Data from: Extensive sampling of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the Northwest Passage (Canadian Arctic Archipelago) reveals population differentiation across multiple spatial and temporal scales ...

• Main Authors: Campagna, Leonardo, Van Coeverden De Groot, Peter J., Saunders, Brenda L., Atkinson, Stephen N., Weber, Diana S., Dyck, Markus G., Boag, Peter T., Lougheed, Stephen C.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2013
• Subjects: species at risk; DNA microsatellites; Holocene; Marine mammals; Ursus maritimus; Arctic; Canadian Arctic Archipelago; Northwest Passage; M'Clintock; Gulf of Boothia; M'Clintock Channel; Global warming; Northwest passage; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h1v63; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.h1v63

As global warming accelerates the melting of Arctic sea ice, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) must adapt to a rapidly changing landscape. This process will necessarily alter the species distribution together with population dynamics and structure. Detailed knowledge of these changes is crucial to delineating conservation priorities. Here, we sampled 361 polar bears from across the center of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago spanning the Gulf of Boothia (GB) and M'Clintock Channel (MC). We use DNA microsatellites and mitochondrial control region sequences to quantify genetic differentiation, estimate gene flow, and infer population history. Two populations, roughly coincident with GB and MC, are significantly differentiated at both nuclear (FST = 0.01) and mitochondrial (ΦST = 0.47; FST = 0.29) loci, allowing Bayesian clustering analyses to assign individuals to either group. Our data imply that the causes of the mitochondrial and nuclear genetic patterns differ. Analysis of mtDNA reveals the matrilineal structure ... : Data from Campagna et al 2013 Ecology and EvolutionMicrosatellite data set and all Structure, Geneland, Arlequin and IMa2 input files.Data from Campagna et al 2013.rar ...