Sam Steyaert
Associate Professor
Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture
Carrion ecology became my main research focus during recent years. With our REINCAR project, we use various methods (from molecular tools to remote sensing approached) to explore how large vertebrate carrion affects various ecological communities (e.g. vegetation, fungi, scavengers, etc.) and modulates ecological processes (e.g. directed seed dispersal) on both local and landscape scales. We use both experimental and observational approaches and have study areas in the alpine and Arctic tundra, as well as in the boreal forest.
I a teacher and course responsible in the MSc level courses BIO5020 (Landscape ecology and nature management) and GEO5020 (Remote sensing and nature management). Furthermore, I supervise students within the individual based 'special pensum' courses (DR435F/BI308F) in topics such as species distribution modeling and urban ecology, and supervise several BSc, MSc, and PhD students.
2025
“The landscape of love”: sex-specific habitat-use during the mating season in a solitary large carnivore 2025 Landscape Ecology - Alejandra Zarzo-Arias, Rick Willem Heeres, Anne G. Hertel, Martin Leclerc, Shane Frank, Sam Steyaert, Jonas Kindberg, Jon Swenson, Vincenzo Penteriani, Fanie Pelletier, Andreas Zedrosser
2024
From death comes life: Large vertebrate carrion enhances seedling establishment in clonal ericaceous shrubs 2024 Functional Ecology - Mie Prik Arnberg, Amy Elizabeth Eycott, Sam Steyaert
Reindeer carcasses modulate vegetation composition and greenness in High-Arctic tundra 2024 Arctic Science - Maya Nisha Situnayake, Marit By, Oddbjørn Larsen, Stijn Sombekke, Lammert Kooistra, Rakel Blaalid, Jan Eivind Østnes, Nuria Selva, Åshild Ønvik Pedersen, Sam Steyaert
Do ingredient and nutrient intake reveal individual dietary specialization in an omnivorous carnivore, the brown bear? 2024 Wildlife Biology - Annelies De Cuyper, Diederik Strubbe, Marcus Clauss, Luc Lens, Andreas Zedrosser, Sam Steyaert, Alexander Kopatz, Geert P.J. Janssens
2023
Demographic Parameters of Asian Black Bears in Central Japan 2023 Mammal Study - Kahoko Tochigi, Sam Steyaert, Keita Fukasawa, Misako Kuroe, Tomoko Anezaki, Tomoko Naganuma, Chinatsu Kozakai, Akino Inagaki, Koji Yamazaki, Shinsuke Koike
Nutrient intake and its possible drivers in free-ranging European brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos) 2023 Ecology and Evolution - Annelies De Cuyper, Diederik Strubbe, Marcus Clauss, Luc Lens, Andreas Zedrosser, Sam Steyaert, Leen Verbist, Geert P. J. Janssens
The social system of a “nonsocial” species, the brown bear Bear and Human: Facets of a Multi-Layered Relationship From Past to Recent Times with an Emphasis on Northern Europe 2023 - Andreas Zedrosser, Shane Frank, Jennifer Eve Hansen, Sam Steyaert, Jon Swenson
Perfect poopers; passerine birds facilitate sexual reproduction in clonal keystone plants of the boreal forest through directed endozoochory towards dead wood 2023 Forest Ecology and Management - Mie Prik Arnberg, Michael A. Patten, Kari Klanderud, Camela Haddad, Oddbjørn Larsen, Sam Steyaert
Sexually selected infanticide as a mating strategy in brown bears Bear and Human: Facets of a Multi-Layered Relationship From Past to Recent Times with an Emphasis on Northern Europe 2023 - Andreas Zedrosser, Sam Steyaert, Jon Swenson
Gut microbiome biogeography in reindeer supersedes millennia of ecological and evolutionary separation 2023 FEMS Microbiology Ecology - Stefaniya Kamenova, Eric de Muinck, Vebjørn Veiberg, Tove Hilde Ågnes Utsi, Sam Steyaert, Steve Albon, Leif Egil Loe, Pål Trosvik
2022
