ecology of two reintroduced black bear populations in the central appalachians

196 Pages·2016·2.23 MB·English

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Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food
Animal and Food Sciences
Sciences
2016
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Sean McCarthy Murphy
University of Kentucky, [email protected]
Digital Object Identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2016.076
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Murphy, Sean McCarthy, "ECOLOGY OF TWO REINTRODUCED BLACK BEAR POPULATIONS IN THE
CENTRAL APPALACHIANS" (2016). Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences. 61.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/animalsci_etds/61
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Sean McCarthy Murphy, Student
Dr. John J. Cox, Major Professor
Dr. David L. Harmon, Director of Graduate Studies
ECOLOGY OF TWO REINTRODUCED BLACK BEAR POPULATIONS
IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS

______________________________________________

DISSERTATION
______________________________________________

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the
Department of Animal and Food Sciences
at the University of Kentucky

By

Sean McCarthy Murphy

Lexington, Kentucky
Co-Directors: Dr. John J. Cox, Assistant Professor, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology
and: Dr. Michael J. Lacki, Professor, Wildlife Ecology and Management
Lexington, KY

Copyright © Sean McCarthy Murphy 2016
ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION

ECOLOGY OF TWO REINTRODUCED BLACK BEAR POPULATIONS
IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS

Reintroduced populations are vulnerable to demographic and environmental
stochasticity, deleterious genetic effects, and reduced population fitness, all of which can
increase extinction probability. Population viability is principle to determining the status
of reintroduced populations and for guiding management decisions. To attempt to
reestablish black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in the central Appalachians, two
reintroductions using small founder groups occurred during the 1990s in the Big South
Fork area along the Kentucky-Tennessee border (BSF) and in the Jefferson National
Forest along the Kentucky-Virginia border (KVP). My objectives were to estimate
demographic and genetic parameters, and to evaluate long-term viability and
reintroduction success for the KVP and BSF black bear populations.

The KVP grew rapidly to 317–751 bears with a significantly female-biased sex
ratio by 2013. Spatially explicit capture-recapture models suggested KVP recolonization
may continue to the southwest and northeast along linear mountain ridges. Based on
radio-monitoring during 2010–2014, high adult female survival and moderate mean litter
sizes were estimated in both populations. All mortality was anthropogenic and males
were 4.13 times more likely to die than females. Two-cub litters were most probable in
the BSF, whereas the KVP had similar probabilities of two- and three-cub litters. The
average annual mortality that occurred during the study period was sustainable and
allowed for moderate growth (λ = 1.10; λ = 1.13). Continued mortality at the
KVP BSF
higher 2015 rate, however, resulted in probabilities of ≥25% population decline over 10
years of 0.52–0.53 and 0.97–0.98 in the KVP and BSF, respectively.

Rapid population growth during the 13–17 years post-reintroduction and the
overlapping generations inherent to bears retained genetic diversity. Cumulative findings
indicated both reintroductions were successful at establishing viable, self-sustaining
populations over the long-term. The anthropogenic mortality rate during 2015, if
sustained, could cause precipitous declines in these populations. Reimplementation of
annual vital rate monitoring and conservative harvests should be considered.
Connectivity may be established between these two reintroduced black bear populations
if growth and recolonization continue.
KEYWORDS: black bear, ecology, population viability, recolonization, reintroduction,
Ursus americanus
Multimedia Elements Used: JPEG (.jpg)

Sean McCarthy Murphy
April 26, 2016
ECOLOGY OF TWO REINTRODUCED BLACK BEAR POPULATIONS
IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS

By
Sean McCarthy Murphy

Dr. John J. Cox
Co-Director of Dissertation
Dr. Michael J. Lacki
Co-Director of Dissertation

Dr. David L. Harmon
Director of Graduate Studies

April 26, 2016
Dedicated to the men and women in the Acknowledgments section
of this dissertation who revel in good ol’ fashioned hard work

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man
stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to
the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again because there is no
effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who
knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst,
if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those
cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt
“The Man in the Arena”
Paris, France
1910
Acknowledgments

