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www.frontiersin.org www.frontiersin.org
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The time spent by the biologists in the field averaged over the years and locations was 44 days, but this varied among years and locations (Supplement 1, Table S1).
This detail shows the extent and consistency of field observations, lending credibility to the study's findings by ensuring data collection was thorough and systematic over a significant period.
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Observations were collected along the west coast of Spitsbergen, which is the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago, and the east coast of Greenland.
This study covers multiple locations in the Arctic, offering a comprehensive look at how polar bear behavior shifts across different regions as sea ice declines. It provides a broad geographical context for understanding these environmental changes.
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Direct observations of nest predation showed that polar bears may severely affect reproductive success of the barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis), common eider (Somateria mollissima) and glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus).
Polar bears’ shift to consuming bird eggs has a direct negative impact on the reproductive success of certain bird species, suggesting a significant disruption in the ecosystem due to climate-induced behavior changes.
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For these top-predators, longer ice-free seasons are hypothesized to force the bears to hunt for alternative terrestrial food, such as eggs from colonial breeding birds.
The lack of sea ice pushes polar bears onto land, where they must rely on less energy-rich food sources, like bird eggs. This adaptation could have cascading impacts on the local ecosystem and bird populations.
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- Oct 2024
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link.springer.com link.springer.com
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n Ulithi Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia, we have documented an unusual phase shift from reefs with a diverse stony coral assemblage to reefs dominated by a single species of stony coral: Montipora sp.—a coral-to-coral phase shift.
The shift to one coral species (Montipora) over others is rare. How does this phase shift impact other organisms in the reef, like fish and invertebrates? Could it lead to a decline in species that depend on diverse coral for shelter?
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