Stable Nitrogen, Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen Isotopes in Adult Polar Bear Hair

This dataset contains the stable nitrogen (δ15N), carbon (δ13C), oxygen (δ18O), and hydrogen (δ2H) isotope data from 1123 samples of underfur hair of adult polar bears (Ursus maritimus) sampled between 1992 to 2017 from subpopulation boundaries (zone) in the Canadian Arctic and sub-Arctic. Wide-ranging apex predators are among the most challenging of all fauna to conserve and manage. This is especially true of the polar bear, an iconic predator that is hunted in Canada and threatened by global climate change. We used combinations of stable isotopes (13C,15N,2H,18O) in polar bear hair to test the ability of stable isotopic profiles to ‘assign’ bears to (1) predefined managed subpopulations, (2) subpopulations defined by similarities in stable isotope values using quadratic discriminant analysis, and (3) spatially explicit, isotopically distinct clusters derived from interpolated (i.e. ‘kriged’) isotopic landscapes, or ‘isoscapes’, using the partitioning around medoids algorithm. A four-isotope solution provided the highest overall assignment accuracies (~80%) to pre-existing management subpopulations with accuracy rates ranging from ~30–99% (median = 64%). Assignment accuracies of bears to hierarchically clustered ecological groups based on isotopes ranged from ~64–99%. Multivariate assignment to isotopic clusters resulted in highest assignment accuracies of 68% (33–77%), 84% (47–96%) and 74% (53–85%) using two, three and four stable isotope groups, respectively. The resulting spatial structure inherent in the multiple stable isotopic compositions of polar bear tissues is a powerful forensic tool that will, in this case, contribute to the conservation and management of this species. Currently, it is unclear what is driving these robust isotopic patterns and future research is needed to evaluate the processes behind the pattern. Nonetheless, our isotopic approach can be further applied to other apex mammalian predators under threat, such as the large felids, providing that isotopic structure occurs throughout their range.

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Metadata Record Information

File Identifier
fd784b98-0763-44e4-a607-8bba6e422adb XML
Date Stamp
2022-01-13T16:18:20
Metadata language

eng; CAN
Character set
UTF8
Hierarchy Level
Dataset
Point of contact
  Government of Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Science and Technology/Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research
10 Wellington, 23rd Floor , Gatineau , Quebec , K1A 0H3 , Canada
819-997-2800
819-994-1412
 

Data identification

Date (Publication)
2021-11-15
Date (Creation)
2020-05-12
Status
Completed
Metadata language

eng; CAN
Character set
utf8
Topic category
  • Biota
Maintenance and Update Frequency
Not planned
Principal investigator
  Government of Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Science and Technology/Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research
11 Innovation Blvd , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , S7N 3H5 , Canada
819-997-2800
819-994-1412

Keywords

Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurus

  • Animals

  • Animal migrations

  • Animal nutrition

  • Arctic

  • Chemistry

  • Game (Wildlife)

  • Game (Wildlife)

  • Geography

  • Mammals

  • Northern Canada

  • Research

  • Animal research

  • Scientific research

  • Wildlife management

  • Zoology

Business Functions

  • Provide Climate Information Products and Services

  • Expand Scientific Knowledge for Climate Monitoring and Prediction
 
Use Limitation

Open Government Licence - Canada ( http://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada )

Access Constraints
License
Use Constraints
License
Begin Date
1992-01-01
End Date
2017-12-31

Extent

N
S
E
W
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Ref. system Reference Systems

Reference system identifier
http://www.epsg-registry.org / EPSG:4326 /
 

Distribution

Distribution Formats

Distribution format
  • CSV ( 2016 )

 
Distributor
  Government of Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Science and Technology/Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research
10 Wellington, 23rd Floor , Gatineau , Quebec , K1A 0H3 , Canada
819-997-2800
819-994-1412
 
 

Overviews

N
S
E
W
thumbnail


Keywords

Business Functions
Expand Scientific Knowledge for Climate Monitoring and Prediction Provide Climate Information Products and Services
Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurus
Animal migrations Animal nutrition Animal research Animals Arctic Chemistry Game (Wildlife) Game (Wildlife) Geography Mammals Northern Canada Research Scientific research Wildlife management Zoology

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