Despite the high volume of green vegetation in the spring diet, vegetative plant remains in feces are difficult to quantify and identify. Cuvier, 1823) mainly consume green vegetation during spring, such as newly emerged leaves or grasses ( Hashimoto and Takatsuki 1997, Hwang et al. Thus, the digestibility of plant foods is inversely proportional to their fiber content ( Bunnel and Hamilton 1983, Pritchard and Robbins 1990).Ĭurrent knowledge suggests that Asiatic black bears ( U. Because bears are non-cecal monogastric mammals, they are unable to efficiently digest fiber. This diet facilitates gains in bone and muscle mass in both adult and juvenile bears, with a concurrent loss in fat mass ( McLellan 2011, Noyce et al. American black bears ( Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780) consume higher protein foods in spring than in summer or fall ( Mclellan 2011). In contrast, spring feeding must provide nutrients to rebuild muscle mass lost during hibernation and support lactation in females that are nourishing cubs. Bears show a hyperphagia in autumn for key foods that help build fat reserves for hibernation. The feeding habits of bears before and after hibernation (autumn and spring, respectively) are of particular interest (e.g., Noyce and Garshelis 1998, McLellan 2011). Therefore, understanding the nutritional basis of dietary selection can help explain feeding phenology. The palatability and nutrient content of plant foods can show rapid temporal variations ( Panthi et al. Mammals select food types based on relative abundance, seasonal availability, palatability, and nutritional content (e.g., Hanley 1982, Lambert 2010, Aryal et al. Understanding the reasons underlying food choices is useful when developing and revising habitat management plans (e.g., Aryal et al. The composition of diets selected by wildlife has long been of interest to range and wildlife biologists. Bears may consume tree leaves with high CP and low NDF after hibernation to rebuild muscle mass. However, CP in consumed leaves gradually decreased, and NDF increased from May to July, when the bears’ food item preference changed from plant materials to ants. Bears tended to consume fresh leaves of specific species in May, and nutritional analysis revealed that these leaves had higher CP and lower NDF than other non-food leaves. Leaves were collected from eight dominant tree species, regardless of whether bears fed on them in spring, and their key nutritional components analyzed: crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and total energy. Bears were observed directly from April to July in 20, to visually recognize plant species consumed by bears, and to describe the foraging period in the Ashio-Nikko Mountains, central Japan. The present study aimed to investigate the nutritional aspects of the bear diet quantitatively, in order to understand plant food selection in spring.
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