Wildlife

Wildlife Wednesday: a new genomic tool is teaching us more about “grolar” bears (or “pizzlies”)

Plus: an epic butterfly adventure, Indigenous-led solutions to boost endangered caribou and…are plants talking to each other?

Grolar Bear at Zoo Osnabrück, Germany. (Photo: Deviant Art)
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A recent study by researchers at MacEwan University in Edmonton unveils a powerful new tool for monitoring polar bears’ potential to hybridize and adapt to climate change. The team created a custom-made genomic tool dubbed the Ursus maritimus V2 SNP chip (SNP stands for Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms).

Researchers used the chip to locate specific chunks of DNA, using samples collected between 1975 and 2015 from over 800 polar bears, grizzly bears and known hybrids in Canada, Alaska, and Greenland. There were eight known hybrids included as part of the study.

The study found that the chips could detect polar and grizzly bear hybrids — known as “grolar” or “pizzly” bears — and trace their ancestry up to three generations back. The study didn’t identify any recent hybrids beyond the eight already known, suggesting that hybridization — at least in the bears sampled — hadn’t been occurring recently, despite the recently increased observations of grizzlies in polar bear territory.

However, the authors note, that’s not to say it won’t happen more in the future, as the climate warms and the two species come into contact more frequently than the bears sampled in this study. They also warn that “unchecked hybridization can become a conservation threat if the parental species collapse into a ‘hybrid swarm.’”

The study concluded that this chip could be a major step in monitoring how bears might adapt as the environment changes around them.

Chatty plants

A goldenrod could be warning its friends of incoming danger (Photo: Jeffrey Hamilton/Unsplash)
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A new paper published by a biologist at Cornell University argues that some plants are intelligent. In their paper published in Plant Signaling and Behavior, Andre Kessler and his doctoral student, Michael Mueller, discuss how some flora species respond to environmental problems through memory and decision-making.

The duo found that goldenrod — a tall, yellow flower native throughout Canada and much of the United States — can register when its neighbours are under attack, and subsequently organize resistance.

When their leaves are attacked by insects, goldenrods emit volatile organic compounds that signal to other insects that their leaves are damaged, while also changing the reflection of red light from their leaves. Other close-by goldenrods can understand these changes as warning signs and produce defensive compounds to fight off other threats.

In doing so, Kessler and Mueller argue that these plants prepare for future conditions based on their environment. “They can smell out their environment very precisely; every single cell can do it, as far as we know,” said Kessler.

Goldenrods aren’t the only plants known to behave in this way. While scientists have been aware of plant informational exchange since the 1980s, the question of whether plants are intelligent is still a controversial one among scientists.

An epic 4,200-kilometre journey

Painted Lady butterfly getting nectar from a flower. (Photo: Mara Koenig/USFWS/Flickr)
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Are you thinking about going international for your next flight? Well, so are painted lady butterflies, according to a groundbreaking study published in Nature Communications. For the first time, researchers mapped the 4,200-kilometre trans-oceanic flight path of painted lady butterflies that migrated beyond their native range.

Corresponding author Gerard Talavera had discovered a flock of painted lady butterflies, also known as “Vanessa Cardui,” off the Atlantic coast of South America. Using a genetic sequencing tool, the team, including the University of Ottawa’s Clement Bataille and Megan Reich, traced the geographic origins of the pollen carried by the butterflies, uncovering their migration path. The research team identified two plant species from Africa, suggesting that the butterflies had undergone a 4,200-kilometre transatlantic journey.

The researchers concluded that excellent wind conditions allowed for the butterflies’ extraordinary flight over the ocean, which lasted five to eight days without stops. These novel discoveries indicate the existence of long-range aerial migration and reimagine the possibilities of insect resilience and adaptation. 

Indigenous-led solutions for endangered caribou

Female caribou can grow their population by being penned for just a few weeks. (Photo: Jordan Demeulemeester/Saulteau First Nations)
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A new study promotes the efficacy of “maternal penning” when it comes to endangered southern mountain caribou in British Columbia. Released by the Nîkanêse Wah tzee Stewardship — a collaboration between West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations seeking to recover the local caribou population — and in partnership with the University of British Columbia, amongst other collaborators, the study connects the practice to reproductive success amongst caribou. 

During maternal penning, pregnant females are taken from the wild and brought to a temporary pen for several weeks. The animals give birth in these pens, giving their offspring the chance to experience their first few weeks of life without the threat of predators.

Now published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology, the study indicates stress is reduced during penning and caribou are likely to receive better nutrition in the pens than in the wild — contributing to the overall health of caribou while giving the population a better shot at recovery.

In addition to its positive impact on British Columbia’s caribou, the study also calls attention to the benefits of blending Indigenous-led conservation practices with western science.

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