Critically endangered Apennine brown bears, which reside in central Italy, have significantly reduced genetic diversity compared to other bear populations around the world, according to a team that included Carolyn Mahan, professor of biology and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona. The team theorized that the genetic changes resulted from how closely the bears have lived with humans for millennia, with those who are less aggressive more likely to survive and pass down their genes.
"Our results support the hypothesis that human-induced selection has promoted behavioral changes even in small- and long-isolated populations, reducing conflicts and contributing to the long-term persistence of a large mammal species and its coexistence with humans," the team wrote in their paper, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution.
In addition to Mahan, the paper - which was covered in Smithsonian Magazine - was co-authored by an international team with members from the University of Ferrara, Marche Polytechnic University, the University of Trieste, University of Florence and Sapienza University in Italy; the Université de Toulouse in France; Vale Institute of Technology in Brazil; Technical University in Zvolen in Slovakia; and University of Florida and The Rockefeller University in the U.S. A full list of collaborators and funding information is available in the paper.
