Locations of black bear (Ursus americanus) reproduction in Nevada from camera-trap data

Understanding factors creating species range boundaries is a fundamental
goal of ecology and biogeography. American black bears recolonized the
western Great Basin from the Sierra Nevada in the late 1900s but this
expansion has not proceeded further into the Great Basin despite the
presence of suitable habitat. We deployed 100 camera traps across the
occupied range of black bears in the U.S. state of Nevada and tracked bear
detections across 3 years. A scent lure was applied in camera trap
viewsheds to increase bear detections. We classified detections of bear
cubs separately from detections of only adult bears, to serve as an
indicator of black bear reproduction occurring at sites. Data are provided
in the format necessary for a analysis with multistate occupancy model.
Analysis of these data revealed low incidence of reproduction at the
periphery of black bear range in the western Great Basin, which likely
contributes to range boundary formation.