US EditionStudy Finds Brown Bears Have Become Less Aggressive Around Humans
Centuries of hunting and habitat loss in central Italy selected for calmer Apennine brown bears, with 66% of their genome identical due to inbreeding, researchers found.
- Published recently in Molecular Biology and Evolution, researchers reported Apennine brown bears in central Italy carry domestication-like genetic signatures linked to calmer behaviour and only 50 remain.
- Researchers attribute the shift to centuries of human hunting and land conversion, as centuries of hunting removed bolder bears and the Apennine bear diverged 2,000 to 3,000 years ago amid Roman expansion and forest clearance.
- The study team assembled a chromosome-level Apennine bear genome and re-sequenced whole genomes, analysing over 12 million variants across 35 brown bears including 11 Apennine individuals, identifying distinctive variants at 17 genes associated with brain development and behaviour.
- Conservationists face decisions on whether to preserve the Apennine brown bear's genetics despite more than 66% identical DNA and harmful mutations or introduce bolder bears risking conflicts.
- The research links to classic domestication experiments and shows local residents in the Apennine region hold more positive attitudes, highlighting risks from global habitat fragmentation.
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Study finds brown bears have become less aggressive around humans
The Apennine brown bear is a small population found only in central Italy, with a long history of closeness to human communities.
Brown bears living in the Italian Apennine Mountains have become smaller and less aggressive than their counterparts elsewhere due to intensive coexistence with humans. This is the conclusion of Italian scientists in a study that examined the animals' genetics and behavior, among other factors. The Marsican brown bear lives in a relatively small part of the Apennine Mountains in central Italy. There, the animal is not in contact with other brown…
How 2,000 Years Of Hunting Genetically Tamed Italy's Wild Brown Bears
What happens when humans kill off the boldest, most aggressive members of a wild animal population for thousands of years? The post How 2,000 Years Of Hunting Genetically Tamed Italy’s Wild Brown Bears appeared first on Study Finds.
Italian Bears Softened by Centuries of Human Proximity
Among Earth’s creatures, brown bears are pretty undesirable to run into as you stroll through the woods. But if you’re hiking through the mountains of central Italy, it might not be so bad. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . It’s not like you could sit down and have an espresso with one, but at least in a small corner of Italy, bears have evolved to become less dangerous than they used to be, according to a study…
Animals have become smaller and calmer.
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