Canadian polar bear population structure using genome‐wide markers

• Published in: Ecology and Evolution
• Main Authors: Evelyn L. Jensen, Christina Tschritter, Peter V. C. deGroot, Kristen M. Hayward, Marsha Branigan, Markus Dyck, Rute B. G. Clemente‐Carvalho, Stephen C. Lougheed
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2020
• Subjects: Arctic; conservation; ddRAD; population genetics; single nucleotide polymorphism; Ursus maritimus; Ecology; QH540-549.5; Norwegian Bay; Climate change
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6159; https://doaj.org/article/ef574778a9924acfb5f3eb45a1c75102

Abstract Predicting the consequences of environmental changes, including human‐mediated climate change on species, requires that we quantify range‐wide patterns of genetic diversity and identify the ecological, environmental, and historical factors that have contributed to it. Here, we generate baseline data on polar bear population structure across most Canadian subpopulations (n = 358) using 13,488 genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified with double‐digest restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD). Our ddRAD dataset showed three genetic clusters in the sampled Canadian range, congruent with previous studies based on microsatellites across the same regions; however, due to a lack of sampling in Norwegian Bay, we were unable to confirm the existence of a unique cluster in that subpopulation. These data on the genetic structure of polar bears using SNPs provide a detailed baseline against which future shifts in population structure can be assessed, and opportunities to develop new noninvasive tools for monitoring polar bears across their range.