ECOLOGY
ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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polar bear population will gradually increase
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polar bear population will gradually decrease
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polar bear population will remain unchanged
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polar bears will adapt quickly to new food sources
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Detailed explanation-1: -Polar bears rely on sea ice as a physical platform from which to hunt seals. Melting sea ice is reducing the time polar bears have to hunt seals, increasing the time they have to fast and forcing them to rely on their fat stores for longer.
Detailed explanation-2: -Polar bears rely heavily on the sea ice environment for traveling, hunting, mating, resting, and in some areas, maternal dens. In particular, they depend heavily on sea ice-dependent prey, such as ringed and bearded seals.
Detailed explanation-3: -Many populations of polar bears have spent the entire year on sea ice. As sea ice retreats to a certain point where bears can no longer access enough prey, they can no longer thrive. Some bears from some populations have been observed leaving the sea ice for shore during the summer and fall.
Detailed explanation-4: -Rising temperatures are melting the Arctic sea-ice on which polar bears hunt, limiting their access to food. A recent study has found a remote population of polar bears that have adapted to hunt on chunks of glacier ice.