Use of stable isotopes to determine diets of living and extinct bears

Abstract

The potential use of stable-isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) to estimate bear diets was assessed in 40-day feeding trials using American black bears (Ursus americanus). Bear plasma and red blood cells have half-lives of ~4 days and ~28 days, respectively. The isotopic signature of bear plasma is linearly related to that of the diet, and with the exception of adipose tissue, there is no isotopic fractionation across bear tissues. Isotopic analyses were used to estimate the diets of three bear populations: Pleistocene cave bears (U. speleaus) in Europe, grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) inhabiting the Columbia River drainage prior to 1931, and brown bears (U. arctos) of Chichagof and Admiralty islands, Alaska. Cave bears were omnivores with terrestrially produced meat contributing from 41 to 78% (58 ± 14%) of their metabolized carbon and nitrogen. Salmon contributed from 33 to 90% (58 ± 23%) of the metabolized carbon and nitrogen in grizzly bears from the Columbia River drainage. Finally, most brown bears on Chichagof and Admiralty islands feed upon salmon during the late summer and fall; however, a subpopulation of bears exists that does not utilize salmon.