Bears in Italy are more numerous, but less aggressive

While bear attacks appear to have become a major problem in Japan – with the country going so far as to deploy the army – new research reveals that Italian bear species have evolved to be less aggressive.

Apennine brown bears (Martian bears) have been in close contact with humans for generations. Their small and endangered population is only found in central Italy, and previous research suggests that this is a low population They separated from other European brown bears 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. As a result, they have been completely isolated from other bears since the days of the Roman Empire. Compared to brown bears in Europe, North America, and Asia, Apennine brown bears have distinctive facial and head features, smaller bodies, and are less aggressive.

“One of the main causes of decline and isolation” Andrea Benazzobiologist at the University of Ferrara, He said in a statement“Deforestation may have been linked to the spread of agriculture and increased human population density in central Italy.”

Benazo is the lead author of a study recently published in Molecular biology and evolution. He and his colleagues from the University of Ferrara used genomic analysis to investigate how humans have recently changed the evolution of the Apennine brown bear. They found, unsurprisingly, that Apennine brown bears showed less genetic diversity and greater inbreeding than other brown bears due to their isolation.

“But it’s even more interesting,” he added. Julia Fabbria co-author of the study and a molecular biologist, said, “We have shown that Apennine brown bears also possess selective signatures in [the] Genes associated with decreased aggression.”

Their findings suggest that selection for genetic variants associated with the behavior—possibly caused by humans culling bears with greater aggression—promoted a significantly less aggressive population of bears. They also suggest what may seem like a paradox.

“The general implications of our findings are clear,” said study co-author and geneticist. Giorgio Bertorell“Human-wildlife interactions are often dangerous to the survival of a species, but they may also aid the evolution of traits that reduce conflict,” he added. “This means that even populations that have been severely and negatively impacted by human activities may contain genetic variants that should not be mitigated.”