Alberta grizzlies getting fatter, more fertile due to global warming, study says -
Research by the University of Alberta shows that grizzly bears in parts of the province are getting fatter and more fertile thanks to global warming.
The study conducted over 10 years found that warmer temperatures and easier access to food help grizzlies build more body fat and increase their likelihood of reproduction.
Bears in the more development-prone foothills of the Rockies are generally larger and healthier than those in remote old-growth forests in places like Jasper National Park, data shows.
“It is kind of contrary to what you would think,” said Scott Nielsen, a biologist in the university’s Department of Renewable Resources in Edmonton.
Bears in secluded alpine environments are less productive because they have a more limited food supply, Nielsen said. The down side is that animals that live closer to development have higher mortality rates.
“The bears do better, but they don’t live as long,” Nielsen said. “The important thing is controlling their interactions with people. They do quite well if left alone.”
Nielsen and colleagues at the Foothills Research Institute in Hinton monitored 112 grizzly bears over the duration of the study, which concluded in 2008. Funding for the project was received from more than 40 sources, including the Alberta Conservation Association, Canadian Wildlife Service, Carleton University, Environment Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Suncor, Syncrude and Weyerhaeuser.
Read more -
Research by the University of Alberta shows that grizzly bears in parts of the province are getting fatter and more fertile thanks to global warming.
The study conducted over 10 years found that warmer temperatures and easier access to food help grizzlies build more body fat and increase their likelihood of reproduction.
Bears in the more development-prone foothills of the Rockies are generally larger and healthier than those in remote old-growth forests in places like Jasper National Park, data shows.
“It is kind of contrary to what you would think,” said Scott Nielsen, a biologist in the university’s Department of Renewable Resources in Edmonton.
Bears in secluded alpine environments are less productive because they have a more limited food supply, Nielsen said. The down side is that animals that live closer to development have higher mortality rates.
“The bears do better, but they don’t live as long,” Nielsen said. “The important thing is controlling their interactions with people. They do quite well if left alone.”
Nielsen and colleagues at the Foothills Research Institute in Hinton monitored 112 grizzly bears over the duration of the study, which concluded in 2008. Funding for the project was received from more than 40 sources, including the Alberta Conservation Association, Canadian Wildlife Service, Carleton University, Environment Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Suncor, Syncrude and Weyerhaeuser.
Read more -
No comments:
Post a Comment