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Canadian polar bear population structure using genome-wide markers

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Evelyn JensenORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

© 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Predicting the consequences of environmental changes, including human-mediated climate change on species, requires that we quantify range-wide patterns of genetic diversity and identify the ecological, environmental, and historical factors that have contributed to it. Here, we generate baseline data on polar bear population structure across most Canadian subpopulations (n = 358) using 13,488 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified with double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD). Our ddRAD dataset showed three genetic clusters in the sampled Canadian range, congruent with previous studies based on microsatellites across the same regions; however, due to a lack of sampling in Norwegian Bay, we were unable to confirm the existence of a unique cluster in that subpopulation. These data on the genetic structure of polar bears using SNPs provide a detailed baseline against which future shifts in population structure can be assessed, and opportunities to develop new noninvasive tools for monitoring polar bears across their range.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Jensen EL, Tschritter C, de Groot PVC, Hayward KM, Branigan M, Dyck M, Clemente-Carvalho RBG, Lougheed SC

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Ecology and Evolution

Year: 2020

Volume: 10

Issue: 8

Pages: 3706-3714

Print publication date: 15/04/2020

Online publication date: 24/03/2020

Acceptance date: 18/02/2020

Date deposited: 06/12/2021

ISSN (electronic): 2045-7758

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6159

DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6159

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