Development of On-Shore Behavior Among Polar Bears ( Ursus maritimus ) in the Southern Beaufort Sea: Inherited or Learned?
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are experiencing rapid and substantial changes to their environment due to global climate change. Polar bears of the southern Beaufort Sea (SB) have historically spent most of the year on the sea ice. However, recent reports from Alaska indicate that the proportion of t...
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ftutahsudc:oai:digitalcommons.usu.edu:wild_facpub-3691 2023-05-15T15:40:15+02:00 Development of On-Shore Behavior Among Polar Bears ( Ursus maritimus ) in the Southern Beaufort Sea: Inherited or Learned? Lillie, Kate M. Gese, Eric M. Atwood, Todd C. Sonsthagen, Sarah A. Wiley 2018-07-13T07:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/wild_facpub/2692 https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3691&context=wild_facpub unknown Hosted by Utah State University Libraries https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/wild_facpub/2692 https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3691&context=wild_facpub Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact the Institutional Repository Librarian at digitalcommons@usu.edu. PDM Wildland Resources Faculty Publications climate change on‐shore behavior polar bear social learning southern Beaufort Sea Ursus maritimus Animal Sciences Life Sciences text 2018 ftutahsudc 2022-03-07T21:44:04Z Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are experiencing rapid and substantial changes to their environment due to global climate change. Polar bears of the southern Beaufort Sea (SB) have historically spent most of the year on the sea ice. However, recent reports from Alaska indicate that the proportion of the SB subpopulation observed on‐shore during late summer and early fall has increased. Our objective was to investigate whether this on‐shore behavior has developed through genetic inheritance, asocial learning, or through social learning. From 2010 to 2013, genetic data were collected from SB polar bears in the fall via hair snags and remote biopsy darting on‐shore and in the spring from captures and remote biopsy darting on the sea ice. Bears were categorized as either on‐shore or off‐shore individuals based on their presence on‐shore during the fall. Levels of genetic relatedness, first‐order relatives, mother–offspring pairs, and father–offspring pairs were determined and compared within and between the two categories: on‐shore versus off‐shore. Results suggested transmission of on‐shore behavior through either genetic inheritance or social learning as there was a higher than expected number of first‐order relatives exhibiting on‐shore behavior. Genetic relatedness and parentage data analyses were in concurrence with this finding, but further revealed mother–offspring social learning as the primary mechanism responsible for the development of on‐shore behavior. Recognizing that on‐shore behavior among polar bears was predominantly transmitted via social learning from mothers to their offspring has implications for future management and conservation as sea ice continues to decline. Text Beaufort Sea polar bear Sea ice Ursus maritimus Alaska Utah State University: DigitalCommons@USU |
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Open Polar |
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Utah State University: DigitalCommons@USU |
op_collection_id |
ftutahsudc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
climate change on‐shore behavior polar bear social learning southern Beaufort Sea Ursus maritimus Animal Sciences Life Sciences |
spellingShingle |
climate change on‐shore behavior polar bear social learning southern Beaufort Sea Ursus maritimus Animal Sciences Life Sciences Lillie, Kate M. Gese, Eric M. Atwood, Todd C. Sonsthagen, Sarah A. Development of On-Shore Behavior Among Polar Bears ( Ursus maritimus ) in the Southern Beaufort Sea: Inherited or Learned? |
topic_facet |
climate change on‐shore behavior polar bear social learning southern Beaufort Sea Ursus maritimus Animal Sciences Life Sciences |
description |
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are experiencing rapid and substantial changes to their environment due to global climate change. Polar bears of the southern Beaufort Sea (SB) have historically spent most of the year on the sea ice. However, recent reports from Alaska indicate that the proportion of the SB subpopulation observed on‐shore during late summer and early fall has increased. Our objective was to investigate whether this on‐shore behavior has developed through genetic inheritance, asocial learning, or through social learning. From 2010 to 2013, genetic data were collected from SB polar bears in the fall via hair snags and remote biopsy darting on‐shore and in the spring from captures and remote biopsy darting on the sea ice. Bears were categorized as either on‐shore or off‐shore individuals based on their presence on‐shore during the fall. Levels of genetic relatedness, first‐order relatives, mother–offspring pairs, and father–offspring pairs were determined and compared within and between the two categories: on‐shore versus off‐shore. Results suggested transmission of on‐shore behavior through either genetic inheritance or social learning as there was a higher than expected number of first‐order relatives exhibiting on‐shore behavior. Genetic relatedness and parentage data analyses were in concurrence with this finding, but further revealed mother–offspring social learning as the primary mechanism responsible for the development of on‐shore behavior. Recognizing that on‐shore behavior among polar bears was predominantly transmitted via social learning from mothers to their offspring has implications for future management and conservation as sea ice continues to decline. |
author2 |
Wiley |
format |
Text |
author |
Lillie, Kate M. Gese, Eric M. Atwood, Todd C. Sonsthagen, Sarah A. |
author_facet |
Lillie, Kate M. Gese, Eric M. Atwood, Todd C. Sonsthagen, Sarah A. |
author_sort |
Lillie, Kate M. |
title |
Development of On-Shore Behavior Among Polar Bears ( Ursus maritimus ) in the Southern Beaufort Sea: Inherited or Learned? |
title_short |
Development of On-Shore Behavior Among Polar Bears ( Ursus maritimus ) in the Southern Beaufort Sea: Inherited or Learned? |
title_full |
Development of On-Shore Behavior Among Polar Bears ( Ursus maritimus ) in the Southern Beaufort Sea: Inherited or Learned? |
title_fullStr |
Development of On-Shore Behavior Among Polar Bears ( Ursus maritimus ) in the Southern Beaufort Sea: Inherited or Learned? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Development of On-Shore Behavior Among Polar Bears ( Ursus maritimus ) in the Southern Beaufort Sea: Inherited or Learned? |
title_sort |
development of on-shore behavior among polar bears ( ursus maritimus ) in the southern beaufort sea: inherited or learned? |
publisher |
Hosted by Utah State University Libraries |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/wild_facpub/2692 https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3691&context=wild_facpub |
genre |
Beaufort Sea polar bear Sea ice Ursus maritimus Alaska |
genre_facet |
Beaufort Sea polar bear Sea ice Ursus maritimus Alaska |
op_source |
Wildland Resources Faculty Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/wild_facpub/2692 https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3691&context=wild_facpub |
op_rights |
Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact the Institutional Repository Librarian at digitalcommons@usu.edu. |
op_rightsnorm |
PDM |
_version_ |
1766372430338588672 |