PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 7: Restoration, Resource Management, and Conservation.
Monday, August 4 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.
Home range dynamics of the Florida black bear in Ocala National Forest.
Moyer, Melissa*,1, McCown, James2, Eason, Thomas3, Oli, Madan1, 1 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, U.S.A.2 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, FL, U.S.A.3 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, FL, U.S.A.
ABSTRACT- An understanding of how animals distribute themselves across an available landscape is necessary for conservation and management planning, particularly for large carnivores existing in an increasingly human dominated landscape. The human population of central Florida is expanding rapidly which will result in loss and fragmentation of black bear habitat. Implementation of effective conservation measures will require an understanding of their space use patterns. Black bears were captured within a 50,000 ha study area in the Ocala National Forest (ONF) as part of a broader Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) study. All females and several males were fitted with radio-collars and then located with ground or aerial telemetry 2-3 times per week. Locations were compiled to estimate annual and seasonal home ranges using the minimum convex polygon. For each bear, the sizes of the annual and seasonal home ranges were quantified. A simultaneous display in ArcGIS of each home range estimate indicated significant overlap between bears. Overlapping areas were quantified. The space use pattern and how it may adjust with seasonal change could have important consequences for management and conservation, particularly as space becomes more limited in the future.
Key words: Ursus americanus floridanus, Florida black bear, home range overlap