2021/09/08 by Simo N. Maduna, Jon Aars, Ida Fløystad +10 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics #Avian ecology and behavior #Marine animal studies overview
paper · pdf · doi:10.1098/rspb.2021.1741
openalex publication_date 2021/09/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
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.