Ricerc@Sapienza

Species ranges are changing in response to human-related disturbances and often management and conservation decisions must be based on incomplete information. In this context, species distribution models (SDMs) represent the most widely used tool, but they often lack any reference to demographic performance of the population under study, spatial structure of the habitat patches, or connectivity at the landscape level.

The value of ants to bears is a topic of substantial relevance for the small and highly endangered population of Apennine brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) in central Italy. Following a previous food-habit study (2006–2009) based on scat analysis, we used the same data set to further investigate patterns of ant consumption by Apennine bears at a greater taxonomic and temporal resolution. We observed a great diversity of ant species in bear scats, comprising 15 genera and > 42 species.

Despite its critical conservation status, no formal estimate of the Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) distribution has ever been attempted, nor a coordinated effort to compile and verify all recent occurrences has ever been ensured. We used 48331 verified bear location data collected by qualified personnel from 2005?2014 in the central Apennines, Italy, to estimate the current distribution of Apennine brown bears.

For most rare and elusive species, estimating age-specific survival is a challenging task, although it is an important requirement to understand the drivers of population dynamics, and to inform conservation actions. Apennine brown bears Ursus arctos marsicanus are a small, isolated population under a severe risk of extinction, for which the main demographic mechanisms underlying population dynamics are still unknown, and population trends have not been formally assessed.

Although knowledge of reproductive parameters is critical to project the chances of persistence of small populations, no data on basic reproductive traits have ever been estimated for the relict Apennine brown bear population (central Italy). From 2005-2014, as part of an ongoing ecological investigation, we compiled re-sight data on marked adult female bears (3 ? n ?