Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Geosciences
Date of Award
5-2017
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Blaine W. Schubert
Committee Members
Joshua Samuels, Chris Widga
Abstract
Late Pleistocene American black bears (Ursus americanus) often overlap in size with Pleistocene brown bears (U. arctos), occasionally making them difficult to diagnose. Large U. americanus have previously been distinguished from U. arctos by the length of the upper second molar (M2). However, the teeth of fossil U. americanus sometimes overlap size with U. arctos. As such, there is need for a more accurate tool to distinguish the two species. Here, 2D geometric morphometrics is applied to the occlusal surface of the M2 to further assess the utility of this tooth for distinguishing U. americanus and U. arctos specimens. When combined with an Ecological Niche Model of U. americanus and U. arctos in North America from the Last Glacial Maximum, this morphometric technique can be applied to key regions. A case of two Pleistocene specimens previously identified as U. arctos from eastern North America exemplifies the utility of this combination.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Kantelis, Theron Michael, "Black Bears (Ursus americanus) versus Brown Bears (U. arctos): Combining Morphometrics and Niche Modeling to Differentiate Species and Predict Distributions Through Time" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3262. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3262
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.