Study predicts climate change impacts on polar bear litter size
When little food is available, polar bears are known to rely on
stores of energy for survival and reproduction. The reliance on
energy stores in pregnant females however, limits the survival
rates of their cubs. Using data obtainable under current
conditions, the authors show 28% of pregnant females failed to
reproduce due to energetic reasons during the 1990’s. They then
use predictive modelling to suggest that 40-73% of pregnant
females could fail to reproduce in the same way if spring sea
ice break-up occurs 1 month earlier than during the 1990’s and
55-100% if break-up occurs 2 months earlier. The authors suggest
that their finding may also apply to populations outside the
western Hudson Bay area, however they caution that the expected
time-line for declines in litter size may vary with different
climate models’ predictions about sea ice loss. Read the full
article in the Nature Communications online journal.