Research Article
Open access
Published on 20 December 2023
Download pdf
Jiao,Y.;Qiu,H.;Yang,Y. (2023). The impact of global warming on polar bears' diet and habitat. Theoretical and Natural Science,20,245-250.
Export citation

The impact of global warming on polar bears' diet and habitat

Yaxin Jiao 1, Hangwai Qiu 2, Yike Yang *,3,
  • 1 Beijing 101 High School
  • 2 BASIS International School
  • 3 University of queensland

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-8818/20/20230780

Abstract

Conventional fuels produce large amounts of greenhouse gases leading to global warming and with it dramatic changes in the Arctic, especially for its top predator, the polar bear. The environment of polar bears will gradually be more affected and challenged. This literature review explores how climate change has impacted the diets and reproduction of polar bears, along with potential solutions to mitigate these effects. The loss of sea ice due to rising temperatures has led to a decline in the number of primary prey, forcing polar bears to hunt alternative prey, including reindeer, to survive. Furthermore, reduced sea ice is affecting the reproduction and survival of the polar bear population, with the decline in genetic diversity posing a threat to their long-term survival. To mitigate these effects, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting critical polar bear habitats, restoring and managing their habitats, and international collaboration and legal interventions are necessary. The implementation of these solutions will help to ensure the continued existence and thriving of this magnificent animal in the Arctic ecosystem.

Keywords

polar bear, global warming, diet, population

[1]. Stempniewicz, L., Kulaszewicz, I., & Aars, J. (2021). Yes, they can: polar bears Ursus maritimus successfully hunt Svalbard reindeer Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus. Polar Biology, 44(11), 2199–2206.

[2]. Derocher, A. E., Wiig, Øystein, & Andersen, M. (2002). Diet composition of polar bears in Svalbard and the western Barents Sea. Polar Biology, 25(6), 448–452.

[3]. Wiig, O., Aars, J., & Born, E. W. (2008). Effects of climate change on polar bears. Science Progress (1916), 91(2), 151–173.

[4]. Tyler, N. J. C. (1987). Natural limitation of the abundance of the high Arctic Svalbard reindeer [University of Cambridge].

[5]. Le Moullec, M., Pedersen, Åshild Ønvik, Stien, A., Rosvold, J., & Hansen, B. B. (2019). A Century of Conservation. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 83(8), 1676–1686.

[6]. Iversen, M., Aars, J., Haug, T., Alsos, I. G., Lydersen, C., Bachmann, L., & Kovacs, K. M. (2013). The diet of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Svalbard, Norway, inferred from scat analysis. Polar Biology, 36(4), 561–571.

[7]. Lone, K., Merkel, B., Lydersen, C., Kovacs, K. M., & Aars, J. (2018). Sea ice resource selection models for polar bears in the Barents Sea subpopulation. Ecography (Copenhagen), 41(4), 567–578.

[8]. Petherick, A. S., Reuther, J. D., Shirar, S. J., Anderson, S. L., & DeSantis, L. R. G. (2021). Dietary ecology of Alaskan polar bears (Ursus maritimus) through time and in response to Arctic climate change. Global Change Biology, 27(13), 3109–3119.

[9]. Descamps S, Aars J, Fuglei E, et al. Climate change impacts on wildlife in a High Arctic archipelago - Svalbard, Norway. Glob Chang Biol. 2017;23(2):490-502. doi:10.1111/ gcb.13381

[10]. Melissa P. Galicia, Gregory W. Thiemann, Markus G. Dyck, Steven H. Ferguson, Polar bear diet composition reveals spatiotemporal distribution of Arctic marine mammals across Nunavut, Canada, Ecological Indicators, Volume 132, 2021, 108245, ISSN 1470-160X,

[11]. Younger, Jane L et al. “Contrasting responses to a climate regime change by sympatric, ice-dependent predators.” BMC evolutionary biology vol. 16 61. 15 Mar. 2016, doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0630-3

[12]. Maccracken, James G. “Pacific Walrus and climate change: observations and predictions.” Ecology and evolution vol. 2,8 (2012): 2072-90. doi:10.1002/ece3.317

[13]. Deshayes, Pierre-Henry. “Rare Hunting Scene Raises Questions over Polar Bear Diet.” Phys.org, Phys.org, 28 Nov. 2021,

[14]. Hammond, M. C., Waples, R. S., & Schubert, M. (2019). Demographic and environmental drivers of population decline in polar bears. Royal Society Open Science, 6(6), 181877.

[15]. Regehr, E. V., Laidre, K. L., Akçakaya, H. R., Amstrup, S. C., Atwood, T. C., Lunn, N. J., ... & Wiig, Ø. (2016). Conservation status of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in relation to projected sea-ice declines. Biological Conservation, 207, 242-253.

[16]. Laidre, K. L., Stern, H. L., Kovacs, K. M., Lowry, L. F., Moore, S. E., Regehr, E. V., & Ferguson, S. H. (2015). Arctic marine mammal population status, sea ice habitat loss, and conservation recommendations for the 21st century. Conservation Biology, 29(3), 724-737.

[17]. Colville, D. J., Stirling, I., Schweinsburg, R. E., & Macdonald, R. W. (2017). Implications of changes in the Arctic environment on the genetic diversity of polar bears. Ecological Applications, 27(2), 388-404.

[18]. Lamarre, T. M., Kristiansen, S. M., Laidre, K. L., Dietz, R., & Sonne, C. (2018). Climate-driven marine ecological and physical processes affecting polar bears. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 14(2), 95-105.

[19]. Durner, G. M., Whiteman, J. P., Harlow, H. J., Amstrup, S. C., Regehr, E. V., & Ben-David, M. (2018). Consequences of long-distance swimming and travel over deep-water pack ice for a female polar bear during a year of extreme sea ice retreat. Polar Biology, 41(2), 375-386.

[20]. Cherry, M. J., Kimball, R. T., & Verbyla, D. L. (2020). Polar bears and artificial sea ice: A review on methods and potential applications. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 52(1), 149-163.

Cite this article

Jiao,Y.;Qiu,H.;Yang,Y. (2023). The impact of global warming on polar bears' diet and habitat. Theoretical and Natural Science,20,245-250.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Biological Engineering and Medical Science

Conference website: https://www.icbiomed.org/
ISBN:978-1-83558-213-8(Print) / 978-1-83558-214-5(Online)
Conference date: 2 September 2023
Editor:Alan Wang
Series: Theoretical and Natural Science
Volume number: Vol.20
ISSN:2753-8818(Print) / 2753-8826(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open access policy for details).