Resource pulses and human–wildlife conflicts: linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damages
Abstract Pulsed resources have prominent effects on community and ecosystem dynamics; however, there is little research on how resource pulses affect human–wildlife interactions. Tree masting is a common type of pulsed resource that represents a crucial food for many species and has important bottom...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.302 |
| _version_ | 1797894243487842304 |
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| author | Carlos Bautista Julian Oeser Tobias Kuemmerle Nuria Selva |
| author_facet | Carlos Bautista Julian Oeser Tobias Kuemmerle Nuria Selva |
| author_sort | Carlos Bautista |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Pulsed resources have prominent effects on community and ecosystem dynamics; however, there is little research on how resource pulses affect human–wildlife interactions. Tree masting is a common type of pulsed resource that represents a crucial food for many species and has important bottom‐up effects in food webs. In anthropogenic landscapes, years of food shortage after mast years can have negative outcomes for both people and wildlife, for instance when an increased use of anthropogenic foods by animals exacerbates human–wildlife conflicts. Here, we used novel remote sensing indicators of forest productivity and phenology, together with weather cues and ground measures of mast production, to assess whether years of masting and crop failures lead to changes in human–wildlife conflict occurrence. We used a unique 14‐year dataset including the production of European beech Fagus sylvatica seeds and brown bear Ursus arctos damage in the northeastern Carpathians as our model system. Linking these data in a panel regression framework, we found that temporal fluctuations in damage occurrence were sensitive to the year‐to‐year variation in beechnut production. Specifically, the number of damages during bear hyperphagia (i.e., September to December, when bears need to accumulate fat reserves prior to hibernation) was significantly higher in years with low beechnut production than in normal or mast years. Furthermore, we provide evidence that beech masting and failure can be predicted through a combination of remote‐sensing, weather, and field indicators of forest productivity and phenology. We demonstrate how pulsed resources, such as tree masting, can percolate through food webs to amplify human–wildlife conflict in human‐dominated landscapes. Given the recent range expansion of large carnivores and herbivores in many regions, including Europe, predicting years of natural food shortage can provide a pathway to proactive damage prevention, and thus to foster coexistence between wildlife and people. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:05:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-36daf9ae051a43be820f227eaa3258a8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-3485 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:05:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-36daf9ae051a43be820f227eaa3258a82023-02-27T08:17:25ZengWileyRemote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation2056-34852023-02-01919010310.1002/rse2.302Resource pulses and human–wildlife conflicts: linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damagesCarlos Bautista0Julian Oeser1Tobias Kuemmerle2Nuria Selva3Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IOP PAN) Adama Mickiewicza 33 31-120 Kraków PolandGeography Department Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin GermanyGeography Department Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin GermanyInstitute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IOP PAN) Adama Mickiewicza 33 31-120 Kraków PolandAbstract Pulsed resources have prominent effects on community and ecosystem dynamics; however, there is little research on how resource pulses affect human–wildlife interactions. Tree masting is a common type of pulsed resource that represents a crucial food for many species and has important bottom‐up effects in food webs. In anthropogenic landscapes, years of food shortage after mast years can have negative outcomes for both people and wildlife, for instance when an increased use of anthropogenic foods by animals exacerbates human–wildlife conflicts. Here, we used novel remote sensing indicators of forest productivity and phenology, together with weather cues and ground measures of mast production, to assess whether years of masting and crop failures lead to changes in human–wildlife conflict occurrence. We used a unique 14‐year dataset including the production of European beech Fagus sylvatica seeds and brown bear Ursus arctos damage in the northeastern Carpathians as our model system. Linking these data in a panel regression framework, we found that temporal fluctuations in damage occurrence were sensitive to the year‐to‐year variation in beechnut production. Specifically, the number of damages during bear hyperphagia (i.e., September to December, when bears need to accumulate fat reserves prior to hibernation) was significantly higher in years with low beechnut production than in normal or mast years. Furthermore, we provide evidence that beech masting and failure can be predicted through a combination of remote‐sensing, weather, and field indicators of forest productivity and phenology. We demonstrate how pulsed resources, such as tree masting, can percolate through food webs to amplify human–wildlife conflict in human‐dominated landscapes. Given the recent range expansion of large carnivores and herbivores in many regions, including Europe, predicting years of natural food shortage can provide a pathway to proactive damage prevention, and thus to foster coexistence between wildlife and people.https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.302Fagus sylvaticahuman–wildlife conflictmastingremote sensingresource pulsesUrsus arctos |
| spellingShingle | Carlos Bautista Julian Oeser Tobias Kuemmerle Nuria Selva Resource pulses and human–wildlife conflicts: linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damages Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation Fagus sylvatica human–wildlife conflict masting remote sensing resource pulses Ursus arctos |
| title | Resource pulses and human–wildlife conflicts: linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damages |
| title_full | Resource pulses and human–wildlife conflicts: linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damages |
| title_fullStr | Resource pulses and human–wildlife conflicts: linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damages |
| title_full_unstemmed | Resource pulses and human–wildlife conflicts: linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damages |
| title_short | Resource pulses and human–wildlife conflicts: linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damages |
| title_sort | resource pulses and human wildlife conflicts linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damages |
| topic | Fagus sylvatica human–wildlife conflict masting remote sensing resource pulses Ursus arctos |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.302 |
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