A genetic study of grizzly bears on the coast of British Columbia has discovered that there are three geographically separate DNA clusters, which do not mix, but interestingly, each cluster aligns with the area in which a particular Aboriginal language is spoken.
It all started with a genetic study of grizzly bears living on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. They had begun migrating to islands along the coast and experts were interested in finding out why. Working with scientists from the five First Nations in the area, the researchers collected DNA samples from bears to better understand how they related to each other.
According to National Geographic, similar findings have been made around the world. In British Columbia, Indigenous-led or sponsored research has been used to impact bear conservation policy, from ending trophy hunting in 2017 to protecting habitat on B.C.’s islands.
We do know that bears and people have shared resources and space in this landscape for millennia.
Raincoast Conservation Foundation
It turns out that grizzly bears belong to three distinct genetic groups, even though there were no apparent physical barriers to keep them from mixing. Each group of grizzly bears seemed to be somehow linked to one of the region’s three aboriginal human language families. In other words, the territory of each group of grizzly bears coincided precisely with the area where one of those languages was spoken. This finding was published in Ecology and Society.
The collection of the samples was made possible by a “bear working group,” a First Nations collaboration that began in 2011; they, too, were curious about the bears’ family ties. The study’s lead author, Lauren Henson, worked alongside representatives from the Gitga’at, Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk), Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk and Kitasoo / Xai’xais nations. Other co-authors include researchers from the University of Victoria.
Having been collecting grizzly bear hairs for DNA analysis for 11 years, a total of 147 samples were analyzed, taken from an area roughly the size of Vermont (23,500 square kilometers).
To obtain samples, the researchers collected piles of leaves and sticks coated with fish oil or a fish slurry. Each pile was surrounded by barbed wire to which tufts of grizzly bear fur were hooked when the bears went to investigate the smell. The researchers distributed decoys throughout the study area, sometimes in locations so remote that they could only be reached by helicopter.
The explanation favored by the research is that the landscape has shaped bears and humans in similar ways
Raincoast Conservation Foundation
The scientists were puzzled by the separation maintained between the three DNA groups, even though there were no obvious physical barriers between them. The scientists believed that perhaps the bears don’t need to travel to other places.
When the researchers realized how closely the group’s ranges aligned with areas where the Tsimshian, Northern Wakashan and Salishan Nuxalk language families were spoken, this hypothesis made even more sense. After all, the same resources that support human populations are the same resources required for large mammals such as grizzly bears. Those resources include land, fresh water and food, especially salmon in this area. “The findings emphasized the potential for a parallel response to variation in these resources that reflects this long-term relationship,” the Raincoast Conservation Foundation stated. The researchers have not discovered whether there are differences between the resources available in the three areas.
The close relationship between people and these grizzly groups supports the need for local knowledge in land management, says the Foundation’s William Housty, co-author of the paper. “Our investments in research on our lands allow us to make informed management decisions that are based not only on our own knowledge, but also on new scientific evidence such as this.”
