What main factors affect mamalian home-range size and dynamics? To what extent do constraints on home range characteristics vary between the sexes? This book aims to address these issues by concentrating the authors' expertise and experience in studies of home ranges in general and focussing on their studies of the black bears of the Pisgah Forest, North Carolina, in particular. The authors provide an overveiw of the black bears and methods for their study before discussing concepts of home range, developing predictive habitat quality models, addressing influences on food produstion on social organisation and exploring the mating behavior of male bears. The resulting volume, the fourth in Chapman & Hall's Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour Series, provides stimulating coverage of a topical issue making it not only of specific interest to behavioural ecologists but also a broad range of biologists. The superb illustrations and clarity of text also ensures that this book is of general appeal to those with a wider interest in bears and the theory and practice of scientific study. (view table of contents)

Product Description: "Like the wolverine, the fisher is perceived as a mysterious, almost mythological animal, which lives a secretive existence in the forests of North America. Surpris-ingly, a considerable amount of research has been completed on this member of the mustelid family; however, few books deal with the fisher in a comprehensive manner...read more