Impact of Holocene environmental change on the evolutionary ecology of an Arctic top predator
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Impact of Holocene environmental change on the evolutionary ecology of an Arctic top predator. / Westbury, Michael V.; Brown, Stuart C.; Lorenzen, Julie; O'Neill, Stuart; Scott, Michael B.; McCuaig, Julia; Cheung, Christina; Armstrong, Edward; Valdes, Paul J.; Castruita, José Alfredo Samaniego; Cabrera, Andrea A.; Blom, Stine Keibel; Dietz, Rune; Sonne, Christian; Louis, Marie; Galatius, Anders; Fordham, Damien A.; Ribeiro, Sofia; Szpak, Paul; Lorenzen, Eline D.
In: Science Advances, Vol. 9, No. 45, eadf3326, 2023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of Holocene environmental change on the evolutionary ecology of an Arctic top predator
AU - Westbury, Michael V.
AU - Brown, Stuart C.
AU - Lorenzen, Julie
AU - O'Neill, Stuart
AU - Scott, Michael B.
AU - McCuaig, Julia
AU - Cheung, Christina
AU - Armstrong, Edward
AU - Valdes, Paul J.
AU - Castruita, José Alfredo Samaniego
AU - Cabrera, Andrea A.
AU - Blom, Stine Keibel
AU - Dietz, Rune
AU - Sonne, Christian
AU - Louis, Marie
AU - Galatius, Anders
AU - Fordham, Damien A.
AU - Ribeiro, Sofia
AU - Szpak, Paul
AU - Lorenzen, Eline D.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - The Arctic is among the most climatically sensitive environments on Earth, and the disappearance of multiyear sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is predicted within decades. As apex predators, polar bears are sentinel species for addressing the impact of environmental variability on Arctic marine ecosystems. By integrating genomics, isotopic analysis, morphometrics, and ecological modeling, we investigate how Holocene environmental changes affected polar bears around Greenland. We uncover reductions in effective population size coinciding with increases in annual mean sea surface temperature, reduction in sea ice cover, declines in suitable habitat, and shifts in suitable habitat northward. Furthermore, we show that west and east Greenlandic polar bears are morphologically, and ecologically distinct, putatively driven by regional biotic and genetic differences. Together, we provide insights into the vulnerability of polar bears to environmental change and how the Arctic marine ecosystem plays a vital role in shaping the evolutionary and ecological trajectories of its inhabitants.
AB - The Arctic is among the most climatically sensitive environments on Earth, and the disappearance of multiyear sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is predicted within decades. As apex predators, polar bears are sentinel species for addressing the impact of environmental variability on Arctic marine ecosystems. By integrating genomics, isotopic analysis, morphometrics, and ecological modeling, we investigate how Holocene environmental changes affected polar bears around Greenland. We uncover reductions in effective population size coinciding with increases in annual mean sea surface temperature, reduction in sea ice cover, declines in suitable habitat, and shifts in suitable habitat northward. Furthermore, we show that west and east Greenlandic polar bears are morphologically, and ecologically distinct, putatively driven by regional biotic and genetic differences. Together, we provide insights into the vulnerability of polar bears to environmental change and how the Arctic marine ecosystem plays a vital role in shaping the evolutionary and ecological trajectories of its inhabitants.
U2 - 10.1126/sciadv.adf3326
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.adf3326
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37939193
AN - SCOPUS:85176401297
VL - 9
JO - Science advances
JF - Science advances
SN - 2375-2548
IS - 45
M1 - eadf3326
ER -
ID: 374246134