LE3 .A278 2020

2020

Stewart, Don
Bondrup-Nielsen, Soren

Acadia University

Master of Science

Masters

Biology

Biology

The population genetic structure of American Black Bears (Ursus americanus) in the Maritimes, Canada, with emphasis on Nova Scotia, was examined at both a large- and small-scale. The large-scale study used hunter-sourced tooth samples from across Nova Scotia, as well as samples from New Brunswick. Evidence of three weakly differentiated genetic subpopulations were found in the Maritimes, with their generalized geographic locations being: 1) New Brunswick, 2) Northeastern Nova Scotia, and 3) Southwestern Nova Scotia. Findings suggest that the New Brunswick subpopulation had high measures of genetic diversity as well as effective population size relative to both subpopulations in Nova Scotia, but in particular the Southwestern Nova Scotia subpopulation. The small-scale study involved collecting hair samples from a series of hair snags from within a ~7 km2 region in Southwestern Nova Scotia. It was hypothesized that a lack of male-biased dispersal could be contributing to inbreeding within this subpopulation, and thus it was predicted that both females and males would exhibit low dispersal and that black bears in this region would exhibit low genetic diversity. Limited evidence was found for reduced male-biased dispersal, with potentially some evidence of increased female dispersal relative to some other black bear populations. Additionally, no evidence was found for inbreeding at the study site.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3469