Polar Bear (Ursus Maritimus) Foraging Ecology in the Western Canadian Arctic

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorThiemann, Gregory
dc.creatorFlorko, Katie Rae Nettie
dc.date.accessioned2018-05-28T12:58:46Z
dc.date.available2018-05-28T12:58:46Z
dc.date.copyright2018-02-26
dc.date.issued2018-05-28
dc.date.updated2018-05-28T12:58:46Z
dc.degree.disciplineBiology
dc.degree.levelMaster's
dc.degree.nameMSc - Master of Science
dc.description.abstractClimate change has led to abrupt declines in sea ice over the past three decades. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) rely on sea ice as their primary habitat to hunt marine mammal prey. Due to their position at the top of the Arctic marine food web, polar bear foraging patterns can provide insights on ecosystem structure and function both spatially and temporally. This thesis used quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) to estimate the diets, and adipose tissue lipid content to estimate the body condition, of polar bears in three western Canadian Arctic subpopulations: Northern Beaufort Sea, Southern Beaufort Sea, and Viscount Melville Sound. This thesis identified spatial, temporal, and intraspecific variation in the relationships between sea ice conditions, and polar bear diet and body condition. Polar bears with the greatest ecological constraints on diet composition may be most vulnerable to climate-related changes in ice conditions and prey availability.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10315/34565
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectZoology
dc.subject.keywordsPolar bear (Ursus maritimus)
dc.subject.keywordsCanadian Arctic
dc.subject.keywordsForaging ecology
dc.subject.keywordsQuantitative fatty acid signature analysis
dc.subject.keywordsClimate change
dc.subject.keywordsSea ice
dc.subject.keywordsBeaufort Sea
dc.subject.keywordsArctic marine food web
dc.titlePolar Bear (Ursus Maritimus) Foraging Ecology in the Western Canadian Arctic
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Florko_Katie_RN_2018_Masters.pdf
Size:
6.82 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.83 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
YorkU_ETDlicense.txt
Size:
3.38 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Biology

All items in the YorkSpace institutional repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved except where explicitly noted.