Land cover type modulates the distribution of litter in a Nordic cultural landscape 2022 PLOS ONE - Sara Kristiane Kjærgård Eide, Linn Nefertari Leh, Katinka Svatun EInes, Ingunn Hovland, Marit By, Elise Wiseth Ingvaldsen, Marthe Tinlund, Evan Eremita, Luciano A. Machado, Stian Brønner, Erlend Birkeland Nilsen, Sam Steyaert
Differentiation and seasonality in suitable microsites of seed dispersal by an assemblage of omnivorous mammals 2022 Global Ecology and Conservation - Kahoko Tochigi, Sam Steyaert, Tomoko Naganuma, Koji Yamazaki, Shinsuke Koike
Directed endozoochorous dispersal by scavengers facilitate sexual reproduction in otherwise clonal plants at cadaver sites 2022 Ecology and Evolution - Mie Prik Arnberg, Shane Frank, Rakel Blaalid, Marie Louise Davey, Amy Elizabeth Eycott, Sam Steyaert
2021
Animal-borne video systems provide insight into the reproductive behavior of the Asian black bear. 2021 Ecology and Evolution - Tomoko Naganuma, Mii Tanaka, Shiori Tezuka, Sam Steyaert, Kahoko Tochigi, Akino Inagaki, Hiroaki Myojo, Koji Yamazaki, Shinsuke Koike
Size is not everything: differing activity and foraging patterns between the sexes in a monomorphic mammal 2021 Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology - Hanna Kavli Lodberg-Holm, S.M.J.G. Steyaert, Stefanie Reinhardt, Frank Narve Rosell
Grading fecal consistency in an omnivorous carnivore, the brown bear: Abandoning the concept of uniform feces 2021 Zoo Biology - Annelies De Cuyper, Marcus Clauss, Luc Lens, Diederik Strubbe, Andreas Zedrosser, Sam Steyaert, Arturo Muñoz Saravia, Geert P.J. Janssens
2020
Fear the reaper: ungulate carcasses may generate an ephemeral landscape of fear for rodents: Rodents fear scavengers at mass die-off 2020 Royal Society Open Science - Shane Frank, Rakel Blaalid, Martin Mayer, Andreas Zedrosser, Sam Steyaert
Aquatic Surface Robots: the State of the Art, Challenges and Possibilities 2020 IEEE International Conference on Human-Machine Systems (ICHMS) 2020 - Filippo Sanfilippo, Min Tang, Sam Steyaert
Brown bear (Ursus arctos; Eurasia) Bears of the World. Ecology, conservation and management 2020 - Jon Swenson, Hüseyin Ambarli, Jon Martin Arnemo, Leonid Baskin, Paolo Ciucci, Pjotr I. Danilov, Miguel Delibes, Marcus Elfström, Alina Evans, Claudio Groff, Anne Gabriela Hertel, Djuro Huber, Klemen Jerina, Alexandros A. Karamanlidis, Jonas Kindberg, Ilpo Kojola, Miha Krofel, Josip Kusak, Tsutomu Mano, Mario Melletti, Yorgos Mertzanis, Andres Ordiz, Santiago Palazón, Jamshid Parchizadeh, Vincenzo Penteriani, Pierre-Yves Quenette, Agnieszka Sergiel, Nuria Selva, Ivan Seryodkin, Michaela Skuban, Sam Steyaert, Ole-Gunnar Støen, Konstantin F. Tirronen, Andreas Zedrosser
Beaver (Castor fiber) activity and spatial movement in response to light and weather conditions 2020 Mammalian Biology - Laura Bartra Cabré, Martin Mayer, Sam Steyaert, Frank Narve Rosell
Mating Strategies Bears of the World. Ecology, conservation and management 2020 - Sam Steyaert, Andreas Zedrosser, R Swaisgood, Eva Filipczyková, Brian Patrick Crudge, Trishna Dutta, S Sharma, Shyamala Ratnayeke, Shinsuke Koike, Martin Leclerc, Andrew Derocher, Melanie Clapham, T Spady, Bruce McLellan, Andres Ordiz, Alberto Fernández-Gil, Miguel Delibes, Jon Swenson
2019
A human-induced landscape of fear influences foraging behavior of brown bears 2019 Basic and Applied Ecology - Hanna Kavli Lodberg-Holm, Henriette Wathne Gelink, Anne Gabriela Hertel, Jon Swenson, Matej Domevscik, Sam Steyaert
Reindeer carcasses provide foraging habitat for insectivorous birds of the alpine tundra 2019 Ornis Norvegica - Rudy Badia, Sam Steyaert, Stefano Puliti, Rakel Blaalid, Shane Frank
