Deep in the hundred acre wood, research conducted by Trent University graduate Dr. Agnès Pelletier is shining a light on some troubling gene patterns in black bears. The new study, which was recently published in PLOS ONE, shows that American black bears on the Bruce Peninsula have genetic particularities that could be explained by the impact of human activities in South-Central Ontario.

"We knew from our previous studies that black bears in this area of Ontario had a lower genetic diversity than populations from other regions of the province. However, we did not know why and we needed to understand why to assess if specific conservation actions may be required," explains Dr. Pelletier.

Prof. Pelletier used over 200 simulations to replay the history of black bears in Ontario. She found that the low genetic diversity of Bruce Peninsula black bears was due to a reduction in population size that occurred in the early 1900s, associated with reduced migration between bears from the rest of Ontario.

The Bruce Peninsula bear population is already under pressure from human caused mortality, and small population size. To prevent further problems on the genetic side, Dr. Pelletier suggests to introduce individuals from other Ontario locations on the Bruce Peninsula.  

Learn more about Dr. Pelletier’s research and read the full paper.