A new method of tracking the dietary habits and contaminant exposure of animals in Arctic marine ecosystems is providing critical insights as climate change reshapes the region's food web.
A new method of tracking the dietary habits and contaminant exposure of animals in Arctic marine ecosystems is providing critical insights as climate change reshapes the region's food web.
A team of researchers led by Adam Pedersen, a recent PhD graduate from McGill University’s Department of Natural Resource Sciences, outline the approach in a new study. Their method uses carbon isotopes of fatty acids to better understand what migratory species, such as killer whales, and Arctic predators, such as polar bears, eat and how they accumulate harmful contaminants.
“Our method addresses key limitations of traditional approaches,” said Pedersen, the study’s lead author. “It’s particularly effective for species like killer whales, which shift their diets as they migrate northward into the Arctic. Understanding these shifts is crucial in the context of climate change.”
Read more at: McGill University
Photo Credit: mjimages via Pixabay
