The selection by the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) of spring plant food items according to their nutritional values.

Shino Furusaka,Yoshihiro Umemura,Tomoko Naganuma,Koji Yamazaki,Shinsuke Koike,Chinatsu Kozakai,Yui Nemoto

doi:10.3897/zookeys.672.10078

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the nutritional aspects of the bear diet quantitatively, in order to understand plant food selection in spring. Bears were observed directly from April to July in 2013 and 2014, to visually recognize plant species consumed by bears, and to describe the foraging period in the Ashio-Nikko Mountains, central Japan. Leaves were collected from eight dominant tree species, regardless of whether bears fed on them in spring, and their key nutritional components analyzed: crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and total energy. Bears tended to consume fresh leaves of specific species in May, and nutritional analysis revealed that these leaves had higher CP and lower NDF than other non-food leaves. However, CP in consumed leaves gradually decreased, and NDF increased from May to July, when the bears’ food item preference changed from plant materials to ants. Bears may consume tree leaves with high CP and low NDF after hibernation to rebuild muscle mass.

Highlights

The composition of diets selected by wildlife has long been of interest to range and wildlife biologists
During early and late May, EN of food items had no significant effect on consumption; bears were significantly more likely to consume food items with a higher crude protein (CP) (KW test: early May: df = 6, P < 0.05 and late May: df = 7, P < 0.05) and a lower neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (KW test: early May: df = 6, P < 0.05 and late May: df = 7, P < 0.05). These results indicate that bears use spring plant food items with at least 27% CP and
We found that in spring, Asiatic black bears consumed plant foods with high CP and low NDF

Summary

Introduction

The composition of diets selected by wildlife has long been of interest to range and wildlife biologists. Mammals select food types based on relative abundance, seasonal availability, palatability, and nutritional content (e.g., Hanley 1982, Lambert 2010, Aryal et al 2015a, b). American black bears (Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780) consume higher protein foods in spring than in summer or fall (Mclellan 2011). This diet facilitates gains in bone and muscle mass in both adult and juvenile bears, with a concurrent loss in fat mass (McLellan 2011, Noyce et al 1997, Noyce and Garshelis 1998). The digestibility of plant foods is inversely proportional to their fiber content (Bunnel and Hamilton 1983, Pritchard and Robbins 1990)

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