrants from the western subpopulation. Hence, the two separated and clearly structured subpopulations identified in the past currently show some degree of genetic admixture. This research shows the partial demographic recovery and a change in genetic composition due to migration process in a population of bears that has been isolated for several centuries.
Highlights
In recent centuries, large carnivore populations have been declining worldwide due to human intervention and habitat destruction (Treves & Karanth, 2003), but in the past 40 years, species resilience, species protection, land sharing programmes, and ongoing conservation of wilderness zones has supported partial recovery in areas of Europe andHow to cite this article Gonzalez et al (2016), Genetic and demographic recovery of an isolated population of brown bear Ursus arctos L., 1758
The brown bear Ursus arctos may be a good model for study of the impact of population distribution on the genetic diversity of large mammals (Davison et al, 2011; Karamanlidis et al, 2012; Straka et al, 2012; Taberlet & Bouvet, 1994)
Using Poisson regression, the estimated rate of exponential growth from 1994 to 2014 was 10.1% (CI 95%: 7.8–12.4; p < 0.0001) for the western subpopulation and 10.4% (CI 95%: 5.0–16.4; p = 0.0002) for the eastern subpopulation (Fig. 3)
Summary
Large carnivore populations have been declining worldwide due to human intervention and habitat destruction (Treves & Karanth, 2003), but in the past 40 years, species resilience, species protection, land sharing programmes, and ongoing conservation of wilderness zones has supported partial recovery in areas of Europe andHow to cite this article Gonzalez et al (2016), Genetic and demographic recovery of an isolated population of brown bear Ursus arctos L., 1758. The brown bear Ursus arctos may be a good model for study of the impact of population distribution on the genetic diversity of large mammals (Davison et al, 2011; Karamanlidis et al, 2012; Straka et al, 2012; Taberlet & Bouvet, 1994). The recent increase, expansion, and secondary contact processes occurring in some fragmented bear populations may have helped to improve their demographic status. An example of this is the recovery of the brown bear in Finland (Hagen et al, 2015), where the range contraction a century ago produced genetic structuring and led to at least two separate populations. Assignment probabilities of individuals suggested expansion from the southern subpopulation of Finland, which was supported by gradually increasing heterozygosity, allelic richness, and average numbers of alleles in the southern subpopulation (Hagen et al, 2015)
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