Comparing sea ice habitat fragmentation metrics using integrated step selection analysis.

ABSTRACT: Habitat fragmentation occurs when continuous habitat gets broken up as a result of ecosystem change. While commonly studied in terrestrial ecosystems, Arctic sea ice ecosystems also experience fragmentation, but are rarely studied in this context. Most fragmentation analyses are conducted using patch-based metrics, which are potentially less suitable for sea ice that has gradual changes between sea ice cover, than distinct "long-term" patches. Using an integrated step selection analysis, we compared the descriptive power of a patch-based metric to a more novel metric, the variation in local spatial autocorrelation over time. We used satellite telemetry data from 39 adult female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Hudson Bay to examine their sea ice habitat using Advanced Microwave Scan

SUBMITTER: Biddlecombe BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7297736 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature