Polar bears—iconic symbols of the Arctic and past—are as elusive as they’re majestic. But understanding how they’re faring is of utmost significance to scientists. These apex predators function a bellwether for the well being of many different species and the ecosystems of the area’s oceans. In different phrases, if polar bears are thriving, we are able to infer that different wildlife of their habitat is wholesome, too.
Conventional strategies for gathering DNA samples from these bears to study extra about their standing are each inefficient and expensive. Fortunately, we’ve developed an thrilling new option to collect this crucial data that solely requires the footprints that polar bears go away behind within the snow.
In a landmark examine printed in Frontiers in Conservation Science, WWF, and collaborators have unveiled an progressive methodology for extracting DNA from the snow tracks of three elusive carnivores, together with polar bears. The new approach entails retrieving hint quantities of environmental DNA—referred to as eDNA—shed from the footpads of those animals within the snow, enabling the identification of individual animals.
WWF’s work within the Arctic is targeted on defending and restoring the ecosystems that wildlife and the folks of the area rely on.
