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Cherry SG, Derocher AE, Lunn NJ. Habitat-mediated timing of migration in polar bears: an individual perspective. Ecol Evol. 2016;6(14):5032-42doi: 10.1002/ece3.2233.
Cherry, S. G., Derocher, A. E., & Lunn, N. J. (2016). Habitat-mediated timing of migration in polar bears: an individual perspective. Ecology and evolution, 6(14), 5032-42. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2233
Cherry, Seth G, et al. "Habitat-mediated timing of migration in polar bears: an individual perspective." Ecology and evolution vol. 6,14 (2016): 5032-42. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2233
Cherry SG, Derocher AE, Lunn NJ. Habitat-mediated timing of migration in polar bears: an individual perspective. Ecol Evol. 2016 Jun 26;6(14):5032-42. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2233. eCollection 2016 Jul. PMID: 27547331; PMCID: PMC4979725.
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Ecol Evol. 2016 Jun 26;6(14):5032-42. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2233. eCollection 2016 Jul.

Habitat-mediated timing of migration in polar bears: an individual perspective.

Ecology and evolution

Seth G Cherry, Andrew E Derocher, Nicholas J Lunn

Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2E9 Canada.
  2. Environment and Climate Change Canada University of Alberta CW405 Biological Sciences Building Edmonton AB T6G 2E9 Canada.

PMID: 27547331 PMCID: PMC4979725 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2233

Abstract

Migration phenology is largely determined by how animals respond to seasonal changes in environmental conditions. Our perception of the relationship between migratory behavior and environmental cues can vary depending on the spatial scale at which these interactions are measured. Understanding the behavioral mechanisms behind population-scale movements requires knowledge of how individuals respond to local cues. We show how time-to-event models can be used to predict what factors are associated with the timing of an individual's migratory behavior using data from GPS collared polar bears (Ursus maritimus) that move seasonally between sea ice and terrestrial habitats. We found the concentration of sea ice that bears experience at a local level, along with the duration of exposure to these conditions, was most associated with individual migration timing. Our results corroborate studies that assume thresholds of >50% sea ice concentration are necessary for suitable polar bear habitat; however, continued periods (e.g., days to weeks) of exposure to suboptimal ice concentrations during seasonal melting were required before the proportion of bears migrating to land increased substantially. Time-to-event models are advantageous for examining individual movement patterns because they account for the idea that animals make decisions based on an accumulation of knowledge from the landscapes they move through and not simply the environment they are exposed to at the time of a decision. Understanding the migration behavior of polar bears moving between terrestrial and marine habitat, at multiple spatiotemporal scales, will be a major aspect of quantifying observed and potential demographic responses to climate-induced environmental changes.

Keywords: GPS collars; migration; polar bears; sea ice; spatiotemporal scale; time‐to‐event models

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