Rivers constrain female but not male dispersal and genetic structure in brown bears

Understanding landscape barriers to connectivity is essential for wildlife conservation. Rivers may restrict movement and gene flow in brown bears (Ursus arctos), yet their impact remains unclear. Using SNP-genotypes from 519 individuals in northern Sweden, we examined sex-specific dispersal and genetic structure relative to rivers. Males dispersed farther and crossed rivers more often than females, indicating rivers act as semipermeable barriers primarily for females. Genetic structure was weak for females and absent for males.
, , # Data from: Rivers constrain female but not male dispersal and genetic structure in brown bears

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.zkh1893qr](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zkh1893qr)

## Description of the data and file structure

### Files and variables

#### File: 20241208_Ua_genotypes.csv

**Description:** This file includes SNP genotypes and associated metadata for 519 brown bears (Ursus arctos) sampled in Sweden. For each individual, the dataset records a unique sample ID, sex, geographic sampling location (SWEREF99 coordinates), and year of collection, along with genotypes at multiple SNP loci. Genotypes are coded as XX and YY for homozygous states and XY for heterozygous states, providing genetic information suitable for population genetic and spatial analyses.

##### Variables

* SampleID: Identification number of individual brown bears genotyped from fecal samples.
* Sex: F = female; M = male
* Sweref99_N: Northing GPS coordinate of the sample center location in SWEREF 99.
* Sweref9...,