Population substructure and space use of Foxe Basin polar bears
Abstract Climate change has been identified as a major driver of habitat change, particularly for sea ice‐dependent species such as the polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ). Population structure and space use of polar bears have been challenging to quantify because of their circumpolar distribution and te...
Published in: | Ecology and Evolution |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2015
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1571 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.1571 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ece3.1571 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ece3.1571 |
id |
crwiley:10.1002/ece3.1571 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1002/ece3.1571 2024-06-23T07:50:44+00:00 Population substructure and space use of Foxe Basin polar bears Sahanatien, Vicki Peacock, Elizabeth Derocher, Andrew E. 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1571 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.1571 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ece3.1571 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ece3.1571 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ecology and Evolution volume 5, issue 14, page 2851-2864 ISSN 2045-7758 2045-7758 journal-article 2015 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1571 2024-05-31T08:10:42Z Abstract Climate change has been identified as a major driver of habitat change, particularly for sea ice‐dependent species such as the polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ). Population structure and space use of polar bears have been challenging to quantify because of their circumpolar distribution and tendency to range over large areas. Knowledge of movement patterns, home range, and habitat is needed for conservation and management. This is the first study to examine the spatial ecology of polar bears in the Foxe Basin management unit of Nunavut, Canada. Foxe Basin is in the mid‐Arctic, part of the seasonal sea ice ecoregion and it is being negatively affected by climate change. Our objectives were to examine intrapopulation spatial structure, to determine movement patterns, and to consider how polar bear movements may respond to changing sea ice habitat conditions. Hierarchical and fuzzy cluster analyses were used to assess intrapopulation spatial structure of geographic position system satellite‐collared female polar bears. Seasonal and annual movement metrics (home range, movement rates, time on ice) and home‐range fidelity (static and dynamic overlap) were compared to examine the influence of regional sea ice on movements. The polar bears were distributed in three spatial clusters, and there were differences in the movement metrics between clusters that may reflect sea ice habitat conditions. Within the clusters, bears moved independently of each other. Annual and seasonal home‐range fidelity was observed, and the bears used two movement patterns: on‐ice range residency and annual migration. We predict that home‐range fidelity may decline as the spatial and temporal predictability of sea ice changes. These new findings also provide baseline information for managing and monitoring this polar bear population. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Foxe Basin Nunavut Sea ice Ursus maritimus Wiley Online Library Arctic Canada Foxe Basin ENVELOPE(-77.918,-77.918,65.931,65.931) Nunavut Ecology and Evolution 5 14 2851 2864 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Climate change has been identified as a major driver of habitat change, particularly for sea ice‐dependent species such as the polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ). Population structure and space use of polar bears have been challenging to quantify because of their circumpolar distribution and tendency to range over large areas. Knowledge of movement patterns, home range, and habitat is needed for conservation and management. This is the first study to examine the spatial ecology of polar bears in the Foxe Basin management unit of Nunavut, Canada. Foxe Basin is in the mid‐Arctic, part of the seasonal sea ice ecoregion and it is being negatively affected by climate change. Our objectives were to examine intrapopulation spatial structure, to determine movement patterns, and to consider how polar bear movements may respond to changing sea ice habitat conditions. Hierarchical and fuzzy cluster analyses were used to assess intrapopulation spatial structure of geographic position system satellite‐collared female polar bears. Seasonal and annual movement metrics (home range, movement rates, time on ice) and home‐range fidelity (static and dynamic overlap) were compared to examine the influence of regional sea ice on movements. The polar bears were distributed in three spatial clusters, and there were differences in the movement metrics between clusters that may reflect sea ice habitat conditions. Within the clusters, bears moved independently of each other. Annual and seasonal home‐range fidelity was observed, and the bears used two movement patterns: on‐ice range residency and annual migration. We predict that home‐range fidelity may decline as the spatial and temporal predictability of sea ice changes. These new findings also provide baseline information for managing and monitoring this polar bear population. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Sahanatien, Vicki Peacock, Elizabeth Derocher, Andrew E. |
spellingShingle |
Sahanatien, Vicki Peacock, Elizabeth Derocher, Andrew E. Population substructure and space use of Foxe Basin polar bears |
author_facet |
Sahanatien, Vicki Peacock, Elizabeth Derocher, Andrew E. |
author_sort |
Sahanatien, Vicki |
title |
Population substructure and space use of Foxe Basin polar bears |
title_short |
Population substructure and space use of Foxe Basin polar bears |
title_full |
Population substructure and space use of Foxe Basin polar bears |
title_fullStr |
Population substructure and space use of Foxe Basin polar bears |
title_full_unstemmed |
Population substructure and space use of Foxe Basin polar bears |
title_sort |
population substructure and space use of foxe basin polar bears |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1571 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.1571 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ece3.1571 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ece3.1571 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-77.918,-77.918,65.931,65.931) |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Foxe Basin Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Foxe Basin Nunavut |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Foxe Basin Nunavut Sea ice Ursus maritimus |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Foxe Basin Nunavut Sea ice Ursus maritimus |
op_source |
Ecology and Evolution volume 5, issue 14, page 2851-2864 ISSN 2045-7758 2045-7758 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1571 |
container_title |
Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
5 |
container_issue |
14 |
container_start_page |
2851 |
op_container_end_page |
2864 |
_version_ |
1802641643042504704 |