Leeper Hannah Jane, Steury Todd, Seals Chris
Auburn University, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL 36849, United States.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Department of Fish and Wildlife, 1201 East Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN 55744, United States.
J Mammal. 2025 May 30;106(4):965-975. doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaf026. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Human development and lack of habitat can impede spatial population growth for many species. The amount of habitable area available to American black bears has been drastically reduced, especially in the southeastern United States, causing some populations to face possible extirpation. Nonetheless, some Black Bear populations have begun to recover and recolonize portions of historic Black Bear range, despite human-dominated landscapes. The relationship between Black Bear population expansion and human development is especially apparent in Alabama. Our study makes predictions of the potential for population range expansion of black bears in Alabama. We created resource selection models for black bears via a Geographic Information System and location data from GPS-collared black bears. Our models suggested that there are areas of Alabama that could provide opportunities for population growth, allowing bear populations to expand toward their historic distribution. Understanding potential bear population expansion in Alabama could help to inform wildlife managers who are seeking to enhance bear populations and prepare for potential bear population growth in the state and elsewhere in the United States.
人类发展和栖息地缺失会阻碍许多物种的种群空间增长。美国黑熊可利用的适宜居住面积已大幅减少，尤其是在美国东南部，导致一些种群面临可能灭绝的困境。尽管如此，一些黑熊种群已开始恢复，并重新在历史上黑熊分布范围内的部分地区定居，尽管这些地区以人类活动为主。黑熊种群扩张与人类发展之间的关系在阿拉巴马州尤为明显。我们的研究对阿拉巴马州黑熊种群范围扩张的潜力进行了预测。我们通过地理信息系统和佩戴GPS项圈的黑熊的位置数据，为黑熊创建了资源选择模型。我们的模型表明，阿拉巴马州有些地区可为种群增长提供机会，使熊种群能够朝着其历史分布范围扩张。了解阿拉巴马州黑熊种群的潜在扩张情况，有助于为那些寻求增加该州黑熊数量并为美国其他地区及该州潜在的熊种群增长做好准备的野生动物管理者提供信息。
