DOI: 10.5061/dryad.t76hdr87v
title: Autosomal SNP-genotype data of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Finland

description: Harmonising methodology between countries is crucial in transborder
 population monitoring. However, immediate application of alleged,
 established DNA-based methods across the extended area can entail
 drawbacks and may lead to biases. Therefore, genetic methods need to be
 tested across the whole area before being deployed. Around 4,500 brown
 bears (Ursus arctos) live in Norway, Sweden, and Finland and they are
 divided into the western (Scandinavian) and eastern (Karelian) population.
 Both populations have recovered and are connected via asymmetric
 migration. DNA-based population monitoring in Norway and Sweden uses the
 same set of genetic markers. With Finland aiming to implement monitoring,
 we tested the available SNP-panel developed to assess brown bears in
 Norway and Sweden, on tissue samples from a representative set of 93
 legally harvested individuals from Finland. The aim was to test for
 ascertainment bias and evaluate its suitability for DNA-based
 transnational-monitoring covering all three countries. We compared results
 to the performance of microsatellite genotypes of the same individuals in
 Finland and against SNP-genotypes from individuals sampled in Sweden
 (N=95) and Norway (N=27). In Finland, a higher resolution for individual
 identification was obtained for SNPs (PI=1.18E-27) compared to
 microsatellites (PI=4.2E-11). Compared to Norway and Sweden, probability
 of identity of the SNP-panel was slightly higher and expected
 heterozygosity lower in Finland indicating ascertainment bias. Yet, our
 evaluation show that the available SNP-panel outperforms the
 microsatellite panel currently applied in Norway and Sweden. The SNP-panel
 represents a powerful tool that could aid improving transnational
 DNA-based monitoring of brown bears across these three countries.
description: 93 tissue samples collected 2011-2017 from legally harvested male
 brown bears in Finland were genotyped with the SNP panel developed for
 Swedish brown bears (Norman et al. 2013) including its latest adjustments
 (Norman and Spong 2015). The SNP-genotyping was performed on a BioMark
 (Fluidigm Corporation, San Francisco, USA) at the laboratory of NINAGEN
 Centre for Biodiversity Genetics at the Norwegian Institute for Nature
 Research in Trondheim following manufacturer’s instructions. The data file
 includes the quality assured genotype data that has been used to assess
 and analyse for the study. 
description: # SNP-genotype data of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Finland
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.t76hdr87v](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.t76hdr87v) SNP-genotype data from 93 male brown bears sampled in Finland. ## Description of the data and file structure Each row represents a unique genotype, including sample number and the successfully amplified autosomal markers, used in the analyses of the study. The headers in the top row indicate the sample number and the respective SNP markers. ## Sharing/Access information Data was derived using the following sources: * 93 tissue samples collected 2011-2017 from legally harvested male brown bears in Finland were genotyped with the SNP panel developed for Swedish brown bears (Norman et al. 2013) including its latest adjustments (Norman and Spong 2015). The SNP-genotyping was performed on a BioMark (Fluidigm Corporation, San Francisco, USA) at the laboratory of NINAGEN Centre for Biodiversity Genetics at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research in Trondheim following manufacturer’s instructions. The data file includes the quality assured genotype data that has been used to assess and analyse for the study.