| Popis: |
Animal movements are related to many parameters of interest such as the search for food and other life requisites. Several measures, including home range, have been used to quantify and describe animal movement. However, fine-scaled movements of mammals have received less attention even though they are more directly related to energy expended for locating resources and provide information on how a home range is used. I tracked radiotagged female black bears (Ursus americanus) from two geographically separate populations in the Atchafalaya River Basin in south central Louisiana: the Coastal population at the southern extent and the Inland population at the northern extent. During tracking sessions, 2 technicians and myself measured azimuths from telemetry stations to radio-collared bears and test transmitters at 5-minute intervals for an average of 5.1 hours. I used these data to estimate 39 travel paths for 15 individual bears tracked from 1 to 7 times. Randomization tests indicated that telemetry precision was sufficient to detect fine-scaled bear movements. Movement path turning angles, measured relative to the previous direction of travel, and net displacement of individuals through time indicated that bears concentrated their movements (net displacement |
