Bears Dying in the Forest?

Question

what would happen to a forest ecosystem if the bears were all killed by hunters?

Answer 1

Bears HAVE been eliminated in many forest ecosystems in the US, so you can see some of the effects. For the most part, there are few apparent effects. There are numerous environmental changes that affect forests in addition to bears (non-native plants, introduced diseases like Dutch elm and chestnut blight, acid rain, loss of other predators such as wolves, mountain lions and bob cats, etc), so its hard to say which changes are caused by bears.

Black bears are omnivores that eat just about anything that is edible. Because they are also very opportunistic and very mobile, bears don't focus on any particular type of food, so they generally have a small impact on the insects, animals, and plants they eat. Bears compete mostly with birds, such as woodpeckers that eat insects, and all sorts of bird species that eat berries. Its hard to say whether birds that eat berries are better off without Bears because bears spread a lot of seeds around when they poop. Maybe plant species with berries have declined where bears have disappeared, and even though bears might compete with birds for the same food, there may actually be more food available for birds when bears are present if the bear droppings cause more berry or fruit-bearing plants to grow.

Perhaps the most significant ecological change where bears have been eliminated is an explosion in deer populations, as seen in many Eastern US forests. Black bears prey on baby deer, and where bears are numerous in the Western US, deer densities are often much lower than places where bears are absent. In the Eastern US, bears are (or were) one of the last remaining predators on deer (except for humans). Deer have become so numerous in some places that forests are not sustainable because the deer keep eating all of the tree seedlings, and the forests are dying. If bears were present, its possible that deer densities would not have reached levels that are harmful to the forest.

Answer 2

The eco system would be out of balance. What would be more likely to happen though, would be the bears would die off because controlled harvest by hunters was stopped and the bears either died of disease or literally ate themsleves out of house and home.
Some years ago here in Colorado an animal rights group got a measure on the ballot that would drastically change the way bear hunting could legally be done. The measure passed and the bear harvest dropped significantly. Now we're seeing an upswing of the number of bear encounters within the city limits of towns along the Front Range of the Rockies. Bears are coming out of their natural environment and into town for food. These bears are relocated once or twice but repeat offenders are killed.
People - you and I - by virtue of the fact that we are here and encroaching on habitat that largely belonged to wildlife, are the reason hunting is necessary. In fact, it's been shown that controlled harvest contributes to stronger, healthier animals and a better gene pool.
Another example: many years ago, in Florida, there was a ban placed on the hunting of the Key Deer. Two years later in certain areas the Key Deer could no longer be found because their numbers had increased to the point that they had been starved out.
Some don't agree with hunting and some do but we're all part of the reason it's necessary. By the way, I no longer hunt and I feel a little sheepish because I'm not doing my part for the betterment of the wildlife.

Answer 3

Well I think if hunters r going 2 kill our sweet ,yet scary furry animalz!!!well i think we should safe them our selves if no1 wantz 2!!

Answer 4

deer and other animals that they hunt would be overun...thus creating less foliage cause the deer eats the plant...then the bugs would die...no food...chain reaction