Proximity to humans is associated with longer maternal care in brown bears 2019 Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology - Joanie Van de Walle, Martin Leclerc, Sam Steyaert, Andreas Zedrosser, Jon Swenson, Fanie Pelletier
Endozoochory by brown bears stimulates germination in bilberry 2019 Wildlife Biology - Sam Steyaert, Anne Gabriela Hertel, Jon Swenson
Heritability of head size in a hunted large carnivore, the brown bear (Ursus arctos) 2019 Evolutionary Applications - Inger Maren Rivrud, Shane Frank, Richard Bischof, Atle Mysterud, Sam Steyaert, Anne Gabriela Hertel, Snorre Hagen, Hans Geir Eiken, Jon Swenson, Andreas Zedrosser
2018
Diversionary feeding can reduce red deer habitat selection pressure on vulnerable forest stands, but is not a panacea for red deer damage 2018 Forest Ecology and Management - Johanna Maria Arnold, Philipp Gerhardt, Sam M.J.G. Steyaert, Eduard Hochbichler, Klaus Hackländer
Special delivery: scavengers direct seed dispersal towards ungulate carcasses 2018 Biology Letters - Sam Steyaert, Shane Frank, Stefano Puliti, Rudy Badia, Mie P. Arnberg, Jack Beardsley, Asle Økelsrud, Rakel Blaalid
Rub-tree selection by Andean bears in the Peruvian dry forest 2018 Ursus (International Association for Bear Research and Management) - Jack D. Kleiner, Russell C. Van Horn, Jon Swenson, Sam Steyaert
2017
Indirect effects of bear hunting: a review from Scandinavia 2017 Ursus (International Association for Bear Research and Management) - Shane Frank, Andres Avelino Ordiz Fernandez, Jacinthe Gosselin, Anne Gabriela Hertel, Jonas Kindberg, Martin Leclerc, Fanie Pelletier, Sam M.J.G. Steyaert, Ole-Gunnar Støen, Joanie Van de Walle, Andreas Zedrosser, Jon Swenson
Marking behavior of Andean bears in an Ecuadorian cloud forest: A pilot study 2017 Ursus (International Association for Bear Research and Management) - Eva Filipczyková, Ignas M.A. Heitkönig, Armando Castellanos, Wouter Hantson, Sam Steyaert
Caught in the mesh: roads and their network-scale impediment to animal movement 2017 Ecography - Richard Bischof, Sam M.J.G. Steyaert, Jonas Kindberg
Hunting promotes sexual conflict in brown bears 2017 Journal of Animal Ecology - Jacinthe Gosselin, Martin Leclerc, Andreas Zedrosser, Sam M.J.G. Steyaert, Jon Swenson, Fanie Pelletier
2016
Human shields mediate sexual conflict in a top predator 2016 Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences - Sam Steyaert, Martin Leclerc, Fanie Pelletier, Jonas Kindberg, Sven Brunberg, Jon Swenson, Andreas Zedrosser
Reindeer habitat selection under the risk of brown bear predation during the calving season 2016 Ecosphere - Therese Ramberg Sivertsen, Birgitta Åhman, Sam M.J.G. Steyaert, Lars Rönnegård, Jens Frank, Peter Segerström, Ole-Gunnar Støen, Anna Skarin
Bears and berries: species-specific selective foraging on a patchily distributed food resource in a human-altered landscape 2016 Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology - Anne Gabriela Hertel, Sam Steyaert, Andreas Zedrosser, Atle Mysterud, Hanna Kavli Lodberg-Holm, Henriette Wathne Gelink, Jonas Kindberg, Jon Swenson
Temporal effects of hunting on foraging behavior of an apex predator: Do bears forego foraging when risk is high? 2016 Oecologia - Anne Gabriela Hertel, Andreas Zedrosser, Atle Mysterud, Ole-Gunnar Støen, Sam Steyaert, Jon Swenson
Ecological implications from spatial patterns in human-caused brown bear mortality 2016 Wildlife Biology - Sam Steyaert, Andreas Zedrosser, Marcus Elfström, Andres Avelino Ordiz Fernandez, Martin Leclerc, Shane Frank, Jonas Kindberg, Ole-Gunnar Støen, Sven Brunberg, Jon Swenson
