Fitting the von Bertalanffy growth equation to polar bear age–weight data

摘要: Heavy sea ice in the Canadian Arctic winter of 1973–1974 reduced seal populations; polar bears, preying principally on seals, consequently lost weight. The nature and degree this weight loss was investigated by examining parameters von Bertalanffy growth curves, fitted direct minimization a sum squares using simplex algorithm Nelder Mead. Growth rates were lower for both males females tagged 1974–1975 than bears 1971–1973. Weights mature unaffected.