Pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions
Abstract Declining sea ice is expected to change the Arctic's physical and biological systems in ways that are difficult to predict. This study used stable isotope compositions (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of archaeological, historic, and modern Pacific walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) bone collag...
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/qua.2018.140 2024-09-15T18:01:59+00:00 Pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions Clark, Casey T. Horstmann, Lara de Vernal, Anne Jensen, Anne M. Misarti, Nicole 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.140 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589418001400 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Quaternary Research volume 108, page 26-42 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 journal-article 2019 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.140 2024-08-14T04:01:31Z Abstract Declining sea ice is expected to change the Arctic's physical and biological systems in ways that are difficult to predict. This study used stable isotope compositions (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of archaeological, historic, and modern Pacific walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) bone collagen to investigate the impacts of changing sea ice conditions on walrus diet during the last ~4000 yr. An index of past sea ice conditions was generated using dinocyst-based reconstructions from three locations in the northeastern Chukchi Sea. Archaeological walrus samples were assigned to intervals of high and low sea ice, and δ 13 C and δ 15 N were compared across ice states. Mean δ 13 C and δ 15 N values were similar for archaeological walruses from intervals of high and low sea ice; however, variability among walruses was greater during low-ice intervals, possibly indicating decreased availability of preferred prey. Overall, sea ice conditions were not a primary driver of changes in walrus diet. The diet of modern walruses was not consistent with archaeological low sea ice intervals. Rather, the low average trophic position of modern walruses (primarily driven by males), with little variability among individuals, suggests that trophic changes to this Arctic ecosystem are still underway or are unprecedented in the last ~4000 yr. Article in Journal/Newspaper Chukchi Chukchi Sea Odobenus rosmarus Sea ice walrus* Cambridge University Press Quaternary Research 1 17 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Declining sea ice is expected to change the Arctic's physical and biological systems in ways that are difficult to predict. This study used stable isotope compositions (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of archaeological, historic, and modern Pacific walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) bone collagen to investigate the impacts of changing sea ice conditions on walrus diet during the last ~4000 yr. An index of past sea ice conditions was generated using dinocyst-based reconstructions from three locations in the northeastern Chukchi Sea. Archaeological walrus samples were assigned to intervals of high and low sea ice, and δ 13 C and δ 15 N were compared across ice states. Mean δ 13 C and δ 15 N values were similar for archaeological walruses from intervals of high and low sea ice; however, variability among walruses was greater during low-ice intervals, possibly indicating decreased availability of preferred prey. Overall, sea ice conditions were not a primary driver of changes in walrus diet. The diet of modern walruses was not consistent with archaeological low sea ice intervals. Rather, the low average trophic position of modern walruses (primarily driven by males), with little variability among individuals, suggests that trophic changes to this Arctic ecosystem are still underway or are unprecedented in the last ~4000 yr. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Clark, Casey T. Horstmann, Lara de Vernal, Anne Jensen, Anne M. Misarti, Nicole |
spellingShingle |
Clark, Casey T. Horstmann, Lara de Vernal, Anne Jensen, Anne M. Misarti, Nicole Pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions |
author_facet |
Clark, Casey T. Horstmann, Lara de Vernal, Anne Jensen, Anne M. Misarti, Nicole |
author_sort |
Clark, Casey T. |
title |
Pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions |
title_short |
Pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions |
title_full |
Pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions |
title_fullStr |
Pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions |
title_sort |
pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.140 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589418001400 |
genre |
Chukchi Chukchi Sea Odobenus rosmarus Sea ice walrus* |
genre_facet |
Chukchi Chukchi Sea Odobenus rosmarus Sea ice walrus* |
op_source |
Quaternary Research volume 108, page 26-42 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.140 |
container_title |
Quaternary Research |
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1 |
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17 |
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1810439062080716800 |