Authors: Parres, Aida; Bartoń, Kamil A.;Sergiel, Agnieszka;Zięba, Filip ;Zwijacz-Kozica, Tomasz ;Selva, Nuria;

Most studies on home range (HR) properties variation have focused on large-time scales. However, individuals often show strong behavioural plasticity, an aspect that cannot be captured without incorporating a dynamic approach, which uses short-time scales, to HR analyses. Human disturbance has been shown to alter animal’s spatial behaviour, yet its effects on animal HR dynamics have not been evaluated. Using a brown bear (Ursus arctos) population as a biological model, we examined the dynamic HR properties and assessed how they are affected by human disturbances. We estimated HR areas at a daily scale using the 95% T-LoCoH method. Bears exhibited a seasonal pattern in the HR properties. HR size and location varied daily, with the HR being largest and displacing furthest distances during the summer solstice. Females showed more pronounced seasonal patterns than males. Human disturbance disrupted the seasonality of brown bears’ HR properties, with females being more affected. We propose the dynamic approach as a more meaningful measure for describing space-use, particularly in species with large spatial requirements. Assessing the seasonal and dynamic nature of the HR may improve our predictions of space-use and the associated behavioural implications for species that have to adapt to the ongoing human expansion.