Behavioural ecology of a vulnerable Arctic predator in a dynamic and changing environment ...

• Main Author: Togunov, Ron R.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2022
• Subjects: Arctic; Sea ice; Ursus maritimus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0421042; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0421042

Animal behaviour may represent an early response to variation in habitat suitability. Identifying factors that promote behaviours may be particularly important in areas undergoing environmental change. Recent advances in remote tracking, satellite imagery, and associated methodologies have enabled behavioural research in animals occupying remote environments where direct observation is impractical. Moving habitats (e.g., drifting sea ice) elicit complex behaviours, affect the apparent movement of animals, and are associated with high observation error. In this thesis, I investigated the foraging ecology of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) during the winter. First, I investigated the accuracy of a commonly used model for sea ice motion using dropped GPS collars. I showed that these satellite-based models underestimate the drift speed and have large errors estimating its direction at low speeds. Second, I developed models for remote-tracking data to study behaviours with orientation bias (e.g., relative to wind). ...