How polar bears’ DNA is adapting to warmer climates

New research has suggested that polar bears could be rewriting their DNA in order to adapt to warmer climates.

Researchers from University of East Anglia discovered some genes related to heat-stress, ageing and metabolism are behaving differently in polar bears living in southeastern Greenland, suggesting they might be adjusting to their warmer conditions.

Lead researcher Dr Alice Godden, from UEA’s School of Biological Sciences, said the finding offers some “hope” for the polar bears’, and might provide a vital “genetic blueprint” to help conservation efforts.

But despite the signs of adaption to a changing environment, she said efforts to limit global temperature increases must continue.

In 2008 the U.S. government granted polar bears protective status under the Endangered Species Act.

Dr Godden said the animals are in “real danger” with two thirds expected to disappear by 2050.

“That is really not that far away unfortunately, ” she said. “As the rest of the species faces extinction, these specific bears provide a genetic blueprint for how polar bears might be able to adapt quickly to climate change, making their unique genetic code a vital focus for conservation efforts.”

Polar bears are used to eating fatty and seal-based diets that they might not get in warmer climates because the sea ice platforms they use for hunting are melting, the study said.

Researchers said changes had been found in gene expression areas of DNA linked to fat processing, which is important when food is scarce and could mean the southeastern bears are slowly adapting to the rougher plant-based diets.

Dr Godden said: “We believe this has happened in recent decades, potentially in the past 200 or so years.”