Population‐Level Assimilated Dietary Responses of Black Bears to Baiting
- 1Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan USA
- 2Department of Geosciences and Biological Sciences Idaho State University Pocatello Idaho USA
- 3Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment Marquette Michigan USA
Abstract
Wildlife feeding through intentional or unintentional practices can result in increased human‐wildlife conflict, disease transmission, population growth, and altered behavior. We quantified how spatial and temporal variation in black bear ( Ursus americanus ) bait availability within home ranges influenced black bear diet composition as mediated by sex and age. We tested carbon (δ ¹³ C) and nitrogen (δ ¹⁵ N) isotopes in hair samples from hunter‐harvested bears during pre‐baiting (about 1 May–9 August) and baiting (about 10 August–26 October) periods in Michigan, USA, 2017–2021 and used isotopic mixing models to estimate how diet varied between sexes and with spatially‐varying bait distribution. We used linear models to determine whether intrinsic (i.e., sex, age) and extrinsic (i.e., region, bait quantity and distribution) factors were correlated with δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁵ N enrichment of black bear hair during pre‐baiting and baiting periods while controlling for corn agriculture, distance from waste accumulation sites, and human population density. Proportion of anthropogenic food in black bear diet was greater during the baiting period, especially for female black bears, but bait density did not influence black bear diet composition. Black bear hair from the Northern Lower Peninsula was more enriched in δ ¹³ C as compared to the Upper Peninsula and had the greatest δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁵ N enrichment at about 10 years of age. Bait density and distribution did not influence δ ¹³ C or δ ¹⁵ N enrichment in black bear hair, potentially due to bait availability. Our results demonstrate that anthropogenic food from intentional and non‐intentional sources contributes substantially to black bear diet in Michigan, which may affect body condition, behavior, reproduction, and abundance.
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BibTeX
@article{schooler2026populationlevel,
title = {{Population‐Level Assimilated Dietary Responses of Black Bears to Baiting}},
author = {Sarah L. Schooler and Bruce P. Finney and Tyler R. Petroelje and D. Cody Norton and Dean E. Beyer and Jerrold L. Belant},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74575},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74575},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Population‐Level Assimilated Dietary Responses of Black Bears to Baiting
AU - Sarah L. Schooler
AU - Bruce P. Finney
AU - Tyler R. Petroelje
AU - D. Cody Norton
AU - Dean E. Beyer
AU - Jerrold L. Belant
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Ecology and Evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74575
UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74575
AB - Wildlife feeding through intentional or unintentional practices can result in increased human‐wildlife conflict, disease transmission, population growth, and altered behavior. We quantified how spatial and temporal variation in black bear ( Ursus americanus ) bait availability within home ranges influenced black bear diet composition as mediated by sex and age. We tested carbon (δ ¹³ C) and nitrogen (δ ¹⁵ N) isotopes in hair samples from hunter‐harvested bears during pre‐baiting (about 1 May–9 August) and baiting (about 10 August–26 October) periods in Michigan, USA, 2017–2021 and used isotopic mixing models to estimate how diet varied between sexes and with spatially‐varying bait distribution. We used linear models to determine whether intrinsic (i.e., sex, age) and extrinsic (i.e., region, bait quantity and distribution) factors were correlated with δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁵ N enrichment of black bear hair during pre‐baiting and baiting periods while controlling for corn agriculture, distance from waste accumulation sites, and human population density. Proportion of anthropogenic food in black bear diet was greater during the baiting period, especially for female black bears, but bait density did not influence black bear diet composition. Black bear hair from the Northern Lower Peninsula was more enriched in δ ¹³ C as compared to the Upper Peninsula and had the greatest δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁵ N enrichment at about 10 years of age. Bait density and distribution did not influence δ ¹³ C or δ ¹⁵ N enrichment in black bear hair, potentially due to bait availability. Our results demonstrate that anthropogenic food from intentional and non‐intentional sources contributes substantially to black bear diet in Michigan, which may affect body condition, behavior, reproduction, and abundance.
SN - 2045-7758
SN - 2045-7758
ER -