Determination of nutritional contents of Sarıkamış bear, Ursus arctos arctos (Linnaeus, 1758), population due to anthropogenic sources

This study aims to determine the nutritional content of brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) population in Sarıkamış. Brown bear fecal samples were collected between 2013 and 2016 in an area of 550 km², centered in the Sarıkamış district of Kars province in the Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey. The reason why this region was preferred in the study is that Sarıkamış is one of the most prominent points of human-bear conflict in Eastern Anatolia. Fecal samples were physically examined, and the feeding habits of brown bears were determined. In total we examined 127 fecal samples. By obtaining animal and plant food residues in the feces, the presence of anthropogenic effects on the nutritional preferences of the Eastern Anatolian brown bear population was investigated. As a result of the separation of the residues in the stool contents with appropriate methods, the amount of residue was determined proportionally. The studied dietary ingredients were defined to the best possible taxonomic resolution using standard macroscopic and microscopic methods. Definitions were made from indigestible parts such as hair, bone, skin fragments, and feathers and partially digestible parts such as fruits, seeds, and branches. The data were subjected to single-sample t-test and chi-square tests. It was determined that plant nutrition was more than expected and animal nutrition was less. It is thought that the geographical structure of Sarıkamış may cause these results. The samples studied were compared with data from populations in the immediate region (Iran). Examined samples were compared with data from populations in the immediate region (Iran). Pianka Index and Manly's Alpha scale were used in this comparison. In comparisons, it was determined that the nutritional preferences of Sarıkamış population overlapped with Alborz population and not Zagros.