We used the parameter estimates generated by the individual RSFs to evaluate the relationship between supplementary feeding site selection

(i.e., the response variable), selection for landscape variables, as well as bear-year specific data (i.e., bear ID, year, and reproductive status) with linear mixed-effect regression models ( Dingemanse & Dochtermann 2013). We included ‘bear ID’ as a random factor. We used akaike information criteria differences (ΔAICc) and weights (AICcw) to select the most parsimonious model among seven candidates defined a priori ( Table 1). We considered models with ΔAICc values >4 as inconclusive ( Burnham, Anderson, & Huyvaert 2011). We validated the most parsimonious models by plotting the model residuals versus the fitted values to evaluate potential heteroskedasticity selleck compound ( Zuur, Ieno, Walker, Saveliev, & Smith 2009). We used R 2.15.0 for all statistical analyses ( R Development Core Team 2013). We obtained relocation data and behavioral estimates from 24 and 33 bears in Sweden and Slovenia, respectively (Table 2). We removed behavioral responses to roads from the Slovenian dataset in the second step, because of collinearity with settlements

(r = −0.67) ( Table 1). The most parsimonious model was the ‘null’ model for both Sweden and Slovenia (AICcw = 1). Individual bear variance explained 33% and 43% of the total variance in supplementary feeding site selection in Sweden (1.59/4.91 × 10−8) and Slovenia (1.96/4.75 × 10−7), respectively. All other candidate models were inconclusive (ΔAICc values >54.4, selleck chemical Table 1). Bears in Slovenia generally selected for supplementary feeding sites (β = 0.589 × 10−3; 95% bootstrapped

confidence limits 0.484 – 0.896 × 10−3); whereas Parvulin Swedish bears generally did not select for or against supplementary feeding sites (μ = 0.045 × 10−3; −0.013 − 0.105 × 10−3). No heteroskedasticity was apparent in the model residuals. We found that individual behavior best explained the strength and direction of selection for supplementary feeding sites (hypothesis 3), and suggest that variation in individual behavior dilutes population-wide patterns related to supplementary feeding site selection. Selection for supplementary feeding sites was not related to reproductive state, year, and selection for human facilities in both Sweden and Slovenia (Fig. 2.). This indicates that diversionary feeding has only low conflict-mitigation potential (hypothesis 1), and that supplementary feeding generally is unlikely to cause nuisance behavior (hypothesis 1) in brown bears. Our results are consistent in both countries, although bears in Slovenia generally selected for supplementary feeding sites whereas Swedish bears did not. Supplementary feeding is common in wildlife management and conservation, and has received considerable attention in the literature (Putman and Staines, 2004 and Robb et al., 2008).