Sea ice reduction drives genetic differentiation among Barents Sea polar bears

Loss of Arctic sea ice owing to climate change is predicted to reduce both genetic diversity and gene flow in ice-dependent species, with potentially negative consequences for their long-term viability. Here, we tested for the population-genetic impacts of reduced sea ice cover on the polar bear ( )...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2021-09, Vol.288 (1958), p.20211741
Main Authors: Maduna, Simo Njabulo, Aars, Jon, Fløystad, Ida, Klütsch, Cornelya F C, Zeyl Fiskebeck, Eve M L, Wiig, Øystein, Ehrich, Dorothee, Andersen, Magnus, Bachmann, Lutz, Derocher, Andrew E, Nyman, Tommi, Eiken, Hans Geir, Hagen, Snorre B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Arctic Regions
Arktis / Arctic
Basale biofag: 470
Basic biosciences: 470
Bestandsovervåkning / Population Monitoring
Climate Change
Ecology: 488
Ecosystem
Evolution
Genetics and genomics: 474
Genetikk og genomikk: 474
Genetisk diversitet / Genetic diversity
Ice Cover
Klimarett / Climate change
Matematikk og naturvitenskap: 400
Mathematics and natural scienses: 400
Ursidae - genetics
VDP
Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480
Zoology and botany: 480
Økologi: 488
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Summary:Loss of Arctic sea ice owing to climate change is predicted to reduce both genetic diversity and gene flow in ice-dependent species, with potentially negative consequences for their long-term viability. Here, we tested for the population-genetic impacts of reduced sea ice cover on the polar bear ( ) sampled across two decades (1995-2016) from the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, an area that is affected by rapid sea ice loss in the Arctic Barents Sea. We analysed genetic variation at 22 microsatellite loci for 626 polar bears from four sampling areas within the archipelago. Our results revealed a 3-10% loss of genetic diversity across the study period, accompanied by a near 200% increase in genetic differentiation across regions. These effects may best be explained by a decrease in gene flow caused by habitat fragmentation owing to the loss of sea ice coverage, resulting in increased inbreeding of local polar bears within the focal sampling areas in the Svalbard Archipelago. This study illustrates the importance of genetic monitoring for developing adaptive management strategies for polar bears and other ice-dependent species.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2021.1741