Article
Environmental Sciences
Adam Sokolowski, Marlena Mordec, Magda Caban, Ida Beathe Overjordet, Ewa Wielogorska, Maria Wlodarska-Kowalczuk, Piotr Balazy, Maciej Chelchowski, Gilles Lepoint
Summary: This study investigates the behavior of pharmaceuticals in the macrobenthic food web in the Arctic coastal zone. The results show that the behavior of different pharmaceuticals varies, and trophic transfer plays a role in controlling the concentration of certain drugs in Arctic benthic communities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rongliang Zhang, Hua Zhang, Hui Liu, Jianmin Zhao
Summary: Artificial reefs can support trophic structure and pathways similar to those of natural reefs, although there may be spatial differences in pathway magnitudes. The study shows that the development of artificial reef systems over the years enables them to be comparable to natural reef systems. Future research should focus on comparing specific trophic compartments and combining trophic ecology with community structure to better understand the development of artificial reef systems.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Garth Mowat, Douglas C. Heard, P. Jeff Curtis
Summary: Stable isotopes have been used to estimate diet in numerous species, but limited by the number of tracers and data separation between dietary sources. The study aimed to detect caribou in the diets of individual predators, but struggled to accurately assign the caribou diet fraction using isotope ratios. Elemental concentration of lichen and predators appeared to be a potential diet tracer, with strontium and cesium showing higher concentrations in caribou tissue.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ariana M. Chiapella, Martin J. Kainz, Angela L. Strecker
Summary: Tracing the flow of dietary energy sources, especially in systems with high omnivory, is a persistent challenge in ecology. Differentiating between autochthonous and allochthonous energy sources in aquatic systems can be difficult, as bulk carbon stable isotope values of prey often overlap. Fatty acid stable isotopes may not completely overcome the challenges of bulk stable isotopes in distinguishing between diet items and treatments in aquatic consumers.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Miquel Planas
Summary: This study investigates the application of time lag for the estimation of trophic position and dietary regime in the greater pipefish. The results indicate that the trophic position of the species was not affected by shifting when analyzed for the annual dataset, but it was higher when the analysis was performed using a seasonal dataset. The findings also show a higher preference for certain food sources in the shifted sampling approach compared to the unshifted approach.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Fujio Hyodo, Hiroshi O. Tanaka
Summary: During primary succession, the ant community modifies its diet preferences and feeding habits, shifting towards plant-based diets in order to balance nutrition. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of ants also support this finding.
ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrew P. Cyr, Katie A. Drew, Sierra Corsetti, Andrew C. Seitz, Trent M. Sutton, J. Andres Lopez, Matthew J. Wooller, Todd O'Hara
Summary: Arctic lamprey is an important dietary resource in Alaska, but concerns about mercury levels in their tissues and potential impact on human health exist. This study investigated the feeding ecology of Arctic lamprey and found that their diet mainly consists of capelin, Pacific sand lance, and Pacific herring, with diet composition varying with size class. Results suggest that feeding location and biomagnification are not significant factors in mercury levels in Arctic lamprey, and the current mercury levels do not pose a human health risk.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
June Eggebo, Jasmin Gross, Susan Bengtson Nash
Summary: This study compared the carbon and nitrogen isotopic values of blubber and skin tissues of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales, revealing significant differences between the two tissues. It highlights the need for method validation and standardization in the application of these approaches, advancing the methodological aspects of cetacean dietary analysis. This is of elevated importance in the context of rapidly changing ocean ecosystems.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tae Hee Park, Chung Il Lee, Tae-Hoon Kim, Dongyoung Kim, Hyun Je Park
