Sea ice reduction drives genetic differentiation among Barents Sea polar bears.

Autor:	Maduna SN; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Environment and Natural Resources, Svanhovd, N-9925 Svanvik, Norway., Aars J; Norwegian Polar Institute, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway., Fløystad I; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Environment and Natural Resources, Svanhovd, N-9925 Svanvik, Norway., Klütsch CFC; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Environment and Natural Resources, Svanhovd, N-9925 Svanvik, Norway., Zeyl Fiskebeck EML; Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, N-0318 Oslo, Norway., Wiig Ø; Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, N-0318 Oslo, Norway., Ehrich D; Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT Arctic University of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway., Andersen M; Norwegian Polar Institute, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway., Bachmann L; Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, N-0318 Oslo, Norway., Derocher AE; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9., Nyman T; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Environment and Natural Resources, Svanhovd, N-9925 Svanvik, Norway., Eiken HG; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Environment and Natural Resources, Svanhovd, N-9925 Svanvik, Norway., Hagen SB; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Environment and Natural Resources, Svanhovd, N-9925 Svanvik, Norway.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Proceedings. Biological sciences [Proc Biol Sci] 2021 Sep 08; Vol. 288 (1958), pp. 20211741. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Sep 08.
DOI:	10.1098/rspb.2021.1741
Abstrakt:	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 ( Ursus maritimus ) 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.
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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