Courtney Todd

Lora Arduser
Press Release Draft
Science and Medical Writing
02.06.14
NEWS
Date: 02/06/14 11:58:00 AM
By: Courtney Todd (mailto: toddc2@mail.uc.edu)
Phone: (513)-675-9616

The Polar Bear Hunger GamesWhat Scat Tells Us!

As polar bears drift away on ice with the inability to hunt for food, you have
the ability to order your favorite carry-out.
Climate change isnt affecting the way you eat. But, it is affecting the diet of
the species scientists call, Ursus maritimus.
The ice in western Hudson Bay melts completely by mid to late July forcing
polar bears ashore and away from their primary prey. With ice break up
occurring faster than usual, polar bears are left with less time to hunt for
seals and prepare for winter.
Although polar bears make it ashore, they are in a negative energy balance.
This means they are primarily living off of fat reserves until new prey is
observeda form of fasting. Polar bears period onshore is projected to
increase as the western Hudson Bay climate continues to warm up causing
ice breakage.
Zoologists from the American Museum of Natural History, Linda J. Gormezano
and Robert F. Rockwell, examined polar bear scata fancy term used to
describe animals fecal droppingsfrom the western Hudson Bay area to
determine their terrestrial diet. Their research was recently published in the
journal, Ecology and Evolution.
Defining how the terrestrial diet might have changed since the onset of
rapid climate change is an important step in understanding how polar bears
may be reacting to climate change says Linda Gormezano.

Scat sampling occurred along 160 km of coastline

and adjacent inland areas of what is now termed
the Cape Churchill Peninsula where polar bears are
known to occur during the ice-free period in
western Hudson Bay. They chose to include inland
and denning habitats so they could provide a
complete inventory of the land based diet of all
demographic groups that use the region.

A polar bear looks up from the recently

killed caribou it was eating at Keyask
Island (58.16958N 92.85194W) on July
26, 2010. Photograph by R. F. Rockwell.

Gormezano and Rockwell characterized the current

scat from polar bears in the Hudson Bay area while evaluating samples from
a similar study conducted 40 years ago. They chose to examine a study from
the past, before climate change was affecting the western Hudson Bay
lowlands. Today, they found that caribou and snow geese are abundant
resources for polar bears on land. The study from the 1960s showed no
signs of caribou and considerably less signs of snow geese.
The new research indicates that some polar bears in the western Hudson Bay
area are using foraging strategies while pushed ashore, such as preyswitching and eating a mixed diet of plants and animals to survive in their
rapidly changing environment. This behavior likely derives from a shared
genetic trait with brown bears from which polar bears separated at least
600,000 years ago. Gormezano and Rockwell suggest that the polar bears
foraging behavior is a response to nutritional stress.
The current threats to polar bears in the western Hudson Bay area are clear
as the ice break season expands, limiting polar bears access to seals.
Rockwell says, There is little doubt that polar bears are very susceptible as
global climate change continues to drastically alter the landscape of the
northern Polar Regions. But were finding that they might be more resilient
than is commonly thought. In fact, polar bears hunted caribou and snow
geese when seals were still available on ice. This shows more support for
their foraging behavior and prey switching abilities.
Fortunately, most of the polar bears become optimistic omnivores and adapt
to other plants and animals such as, caribou and snow geese. Still, we need
to keep in mind that polar bears are listed as Endangered Species under the
United States Endangered Species Act. Rockwell and Gormezano suggest to
continue their research by studying the amount of polar bears shifting their
diet and the nutritional gain that comes with the terrestrial diet. Perhaps that
research would show the survival rates of polar bears once they forage on
land.
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Support of Gormezanos and Rockwells research was primarily provided by
The Hudson Bay Project. Additional funding was provided by American
Museum of Natural History Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant (#0655),
Arctic Institute of North America Grants-In-Aid, Churchill Northern Studies
Centre Northern Research Fund, City University of New York and Manitoba
Conservation Sustainable Development Innovations Fund (#27070).