Seasonal and annual variation in the diet of brown bears Ursus arctos in the boreal forest of southcentral Sweden 2016 Wildlife Biology - Nina Emilie Stenset, Paul Antoni Nilsen Lutnæs, Valgerður Bjarnadóttir, Bjørn Steinar Dahle, Kristin Høivik Fossum, Patrick Jigsved, Thomas Johansen, Wiebke Neumann, Ole Opseth, Oddmund Rønning, Sam Steyaert, Andreas Zedrosser, Sven Brunberg, Jon Swenson
2015
Socio‑ecological features other than sex affect habitat selection in the socially obligate monogamous Eurasian beaver 2015 Oecologia - Sam Steyaert, Andreas Zedrosser, Frank Narve Rosell
A "clearcut" case? Brown bear selection of coarse woody debris and carpenter ants on clearcuts 2015 Forest Ecology and Management - Shane Frank, Sam Steyaert, Jon Swenson, Ilse Storch, Jonas Kindberg, Hanna Barck, Andreas Zedrosser
2014
Litter loss triggers estrus in a nonsocial seasonal breeder 2014 Ecology and Evolution - Sam M.J.G Steyaert, Jon Swenson, Andreas Zedrosser
Behavioral correlates of supplementary feeding of wildlife: Can general conclusions be drawn? 2014 Basic and Applied Ecology - Sam M.J.G Steyaert, Jonas Kindberg, Klemen Jerina, Miha Krofel, Matija Stergar, Jon Swenson, Andreas Zedrosser
2013
Infanticide as a male reproductive strategy has a nutritive risk effect in brown bears 2013 Biology Letters - Sam M.J.G Steyaert, C. Reusch, Sven Brunberg, Jon Swenson, K. Hackländer, Andreas Zedrosser
Male reproductive strategy explains spatiotemporal segregation in brown bears 2013 Journal of Animal Ecology - Sam M.J.G Steyaert, Jonas Kindberg, Jon Swenson, Andreas Zedrosser
2012
The mating system of the brown bear Ursus arctos 2012 Mammal Review - Sam M.J.G Steyaert, Anders Endrestøl, Klaus Hackländer, Jon Swenson, Andreas Zedrosser
Faecal spectroscopy: a practical tool to assess diet quality in an opportunistic omnivore 2012 Wildlife Biology - Sam M.J.G Steyaert, Franziska J. Hütter, Marcus Elfström, Andreas Zedrosser, Klaus Hackländer, Minh Hung Le, Wilhelm M. Windisch, Jon Swenson, Tomas Isaksson
2011
Resource selection by sympatric free-ranging dairy cattle and brown bears Ursus arctos 2011 Wildlife Biology - Sam M.J.G Steyaert, Ole-Gunnar Støen, Marcus Elfström, Jens Karlsson, Ron Van Lammeren, Jan Bokdam, Andreas Zedrosser, Sven Brunberg, Jon Swenson
Brown bear conservation and the ghost of persecution past 2011 Biological Conservation - Andreas Zedrosser, Sam Mathias Jozef Georges Steyaert, Hartmut Gossow, Jon Swenson
2022
Free-ranging cattle and bears in Sweden: are they compatible? 2022 Carnivore damage prevention news - Jon Swenson, Sam M.J.G. Steyaert, Christin Beate Johnsen, Frank Narve Rosell, Andreas Zedrosser
2021
Correction to: Size is not everything: differing activity and foraging patterns between the sexes in a monomorphic mammal (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, (2021), 75, 4, (76), 10.1007/s00265-021-03010-7) 2021 Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology - Hanna Kavli Lodberg-Holm, Sam Steyaert, Stefanie Reinhardt, Frank Narve Rosell
2019
Change in arthropod communities following a mass death incident of reindeer at Hardangervidda 2019 4th Conference of the Norwegian Ecological Society (NØF) - Heidi Mørkhagen Granum, Tone Birkemoe, Anders Aak, Sam Steyaert
Change in arthropod communities after a mass death of reindeer 2019 Network for Arthropods of the Tundra (NeAT), 2nd meeting - Tone Birkemoe, Heidi Mørkhagen Granum, Lina Westermann, Anders Aak, Shane Frank, Sam Steyaert
2012
How do 3,300 brown bears cope with 9.4 million Swedes? 2012 21st International Conference on Bear Research and Management - Jon Swenson, Andres Ordiz, Jodie Martin, Sam M.J.G Steyaert, Veronica Sahlén, Ole-Gunnar Støen, Jonas Kindberg