About the Authors

Elizabeth Peacock

lpeacock@usgs.gov

Affiliations Alaska Science Center, US Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America, Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut, Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada

Sarah A. Sonsthagen

Affiliation Alaska Science Center, US Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America

Martyn E. Obbard

Affiliation Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

Andrei Boltunov

Affiliation All-Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection, Moscow, Russian Federation

Eric V. Regehr

Affiliation US Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America

Nikita Ovsyanikov

Affiliation Wrangel Island State Nature Reserve, Moscow, Russian Federation

Jon Aars

Affiliation Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway

Stephen N. Atkinson

Affiliation Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut, Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada

George K. Sage

Affiliation Alaska Science Center, US Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America

Andrew G. Hope

Affiliation Alaska Science Center, US Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America

Eve Zeyl

Affiliation Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Lutz Bachmann

Affiliation Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Dorothee Ehrich

Affiliation Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Kim T. Scribner

Affiliation Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America

Steven C. Amstrup

Affiliation Polar Bears International, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America

Stanislav Belikov

Affiliation All-Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection, Moscow, Russian Federation

Erik W. Born

Affiliation Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Copenhagen, Denmark

Andrew E. Derocher

Affiliation Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Ian Stirling

Affiliation Science & Technology Branch, Environment Canada, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Mitchell K. Taylor

Affiliation Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Øystein Wiig

Affiliation Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

David Paetkau

Affiliation Wildlife Genetics International, Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

Sandra L. Talbot

Affiliation Alaska Science Center, US Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America

Competing Interests

The author D. Paetkau is an owner of the Canadian company, Wildlife Genetics International. This fact does not alter the authors' adherence to all PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: EP DP SAS SLT AGH GKS. Performed the experiments: EP SAS AGH SLT GKS. Analyzed the data: EP SAS AGH SLT GKS. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: EP MEO AB EVR NO JA SNA EZ LB DE SCA SB EWB AED IS MKT OW. Wrote the paper: EP SLT SAS. Provided expertise and editing: EP SAS MEO AB EVR JA SNA AGH EZ LB DE KTS SCA SB EWB AED IS MKT OW DP SLT GKS.