Long-distance,
long-term movements
of Apennine brown bear
outside its core area
Carotenuto, Pizzol, Di Clemente, Caporioni, Donfrancesco,
Guj, Lecce, Monaco, Peria, Saltari, Serafini, Tarquini
REGIONE LAZIO, Regional monitoring network of Ursus arctos
marsicanus
Davoli, ISPRA
WHAT
Ursus arctos marsicanus
(Altobello, 1921)
Apennine brown bear
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
very high human-induced mortality
very small population
high population density in a small
area
low genetic diversity
human disturbance
human conflicts
SOURCES:
Lista Rossa Vertebrati
Italiani, 2013
Piano d’Azione per la Tutela
dell’Orso Marsicano, 2011
Final reports of LIFE
ARCTOS, 2012-2013
WHY
FOUR KEY-POINTS (AMONG MANY!) FOR
BEAR CONSERVATION
Reduction of human-induced
mortality
Demographic increase
Range expansion
Adaptive management based
on monitoring and scientific
knowledge
WHERE
peripheral range
Latium
and a belt across the
border with Abruzzo
Map of core area and peripheral
area from Action Plan for
Conservation Apennine Brown Bear,
2011.
http://www.minambiente.it/sites/def
ault/files/archivio/allegati/biodiv
ersita/cartografia_om_modello_distr
ibuzione.pdf
DATA COLLECTION
WHEN
from January 2005 to Dec. 2007:
opportunistic without sampling design
from January 2008 to February 2014:
opportunistic with sampling design:
- different sampling effort in different areas
- standardized system of data collection
DATA COLLECTION
WHAT
Bear signs: scats, hairs,
footprints, direct sightings,
photos, scratch marks,
feeding sites, feeding
leftovers, beds, turned
boulders
NON INVASIVE
GENETIC
SAMPLING
11 loci,
AMG gene for sex id.
all validated and classified according to their
reliability applying a set of standard criteria
RESULTS
NUMBER OF BEAR EVENTS PER YEAR
60
TOTAL NUMBER
OF BEAR EVENTS
226
50
40
30
20
10
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
RESULTS
NUMBER OF BEAR EVENTS WITH POSITIVE GENETIC
RESULTS: 78.4% (GENOTYPES: 36.5%)
NUMBER OF
IDENTIFIED
GENOTYPES: 6
ID
no. of
samples
65
18
70
2
72
13
86
14
76
7
89
4
SEX:
ALL
MALES
RESULTS
UMBRIA
BEAR EVENTS
SITES
ABRUZZO
LAZIO
RESULTS
GENOTYPE 65
“PIAZZABÒ”
RESULTS
GENOTYPE 70
“ULISSE”
External data from courtesy of:
Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini,
Università La Sapienza, Parco
Naturale Regionale Sirente - Velino
RESULTS
GENOTYPE 72
“FERROIO”
External data from courtesy of: Corpo
Forestale dello Stato, Parco Nazionale
d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, Università
La Sapienza, LIFE-ARCTOS, LIFE-Tutela
Siti Natura 2000 CFS
RESULTS
GENOTYPE 86
RESULTS
GENOTYPE 76
RESULTS
GENOTYPE 89
DISCUSSION AND HYPOTHESES
BEAR EVENTS
DISTRIBUTION
ECOLOGICAL HOTSPOTS
1) DIFFERENT DATA
COLLECTION EFFORTS
2) DIFFERENT BEHAVIOUR
IN DIFFERENT AREAS?
Transit areas vs dwelling
areas
3) HIGHER SUITABILITY?
OR SOMETHING ELSE?
low level of disturbance in
protected areas ⇒ no
hunting in fall and winter
DISCUSSION AND HYPOTHESES
MOVEMENT TYPES AND DIRECTIONS
SOUTH – NORTH (genot. 86):
EMIGRATION FROM the
CORE AREA
NORTH – SOUTH (genot. 70, 72):
IMMIGRATION TOWARDS the
CORE AREA
WE DON’
DON’T KNOW THE EXACT ROUTES
…BUT A CONNECTIVITY DOES EXIST!
DISCUSSION AND HYPOTHESES
MOVEMENT TYPES AND SEX
ONLY MALES
Dispersal: typical male process in most mammals (but...)
Krofer et al. (2010), Caboni et al. (2010): back-and-forth movements
of only males
Female bear philopatry: demonstrated in many areas, i.e. Caboni et
al. (2010), Zedrosser et al (2007), Swenson et al. (1998)
Reproductive advantage of males
growing in the peripheral area (no
resource competition): do they come
back to females stronger and more
appealing? …fanta-ethology!!!! GDC
DISCUSSION AND HYPOTHESES
WHAT
ABOUT
FEMALES?
1 event, 1 corresponding
genotype in 2003 in
peripheral area
72 events, 8 genotypes in
the outermost sector of core
area in less than four years
SOURCE AREA FOR FUTURE
“PERIPHERAL FEMALES ”?
MANAGEMENT DIRECTIONS
Need for much more:
more
1) territory surveillance
2) new approach for large scale land
protection
3) public bodies: coordination, early
warning and rapid response, proactive actions
MANAGEMENT OF
PERIPHERAL RANGE
TAKE HOME MESSAGES
Long-distance,
long-term
movements
documented for
the first time in the
Apennines
from and toward the
core area
protected areas as
stepping stones
High number of genotypes (6)
in the peripheral range, all males
AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Personnel of Simbruini Regional Park, Duchessa Regional
Reserve, Posta Fibreno Regional Reserve: their field work
is unvaluable
Patrizia
Giangregorio
(ISPRA)
Massimiliano De
Persis, Francesco
Culicelli, Daniele
Valfré
Cinzia Sulli, Leonardo
Gentile (PNALM)
Paolo Ciucci,
Elisabetta Tosoni
(Univ. La
Sapienza)
Many officers of
Corpo Forestale
dello Stato
Riserva Zompo lo Schioppo