A body composition model with multiple storage compartments for polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

ABSTRACT: We related straight-line body length and total body mass of polar bears to their body composition and associated storage energy using a dataset of dissected polar bears. Individual survival and reproduction can subsequently be predicted by estimating polar bear energy demands relative to their estimated energy stores. Abstract Climate warming is rapidly altering Arctic ecosystems. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) need sea ice as a platform from which to hunt seals, but increased sea-ice loss is lengthening periods when bears are without access to primary hunting habitat. During periods of food scarcity, survival depends on the energy that a bear has stored in body reserves, termed storage energy, making this a key metric in predictive models assessing climate change impacts on polar bears. He

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PROVIDER: S-EPMC10281502 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature