Demography of American black bears (Ursus americanus) in a semiarid environment

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) has one of the broadest
geographic distributions of any mammalian carnivore in North America.
Populations occur from high to low elevations and from mesic to arid
environments, and their demographic traits have been documented in a wide
variety of environments. However, the demography of American black bears
in semiarid environments, which comprise a significant portion of the
geographic range, is poorly documented. To fill this gap in understanding,
we used data from a long-term mark-recapture study of black bears in the
semiarid environment of eastern Utah, USA. Cub and yearling survival were
low and adult survival was high relative to other populations. Adult life
stages had the highest reproductive value, comprised the largest
proportion of the population, and exhibited the highest elasticity
contribution to the population growth rate (i.e., λ). Vital rates of black
bears in this semiarid environment are skewed toward higher survival of
adults, and lower survival of cubs compared to other populations.