Population structure and paternity in an American black bear ( Ursus americanus ) population using microsatellite DNA

We report genetic microsatellite data from analysis of 71 American black bears ( Ursus americanus ) from the East Tavaputs Plateau in eastern Utah. Heterozygosity was 52.9%, which is lower than other mainland North American populations and possibly reflects low recruitment into the study area. We used a combination of known pedigrees (mother/cubs), relatedness estimates, and paternity estimation using CERVUS to infer single and possible multiple paternity within litters, breeding by pairs over consecutive years, and the possibility of a single male successfully breeding with multiple females in a single year. Estimates of inbreeding effective population size indicate the East Tavaputs Plateau population is part of a larger black bear population.