| Summary: | The population biology of polar bears occupying land in summer months is comparatively well known. Much less is known about the larger fraction of polar bear populations which stays on the ice through the summer. A better understanding of the physiology of fasting in both summer habitats is needed to understand how reduced sea ice cover in the Arctic will impact polar bear populations. Bears that stay ashore in summer have almost no access to food and tend to be inactive. Those that stay on the ice, however, have continued access to prey and make extensive movements. This project pairs scientists from the University of Wyoming and the U. S. Geological Service to follow the movements of bears in both habitats and monitor their body temperature, muscle condition, blood chemistry, and metabolism. They will determine the physiological implications of summering on the ice versus on shore. The physiological data will be added to spatially-explicit individual-based population models to predict population response to reduced ice cover. The results will provide information important to management by indigenous, U.S., and international management and conservation agencies and address the interests of policy makers and the public. Funding Program: Arctic Natural Sciences (ANS) Sponsor: University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071-2000
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