Testing multi-marker approaches for population delineation and the genetic basis for fitness/adaptation in polar bears in a changing climate

Funding period: 2020-2024
Lead: Evan Richardson
Total GRDI funding: $81,000

Understanding how species are likely to respond to climate change has become a critical area of research in wildlife conservation. Understanding how genetic variation is distributed within and among polar bear subpopulations and to what extent that influences individual fitness will be important in determining their adaptive response to climate change. This project aims to use genomics 1) to study contemporary fine scale genetic structure of polar bear populations in order to aid in the definition of management units and to identify populations possessing unique adaptive genetic variation, 2) to search for genetic evidence of natural selection caused by ongoing climate change. It will enable us to better understand how polar bears are genetically structured, how adaptive genetic variation is distributed within and among polar bear populations, and to determine the genetic basis for fitness among individuals.