How will global warming impact the natural selection selection process on polar bears?

Answer 1

If, and it's a big if, climate change caused the ice cap in the Arctic to disappear, It is hard to say what exactly would happen to the polar bear. Polar bears have been known to forage like other bears on berries and grasses, and most likely would do so if we lost the ice pack.

The polar bear is a very close cousin of the brown bear, and if they began to have regular contact, hybridization could spell doom for the ice bear.

But, all this is conjecture at this point. The ice pack is at its largest in decades, so the polar bear appears safe for now.

Answer 2

Global warming is expected to impact the natural selection process on polar bears by potentially reducing their access to essential resources such as sea ice for hunting, leading to decreased food availability and increased competition for survival. This may result in changes to the selective pressures faced by polar bears, potentially influencing traits such as hunting behavior, body size, and thermoregulation abilities over time.