Switching to marine prey leads to unprecedented mercury concentrations in a population of coastal Alaska wolves
The Science of The Total Environment,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
980, P. 179542 - 179542
Published: April 30, 2025
Methylmercury
(MeHg)
bioaccumulates
in
organisms
and
biomagnifies
food
webs,
resulting
elevated
concentrations
tissues
of
apex
predators
that
may
negatively
impact
health.
As
MeHg
is
mainly
produced
by
aquatic
microbes,
feeding
webs
tend
to
have
higher
mercury
(Hg)
their
than
those
terrestrial
webs.
In
a
region
coastal
Southeast
Alaska,
wolves
switched
from
marine-based
diet
specializing
on
recently
recovered
sea
otters.
We
hypothesized
this
prey
switch
would
lead
Hg
wolf
tissues.
Therefore,
we
quantified
total
(THg)
hair
(n
=
25)
THg
liver
7),
muscle
3),
kidney
2),
brain
2)
two
packs
-
marine
foraging
island
pack
(located
Pleasant
Island),
an
adjacent
mainland
the
Gustavus
Forelands)
with
predominantly
diet.
paired
information
carbon
(δ13C)
nitrogen
(δ15N)
stable
isotope
analyses
65)
collected
2000
2023
determine
proportional
contribution
subsidies
infer
trophic
positions
packs.
For
comparison
completely
diet,
Interior
Alaska
wolves.
Liver
Island
(mean
17.59
ppm;
range
0.63-64.30)
categorized
individuals
at
'high
risk'
'severe
were
7
278
times
other
wolves,
respectively,
11
>2000
reported
globally.
increased
both
δ13C
δ15N
indicating
for
position
species
exposes
level
which
health
consequences.
Language: Английский
Vegetation influences wolf fine-scale habitat selection and movement rate in a logged coastal rainforest
Oecologia,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
207(3)
Published: Feb. 27, 2025
Vegetation
and
its
modification
by
humans
can
shape
wildlife
habitat
selection
movement.
A
better
understanding
of
how
wolves
select
move
through
natural
human
modified
vegetative
cover
be
used
to
implement
forest
management
that
considers
impacts
on
their
prey.
We
analyzed
fine-scale
wolf
movement
in
a
coastal
temperate
rainforest
(Prince
Wales
Island,
Alaska,
USA)
relation
to:
(1)
young
(≤
30
years)
old
(>
logged
areas,
(2)
continuous
measures
(as
estimated
via
LiDAR),
(3)
distance
roads,
using
integrated
step-selection
analysis
(iSSA).
Wolves
selected
areas
with
less
canopy
understory
at
the
population
level,
although
they
switched
selecting
when
within
stands.
The
vary
fine
spatial
scale
thus
appear
explain
than
categorical
landcover
classes
representing
age
Wolf
successional
near
was
mixed
across
individuals.
All
individual
avoided
cover,
but
varied
stands,
understory,
roads.
Similarly,
there
variability
rate
response
wolves,
level
moved
faster
vegetation.
Open
vegetation
including
present
recently
after
logging
is
facilitates
movement,
this
effect
may
ephemeral
as
undergoes
succession.
Language: Английский
The origin, connectivity, and individual specialization of island wolves after deer extirpation
Ecology and Evolution,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
14(4)
Published: April 1, 2024
Wolves
are
assumed
to
be
ungulate
obligates,
however,
a
recently
described
pack
on
Pleasant
Island,
Alaska
USA,
is
persisting
sea
otters
and
other
marine
resources
without
prey,
violating
this
long-held
assumption.
We
address
questions
about
these
wolves
regarding
their
origin
fate,
degree
of
isolation,
risk
inbreeding
depression,
diet
specialization
by
individual
sex.
applied
DNA
metabarcoding
genotyping
amplicon
sequencing
using
957
scats
collected
from
2016
2022,
reduced
representation
tissue
samples
establish
detailed
understanding
Island
wolf
ecology
compare
them
with
adjacent
mainland
wolves.
Dietary
overlap
was
higher
among
(Pianka's
index
mean
0.95
±
0.03)
compared
(0.70
0.21).
The
diets
island
were
dominated
otter,
ranging
40.6%
63.2%
weighted
percent
occurrence
(wPOO)
(mean
55.5
8.7).
In
contrast,
primarily
fed
ungulates
(42.2
21.3)
or
voles
during
population
outbreak
(31.2
23.2).
traced
the
pair
that
colonized
around
2013
produced
several
litters.
After
breeding
killed,
female
offspring
an
immigrant
male
became
new
breeders
in
2019.
detected
20
individuals
which
8
(40%)
trapped
killed
while
two
died
natural
causes
6-year
study.
Except
for
male,
pedigree
analysis
genotype
results
showed
no
additional
movement
island,
indicating
limited
dispersal
but
evidence
inbreeding.
Our
findings
suggest
exhibit
more
flexible
foraging
behavior
than
previously
believed,
hunting
strategies
can
substantially
differ
between
within
packs.
Nevertheless,
anthropogenic
mortality
combined
connectivity
may
inhibit
continued
persistence
Language: Английский