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Using Gene Transcription to Assess Ecological and Anthropological Stressors in Brown Bears

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Abstract

Increasingly, population- and ecosystem-level health assessments are performed using sophisticated molecular tools. Advances in molecular technology enable the identification of synergistic effects of multiple stressors on the individual physiology of different species. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are an apex predator; thus, they are ideal candidates for detecting potentially ecosystem-level systemic perturbations using molecular-based tools. We used gene transcription to analyze 130 brown bear samples from three National Parks and Preserves in Alaska. Although the populations we studied are apparently stable in abundance and exist within protected and intact environments, differences in transcript profiles were noted. The most prevalent differences were among locations. The transcript patterns among groups reflect the influence of environmental factors, such as nutritional status, disease, and xenobiotic exposure. However, these profiles also likely represent baselines for each unique environment by which future measures can be made to identify early indication of population-level changes due to, for example, increasing Arctic temperatures. Some of those environmental changes are predicted to be potentially positive for brown bears, but other effects such as the manifestation of disease or indirect effects of oceanic acidification may produce negative impacts.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following for their help which has been critical to the project: Biologists—Buck Mangipane, Lindsey Mangipane, Joy Erlenbach, Mathew Sorum, Matthew Cameron, and Andrea Morehouse; Wildlife Veterinarian J. Powers; Pilots—T. Cambier, R. Richotte, A. Greenblatt, J. DeCreeft, C. Cebulski, M. Keller, and J. Cummings. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, University of California, Davis Field Station, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles & Shannon Waters

  2. National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park, PO Box 170, Moose, WY, 83012, USA

    Dave Gustine

  3. National Park Service, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA

    Kyle Joly

  4. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA

    Grant Hilderbrand

Authors
  1. Lizabeth Bowen
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  2. A. Keith Miles
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  3. Shannon Waters
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  4. Dave Gustine
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  5. Kyle Joly
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  6. Grant Hilderbrand
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Contributions

All authors contributed equally to the project.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lizabeth Bowen.

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Bowen, L., Miles, A.K., Waters, S. et al. Using Gene Transcription to Assess Ecological and Anthropological Stressors in Brown Bears. EcoHealth 15, 121–131 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-017-1287-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-017-1287-0

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