Variation in Genetic Diversity across the Range of North American Brown Bears
Paetkau DH and Et Al.. 1998. Variation in Genetic Diversity across the Range of North American Brown Bears. Conservation Biology. 12(2):418-429
We used eight highly variable nuclear microsatellite markers to study current levels of genetic variation across the North American range of brown bears. The highest levels of within-population genetic diversity (H-e = 0.76) were found in northern populations in the core of the North American distribution. Diversity was low in the Yellowstone Ecosystem population (H-3 = 0.55), an isolated remnant of the larger distribution that recently extended south from the Canadian border into Mexico. The Yellowstone and Kodiak data suggest that the effective population size for brown bears is much smaller than previously suspected. These results indicate that the levels of diversity in most undisturbed populations can be maintained only through connections to populations on the scale of the current North American distribution.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Paetkau, David; Et Al.
- Units
- YELL
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Distribution, Genetics, Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos), Mammals