Mercury Concentrations, Diet, and Gut Microbiota Diversity of Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bears, 2008-2019 ...

• Main Authors: Atwood, Todd C, USGS Alaska Science Center-Polar Bear Research Program
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: U.S. Geological Survey 2023
• Subjects: Animals/Vertebrates, Mammals, Carnivores, Bears, Species life history, Marine mammals, Body composition, Diets, Wildlife food habits, Mercury levels, Bioaccumulation, Wildlife, Keystone species, Marine ecosystems, Coastal ecosystems, Terrestrial ecosystems, Health and disease, Gut microbiota, Gastrointestinal microbiome, Polar bear, Ursus maritimus; Beaufort Sea; polar bear; Ursus maritimus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5066/p92xauh9; https://alaska.usgs.gov/products/data.php?dataid=591

This dataset is two tables with data collected and derived from polar bears sampled in Alaska's southern Beaufort Sea during 2008-2019. Collected data includes demographic and morphometric information and derived data includes mercury concentrations in hair samples. Ancillary data includes gut microbiome abundances, diversity indices, calculated body condition, and the proportions of prey species detected in individual bear diets. These data were used to determine whether gut microbiota community richness and diversity were associated with diet-acquired mercury. ...