The studies presented in this dissertation would not have been possible without
the curiosity, hard work, and assistance from a number of individuals. The M.S. thesis by
J. Hast was the first major step towards characterizing the status of the Kentucky-Virginia
and Big South Fork black bear populations, which also filled a long-standing knowledge
gap about bear populations in the central Appalachians, and his assistance with field
efforts during 2010–2012 were critical to the completion of the studies in Appendix A
and Chapter Three. Additionally, B. Augustine provided considerable analytical efforts
for the mark-recapture analyses in Appendix A and Chapter Two, and his simulations that
were conducted for both of these manuscripts were not only integral to their successful
completion but also for mark-recapture analyses of other non-invasive bear studies.
Live-trapping and radio-monitoring efforts during the initial years of study for Chapter
Three were conducted either entirely (2009) or with assistance (2010–2011) from J. Hast
and B. Augustine. Gratitude can therefore not be expressed enough to both of these men,
and I look forward to continuing our professional endeavors together.
Opportunistic live-trapping, cavalier free-range darting, and long hikes while
constructing and maintaining hair traps in the rugged mountains by T. Curry, J. Guthrie,
and M. Strunk during 2010–2013 were some of the most fun and rewarding experiences I
had while conducting field research in Kentucky, which also resulted in supplementary
data that were used in this dissertation. For that and their long-lasting friendship, I owe
them many thanks. The majority of the data used in Chapter Two were collected by J.
Wright, S. Maehr, J. McDermott, C. Crawford, and C. Bodkin, who constructed,
maintained, and checked hair traps throughout the 4 study areas during 2011–2013. The
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diligent work ethic and determination displayed by this team of individuals cannot be
trumped, and for that, my appreciation is endless.
The success of the studies in this dissertation was substantially influenced by the
guidance, support, and tenacity of my advisor, J. Cox, who has been instrumental to my
development as a researcher and person during the last 7 years. He helped design all of
the studies, acquired the necessary funding to conduct these projects, positively
challenged me, and provided me with the independence to learn, understand, and
implement my own scientific thought. I am truly grateful for this and for his mentorship,
and I look forward to our current and future collaborations together. I hope that what we
have collectively produced would provide our late mentor, D. Maehr, with something that
he would be proud of if he were still around ranting with us today.
I am extremely grateful to have worked with J. Plaxico and J. Clark during my
time as a graduate student and biologist. These men have been outstanding mentors to me
and have never failed to lead by example, which I greatly revere and respect. The
guidance and friendship of J. Plaxico has been irreplaceable, and I hope the work
described herein is what he envisioned 2 decades ago when he first began working on
bears. The people and bears of Kentucky, in my opinion, should be eternally grateful for
his tireless efforts towards bear recovery and management over the years. My
development and maturation as a researcher has been considerably and positively
influenced by J. Clark during the last 3 years. He was the principal investigator for the
initial reintroduction in the Big South Fork area during the late 1990s, conducted the
preliminary mark-recapture analyses for the Tennessee portion of the study in Appendix
A, was integral to the successful publication of Appendix A, and provided substantial
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input and guidance for the analyses and synthesis in Chapter Three. I cannot express
enough appreciation for his generosity, patience, and understanding, and I am incredibly
thankful to have had the opportunity to learn from him.
Assuredly, a number of individuals to whom I owe the most gratitude, as I would
have probably lost my sanity without them, have fostered my personal well-being while a
graduate student. My family – P. Murphy, N. Murphy, B. Murphy, U. Franklin, B.
Franklin, M. Franklin, and M. Flanders – never failed to provide the support and
guidance that, at times, I desperately needed. I would likely not be who or where I am
today, or have achieved what I have thus far in life without them. The unwavering
friendship provided by B. Murphy, J. Guthrie, J. Hast, B. Augustine, T. Curry, S. Maehr,
and J. McDermott over the years has also been critical to my welfare, for which I thank
them all. I am especially grateful for the considerable support, appreciation, love, and
understanding that R. Rowe has given me during my time as a graduate student.
Furthermore, her assistance with formatting of this dissertation was pivotal to getting this
document completed in a timely manner. My thankfulness must also be extended to the
Rowe and Slaven families – O. Rowe, F. Rowe, A. Slaven, V. Slaven, D. Slaven, and S.
Slaven – who provided positive support of my research efforts and personal endeavors,
and treated me as family no matter the circumstances. I also thank P. Kalisz, J. Smith, J.
Hill, W. Phifer, J. Rabalais, K. Hall, T. Leger, H. Bui, C. Techakanon, B. Miller, B.
Curry, A. Curry, T. Dufour, M. Ortego, L. Leger, B. Slabach, T. Maigret, and M.
Chevalier for their support and friendship. Even though she will never read this
document, I am grateful for the love, amusement, and fun provided by my German
shorthaired pointer, Fancy.
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