Unusual fatty acid biomarkers reveal age- and sex-specific foraging in polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

Abstract

We used fatty acid (FA) biomarkers in a novel approach to study the foraging habits of a top predator. We tested the hypothesis that non-methylene-interrupted FA (NMI FA), synthesized by benthic molluscs, are transferred via pinnipeds to polar bears ( Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) at the top of the arctic marine food web. Among eight species of marine mammals preyed upon by polar bears, NMI FA were prevalent only in benthic-feeding bearded seals ( Erignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777)) and Atlantic walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus (L., 1758)). These two prey species differed in their relative proportions of NMI FA — 22:2Δ7,15 was almost exclusive to bearded seals, whereas 20:2Δ5,11 was most abundant in Atlantic walruses. Six different NMI FA were identified in polar bears. Trends in individual NMI FA showed that large, adult male polar bears were the primary predators of bearded seals and Atlantic walruses. These findings were confirmed through quantitative FA signature analysis (QFASA) using an entirely different set of FA. In addition to corroborating the accuracy of QFASA diet estimates, these results indicate that individual NMI FA can provide specific information on polar bear foraging and therefore provide insights into the bottom–up effects of environmental change in arctic ecosystems.