The thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in Northwest Greenland (Avanersuaq) relies on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in a changing climate
Considering seabirds as indicators of environmental change, we compared thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia (Linnaeus, 1758)) adult and chick diet in the North Water polynya region, NW Greenland, during 1997 and 2023. In the adult murre diet, fish accounted for 86% and 42% of food items by number, and 9...
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Canadian Science Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Arctic Science |
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| Online Access: | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0049 |
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| author | Knud Falk Flemming Ravn Merkel Myrthe Bergsma Kasper Lambert Johansen Kaj Kampp Aili Lage Labansen Anders Mosbech Maasannguaq Oshima Caroline Bouchard |
| author_facet | Knud Falk Flemming Ravn Merkel Myrthe Bergsma Kasper Lambert Johansen Kaj Kampp Aili Lage Labansen Anders Mosbech Maasannguaq Oshima Caroline Bouchard |
| author_sort | Knud Falk |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Considering seabirds as indicators of environmental change, we compared thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia (Linnaeus, 1758)) adult and chick diet in the North Water polynya region, NW Greenland, during 1997 and 2023. In the adult murre diet, fish accounted for 86% and 42% of food items by number, and 99% by wet mass (WM) in both 1997 and 2023. Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida (Lepechin, 1774)) was the most important prey, contributing 90% and 99% of WM in 1997 and 2023, respectively. In 1997 the murres ate mostly small 1-year-old cod but in 2023 they mainly took larger 2- and 3-year-old Arctic cod. In the chick diet, gadids contributed 71% and 86% of prey items brought to the chicks in 1997 and 2023, respectively, supplemented by sculpins and eelpouts in 1997. Capelin (Mallotus villosus (Müller, 1776)) increasingly occur in the area but did not appear in the murre diet. The study highlights a consistent reliance on Arctic cod, although with differences between sampling years in size of ingested specimens. We recommend continued monitoring of top predator diets, coupled with local knowledge, to understand the impacts of ongoing changes in the region. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3804e3a70cd547bb841bd54014cbe88c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2368-7460 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arctic Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-3804e3a70cd547bb841bd54014cbe88c2025-08-20T02:11:36ZengCanadian Science PublishingArctic Science2368-74602025-01-011111110.1139/as-2024-0049The thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in Northwest Greenland (Avanersuaq) relies on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in a changing climateKnud Falk0Flemming Ravn Merkel1Myrthe Bergsma2Kasper Lambert Johansen3Kaj Kampp4Aili Lage Labansen5Anders Mosbech6Maasannguaq Oshima7Caroline Bouchard8Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, DenmarkDepartment of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, DenmarkGreenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, GreenlandDepartment of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, DenmarkNatural History Museum Denmark, Copenhagen, DenmarkGreenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk,GreenlandDepartment of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, DenmarkSiorapaluk, Qaanaaq, GreenlandGreenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, GreenlandConsidering seabirds as indicators of environmental change, we compared thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia (Linnaeus, 1758)) adult and chick diet in the North Water polynya region, NW Greenland, during 1997 and 2023. In the adult murre diet, fish accounted for 86% and 42% of food items by number, and 99% by wet mass (WM) in both 1997 and 2023. Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida (Lepechin, 1774)) was the most important prey, contributing 90% and 99% of WM in 1997 and 2023, respectively. In 1997 the murres ate mostly small 1-year-old cod but in 2023 they mainly took larger 2- and 3-year-old Arctic cod. In the chick diet, gadids contributed 71% and 86% of prey items brought to the chicks in 1997 and 2023, respectively, supplemented by sculpins and eelpouts in 1997. Capelin (Mallotus villosus (Müller, 1776)) increasingly occur in the area but did not appear in the murre diet. The study highlights a consistent reliance on Arctic cod, although with differences between sampling years in size of ingested specimens. We recommend continued monitoring of top predator diets, coupled with local knowledge, to understand the impacts of ongoing changes in the region.https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0049Brünnich’s guillemotpolar codNorth WaterPikialasorsuaqSarvarjuaq |
| spellingShingle | Knud Falk Flemming Ravn Merkel Myrthe Bergsma Kasper Lambert Johansen Kaj Kampp Aili Lage Labansen Anders Mosbech Maasannguaq Oshima Caroline Bouchard The thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in Northwest Greenland (Avanersuaq) relies on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in a changing climate Arctic Science Brünnich’s guillemot polar cod North Water Pikialasorsuaq Sarvarjuaq |
| title | The thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in Northwest Greenland (Avanersuaq) relies on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in a changing climate |
| title_full | The thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in Northwest Greenland (Avanersuaq) relies on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in a changing climate |
| title_fullStr | The thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in Northwest Greenland (Avanersuaq) relies on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in a changing climate |
| title_full_unstemmed | The thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in Northwest Greenland (Avanersuaq) relies on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in a changing climate |
| title_short | The thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in Northwest Greenland (Avanersuaq) relies on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in a changing climate |
| title_sort | thick billed murre uria lomvia in northwest greenland avanersuaq relies on arctic cod boreogadus saida in a changing climate |
| topic | Brünnich’s guillemot polar cod North Water Pikialasorsuaq Sarvarjuaq |
| url | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0049 |
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