How absolute biomass intake can alter nutrient profile interpretation in free-ranging species: The case of protein intake in brown bears

If an animal eats a large amount of a diet of a low content of a macronutrient, it can still ingest a considerable amount of that macronutrient. Various animals have been shown to balance nutrient content with intake in this way. We use the brown bear (Ursus arctos) as a model species, given their recent classification as ‘low protein omnivores’, to show how taking biomass intake into account can affect macronutrient intake interpretation. We 1) calculated absolute protein intake from published results of self-selection diet studies with bears in captivity and 2) modelled absolute protein intake of Swedish brown bears in autumn while binging on a berry diet of low protein concentrations. In feeding experiments in captivity, the self-selected macronutrient composition of brown bear diets are characterized by protein percentages (both on a dry matter and metabolizable energy basis) that appear low when compared to diets of carnivores. However, when taking into account absolute food intake..., , # How absolute biomass intake can alter nutrient profile interpretation in free-ranging species: The case of protein intake in brown bears

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.bnzs7h4nk](10.5061/dryad.bnzs7h4nk)

## Description of the data and file structure

The datafile represents the calculations explained in the manuscript.

All the original data is either from the cited sources, or are assumed based on assumptions explained in the manuscript.

### Files and variables

#### File: ADC\_DataCalculationsAll\_250324.xlsx

**Description:** The datafile contains four spreadsheets that explain the calculations made for the manuscript. The first spreadsheet is for all calculations relating to brown bears, the second spreadsheet for calculations relating to sloth bears, the third spreadsheet for calculations related to Giant pandas, and the fourth spreadsheet for calculations related to the remaining carnivores of the manuscript, including domestic dogs, wolves, domestic cats and feral cats. The cal...,