Japanese scientists from Kochi University and the University of Tokyo have discovered how bears affect man-made coniferous forests. It turns out that predators disturb the ecosystems of forest plantations. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Ecology.
Experts have found that brown bears dig up cicada nymphs and damage tree roots, which limits their growth. However, this effect was not observed in natural forests with diverse vegetation.
The study was carried out in Shiretoko National Park, located in the northeast of Japan’s Hokkaido island. Experts estimate that the 70-kilometer-long and 25-kilometer-wide strip is home to about 500 bears, making this area one of the highest population densities of these animals in the world.
According to Professor Tsutomu Hiura, one of the study’s authors, nowhere in the world do brown bears prey on cicada larvae. He noted that mammalian behavior in ecosystems generally has positive effects. However, recent results have shown that in anthropogenic (man-made) landscapes the effect may be just the opposite.
Professor Hiura noted that people should rely on the restoration and expansion of natural forests rather than artificial afforestation, thus encouraging the spread of seeds to the areas around them.
Previous scientists I learnedIt is stated that the long polar summer threatens polar bear populations.