Individual variation in on-ice movement dynamics and site fidelity of western Hudson Bay polar bears ...

• Main Author: Jodouin, Camille
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: University of Alberta Library 2023
• Subjects: Hudson Bay; Ursus maritimus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7939/r3-kagc-7d84; https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/9e8baefc-d214-4ff7-b943-95cb82d9c67c

Individual variation affects fundamental aspects of ecology and behaviour in many species. Individuals vary in sex, age, reproductive status, and personality, which can be compared between individuals (inter-individual) or within individuals (intra-individual). In this dissertation, I tested whether individual variation affected various aspects of movement in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the western Hudson Bay subpopulation during the first and second halves of the ice season. In my first chapter, I examined whether intra-individual variation in age and reproductive status, as well as individual identity affected fidelity to on-ice areas in Hudson Bay. To this intent, I analysed differences in pairwise seasonal range centroid distance (as a proxy for broad-scale fidelity) and percent seasonal range overlap (as a proxy for fine-scale fidelity) of 87 collared adult females recaptured over multiple ice seasons in 2004-2021. Pairs of seasonal ranges had a mean centroid distance of 183 km (range 12 – 630 km, ...