(Tables S1,2) Stable isotopes in muscle tissue of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from various regions of the Arctic ...

• Main Authors: McKinney, Melissa A, Letcher, Robert J, Aars, Jon, Born, Erik W, Branigan, Marsha, Dietz, Rune, Evans, Thomas J, Gabrielsen, Geir W, Muir, Derek C G, Peacock, Elizabeth, Sonne, Christian
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA - Publishing Network for Geoscientific and Environmental Data 2011
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada; Greenland; Hudson; Hudson Bay; Svalbard; East Greenland; Ursus maritimus; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.15468/fy6pvx; https://www.gbif.org/dataset/b6b88eb6-b348-4c11-9198-7b72ffa19fe4

The relative contribution of regional contamination versus dietary differences to geographic variation in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) contaminant levels is unknown. Dietary variation between Alaska, Canada, East Greenland, and Svalbard subpopulations was assessed by muscle nitrogen and carbon stable isotope (d15N, d13C) and adipose fatty acid (FA) signatures relative to their main prey (ringed seals). Western and southern Hudson Bay signatures were characterized by depleted d15N and d13C, lower proportions of C20 and C22 monounsaturated FAs and higher proportions of C18 and longer chain polyunsaturated FAs. East Greenland and Svalbard signatures were reversed relative to Hudson Bay. Alaskan and Canadian Arctic signatures were intermediate. Between-subpopulation dietary differences predominated over interannual, seasonal, sex, or age variation. Among various brominated and chlorinated contaminants, diet signatures significantly explained variation in adipose levels of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) ...