Summary: In order to evaluate the impact of rainfall on the basal resources supporting food webs, we compared stable isotope ratios (813C and 815N) of fish consumers and organic matter sources between up- and down-sites in an estuary across different seasons and years. Our study found seasonal differences in the isotopic values of basal resources and fish consumers in both years. Changes in rainfall period resulted in significant differences in the isotopic values of fish consumers at the up-site, indicating a shift in food availability. However, the isotopic values of fishes remained consistent at the down-site, suggesting a negligible impact of rainfall on fish resources.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dhanya Mohan Lal, Giri Bhavan Sreekanth, Chitra Soman, Anupam Sharma, Zeba Jaffer Abidi
Summary: The food and feeding relationships in the Ulhas River Estuary (URE) were analyzed using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures. The results showed that there were both a phytoplankton-based pelagic food chain and a detritus-based benthic food chain in URE. The ecosystem in URE exhibited a broader food web structure and higher trophic diversity, indicating the influence of anthropogenic activities on nitrogen pollution and trophic disturbance.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Danae Guiserix, Emmanuelle Albalat, Henriette Ueckermann, Priyanka Davechand, Linda M. Iaccheri, Grant Bybee, Shaw Badenhorst, Vincent Balter
Summary: Radiogenic strontium isotopes (Sr-87/Sr-86) are a useful tool for investigating migration and landscape use. The study shows that the Sr-88/Sr-86 ratio may reveal unknown dietary and physiological information. Furthermore, the delta Sr-88 values in tooth enamel can differentiate between plants and herbivores, but the distinction between herbivores and carnivores requires further research.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Remi Amiraux, C. J. Mundy, Marie Pierrejean, Andrea Niemi, Kevin J. Hedges, Thomas A. Brown, Jens K. Ehn, Kyle H. Elliott, Steven H. Ferguson, Aaron T. Fisk, Grant Gilchrist, Les N. Harris, Katrin Iken, Kevin B. Jacobs, Kelsey F. Johnson, Z. A. Kuzyk, Audrey Limoges, Tracey N. Loewen, Oliver P. Love, Cory J. D. Matthews, Wesley R. Ogloff, Bruno Rosenberg, Janne E. Soreide, Cortney A. Watt, David J. Yurkowski
Summary: Climate-driven alterations in the Arctic and subarctic regions, like Hudson Bay, are causing declining sea ice, warming surface waters, and ocean acidification at alarming rates. These changes are affecting primary production patterns and will impact the entire food web. A study conducted in the Southampton Island marine ecosystem revealed the importance of both benthic and pelagic-derived prey in sustaining higher trophic level species. Additionally, the reliance of Arctic marine mammals on ice algae suggests that a decrease in ice algae productivity could have cascading effects on the benthic food web and overall Arctic ecosystem.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Camille de la Vega, Claire Mahaffey, David J. Yurkowski, Louisa Norman, Elysia Simpson, Sophie Smout, Steven H. Ferguson, Rachel M. Jeffreys
Summary: The warming Arctic has caused borealization, leading to changes in food web structure in both high-Arctic and mid-Arctic regions. The rate of this change varies with latitude, with the high-Arctic experiencing a more recent shift compared to the mid-Arctic. This differential response to ecological changes may be due to the timing of borealization in Canadian Arctic.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Dokyun Kim, Eun-Ji Won, Ha-Eun Cho, Jonghyun Lee, Kyung-Hoon Shin
Summary: Although many attempts have been made to improve the accuracy of trophic magnification factor (TMF) and biomagnification factor (BMF) for assessing pollutant bioaccumulation, this study suggests an improved BMF (BMF') for mercury bioaccumulation in freshwater fish. The results show that the values of BMF' are generally higher than TMF, indicating that it is a more reliable index for risk assessment. This ecological approach provides novel insights into the behavior and trophic transfer of pollutants like mercury.
Article
Environmental Sciences
David J. Yurkowski, Elena McCulloch, Wesley R. Ogloff, Kelsey F. Johnson, Remi Amiraux, Niladri Basu, Kyle H. Elliott, Aaron T. Fisk, Steven H. Ferguson, Les N. Harris, Kevin J. Hedges, Kevin Jacobs, Tracey N. Loewen, Cory J. D. Matthews, C. J. Mundy, Andrea Niemi, Bruno Rosenberg, Cortney A. Watt, Melissa A. McKinney
Summary: Combining mercury and stable isotope data sets can help determine whether predator's contaminant variation is influenced by diet, habitat use, or environmental factors. We examined 249 individuals from 15 fish and four marine mammal species in coastal Arctic waters to investigate inter-species variation in total Hg concentrations, trophic magnification slope between 815N and THg, and relationships of THg with 813C and 834S. Our findings highlight the significance of employing a multi-isotopic approach, including 834S, when studying trophic Hg dynamics in coastal marine systems.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)