GRIZZLY BEAR

Grizzly bear

Dan edge

Latin name: Ursus arctos horribilis

Extensive research on salmon–bear interactions has focused on the role that bears (Ursus arctos and U. americanus) play in provisioning terrestrial systems with marine-derived nutrients, but little attention has been paid to how the much higher bear population densities in salmon-bearing ecosystems then affect ecological communities. Salmon-supported brown bears secondarily consume large quantities of fruit and may thus serve as important seed dispersers, but the relative seed dispersal services provided by bears and birds are unknown (Taal Levi has been conducting research on bears and seed dispersal, you can read about it here: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/release/2018/01/great-scat-bears-n...).

More information

Did you know? While on this project, we were accosted by hikers for picking flowers despite having permits to collect plants in Glacier National Park.

Publications: 

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/release/2018/01/great-scat-bears-n...

Edge, W. D., C. L. Marcum, and S. L. Olson-Edge. 1990. Ecological distribution and grizzly bear use of Hedysarum sulphurescens in northwestern Montana and southeastern British Columbia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 104:435–438.