Data from: Unraveling the mystery of the glacier bear: Genetic population structure of black bears (Ursus americanus) within the range of a rare pelage type

Genotypes (21 microsatellite loci) of 284 black bears (Ursus americanus)
from northern Southeast Alaska USA and western Canada derived from tissue
samples of harvested and research animals and non-invasively collected
hair samples. Glacier bears are a rare grey color morph of American black
bear (Ursus americanus) found only in northern Southeast Alaska and a
small portion of western Canada. We examine contemporary genetic
population structure of black bears within the geographic extent of
glacier bears and explore how this structure relates to pelage color and
landscape features of a recently glaciated and highly fragmented
landscape. We used existing radiocollar data to quantify black bear
home-range size within the geographic range of glacier bears. The mean
home-range size of female black bears in the study area was 13 km2 (n =
11), whereas the home range of a single male was 86.9 km2. We genotyped
284 bears using 21 microsatellites extracted from noninvasively collected
hair as well as tissue samples from harvested bears. We found ten
populations of black bears in the study area, including several new
populations not previously identified, divided largely by geographic
features such as glaciers and marine fjords. Glacier bears were assigned
to four populations found on the north and east side of Lynn Canal and the
north and west side of Glacier Bay with a curious absence in the
nonglaciated peninsula between. Lack of genetic relatedness and geographic
continuity between black bear populations containing glacier bears suggest
a possible unsampled population or an association with ice fields. Further
investigation is needed to determine the genetic basis and the adaptive
and evolutionary significance of the glacier bear color morph to help
focus black bear conservation management to maximize and preserve genetic
diversity.