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© 2020. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Habitat fragmentation occurs when continuous habitat gets broken up as a result of ecosystem change. While commonly studied in terrestrial ecosystems, Arctic sea ice ecosystems also experience fragmentation, but are rarely studied in this context. Most fragmentation analyses are conducted using patch‐based metrics, which are potentially less suitable for sea ice that has gradual changes between sea ice cover, than distinct “long‐term” patches. Using an integrated step selection analysis, we compared the descriptive power of a patch‐based metric to a more novel metric, the variation in local spatial autocorrelation over time. We used satellite telemetry data from 39 adult female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Hudson Bay to examine their sea ice habitat using Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 data during sea ice breakup in May through July from 2013–2018. Spatial autocorrelation resulted in better model fits across 64% of individuals, although both metrics were more effective in describing movement patterns than habitat selection. Variation in local spatial autocorrelation allows for the visualization of sea ice habitat at complex spatial and temporal scales, condensing a targeted time period of habitat that would otherwise have to be analyzed daily.

Details

Title
Comparing sea ice habitat fragmentation metrics using integrated step selection analysis
Author
Biddlecombe, Brooke A 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bayne, Erin M 1 ; Lunn, Nicholas J 2 ; McGeachy, David 2 ; Derocher, Andrew E 1 

 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 
 Wildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada 
Pages
4791-4800
Section
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Publication year
2020
Publication date
Jun 2020
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
e-ISSN
20457758
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2413801223
Copyright
© 2020. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.