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1. Grizzly and polar bears as nonconsumptive cultural keystone species

   https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0089  

   Clark, Douglas; Artelle, Kyle; Darimont, Chris; Housty, William; Tallio, Clyde; Neasloss, Douglas; Schmidt, Aimee; Wiget, Andrew; Turner, Nancy (January 2021, FACETS)

   Olive, Andrea (Ed.)

   Grizzly bears and polar bears often serve as ecological “flagship species” in conservation efforts, but although consumptively used in some areas and cultures they can also be important cultural keystone species even where not hunted. We extend the application of established criteria for defining cultural keystone species to also encompass species with which cultures have a primarily nonconsumptive relationship but that are nonetheless disproportionately important to well-being and identity. Grizzly bears in coastal British Columbia are closely linked to many Indigenous Peoples (including the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk), Kitasoo/Xai’xais, and Nuxalk First Nations), where they are central to the identity, culture, and livelihoods of individuals, families, Chiefs, and Nations. Polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba, provide another example as a cultural keystone species for a mixed Indigenous and non-Indigenous community in which many of the livelihood benefits from the species are mediated by economic transactions in a globalized tourism market. We discuss context specificity and questions of equity in sharing of benefits from cultural keystone species. Our expanded definition of cultural keystone species gives broader recognition of the beyond-ecological importance of these species to Indigenous Peoples, which highlights the societal and ecological importance of Indigenous sovereignty and could facilitate the increased cross-cultural understanding critical to reconciliation. 

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2. Polar bears and expanding sea ice in the Mid Holocene Aleutian Islands, Alaska

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88996-0  

   Parker, Lillian Draper; West, Catherine F; Tatum, Kaylee Hope; Etnier, Michael; Bethke, Brandi; Reedy, Katherine; Shellikoff, Nikkita; Hofman, Courtney A (December 2025, Scientific Reports)
3. Environmental genomics of Late Pleistocene black bears and giant short-faced bears

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.027  

   Pedersen, Mikkel Winther; De Sanctis, Bianca; Saremi, Nedda F.; Sikora, Martin; Puckett, Emily E.; Gu, Zhenquan; Moon, Katherine L.; Kapp, Joshua D.; Vinner, Lasse; Vardanyan, Zaruhi; et al (April 2021, Current Biology)

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4. A multi-tissue gene expression dataset for hibernating brown bears

   Perry, Blair W.; Saxton, Michael W.; Jansen, Heiko T.; Quackenbush, Corey R.; Evans Hutzenbiler, Brandon D.; Robbins, Charles T.; Kelley, Joanna L.; Cornejo, Omar E. (June 2023, BMC genomic data)

   Objectives Complex physiological adaptations often involve the coordination of molecular responses across multiple tissues. Establishing transcriptomic resources for non-traditional model organisms with phenotypes of interest can provide a foundation for understanding the genomic basis of these phenotypes, and the degree to which these resemble, or contrast, those of traditional model organisms. Here, we present a one-of-a-kind gene expression dataset generated from multiple tissues of two hibernating brown bears (Ursus arctos). Data description This dataset is comprised of 26 samples collected from 13 tissues of two hibernating brown bears. These samples were collected opportunistically and are typically not possible to attain, resulting in a highly unique and valuable gene expression dataset. In combination with previously published datasets, this new transcriptomic resource will facilitate detailed investigation of hibernation physiology in bears, and the potential to translate aspects of this biology to treat human disease. 

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5. A multi-tissue gene expression dataset for hibernating brown bears

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-023-01136-3  

   Perry, Blair W.; Saxton, Michael W.; Jansen, Heiko T.; Quackenbush, Corey R.; Evans Hutzenbiler, Brandon D.; Robbins, Charles T.; Kelley, Joanna L.; Cornejo, Omar E. (June 2023, BMC Genomic Data)

   Abstract ObjectivesComplex physiological adaptations often involve the coordination of molecular responses across multiple tissues. Establishing transcriptomic resources for non-traditional model organisms with phenotypes of interest can provide a foundation for understanding the genomic basis of these phenotypes, and the degree to which these resemble, or contrast, those of traditional model organisms. Here, we present a one-of-a-kind gene expression dataset generated from multiple tissues of two hibernating brown bears (Ursus arctos). Data descriptionThis dataset is comprised of 26 samples collected from 13 tissues of two hibernating brown bears. These samples were collected opportunistically and are typically not possible to attain, resulting in a highly unique and valuable gene expression dataset. In combination with previously published datasets, this new transcriptomic resource will facilitate detailed investigation of hibernation physiology in bears, and the potential to translate aspects of this biology to treat human disease. 

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