Article: Sea ice-associated diet change increases the levels of chlorinated and brominated contaminants in polar bears.
Environmental science & technology
2009 Volume 43, Issue 12, Page(s) 4334–4339
Abstract: Two global environmental issues, climate change and contamination by persistent organic pollutants, represent major concerns for arctic ecosystems. Yet, it is unclear how these two stressors interact in the Arctic. For instance, the influence of climate- ... ...
| Abstract | Two global environmental issues, climate change and contamination by persistent organic pollutants, represent major concerns for arctic ecosystems. Yet, it is unclear how these two stressors interact in the Arctic. For instance, the influence of climate-associated changes in food web structure on exposure to pollutants within arctic ecosystems is presently unknown. Here, we report on recent changes in feeding ecology (1991-2007) in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the western Hudson Bay subpopulation that have resulted in increases in the tissue concentrations of several chlorinated and brominated contaminants. Differences in timing of the annual sea ice breakup explained a significant proportion of the diet variation among years. As expected from climate change predictions, this diet change was consistent with an increase in the consumed proportions of open water-associated seal species compared to ice-associated seal species in years of earlier sea ice breakup. Our results demonstrate that climate change is a modulating influence on contaminants in this polar bear subpopulation and may pose an additional and previously unidentified threat to northern ecosystems through altered exposures to contaminants. |
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| MeSH term(s) | Adipose Tissue/chemistry ; Adipose Tissue/metabolism ; Animals ; Arctic Regions ; Chlorine Compounds ; Diet ; Environmental Monitoring ; Environmental Pollutants ; Feeding Behavior/physiology ; Greenhouse Effect ; Hydrocarbons, Brominated ; Ice ; Oceans and Seas ; Ursidae/physiology |
| Chemical Substances | Chlorine Compounds ; Environmental Pollutants ; Hydrocarbons, Brominated ; Ice |
| Language | English |
| Publishing date | 2009-05-03 |
| Publishing country | United States |
| Document type | Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
| ISSN | 0013-936X |
| ISSN | 0013-936X |
| DOI | 10.1021/es900471g |
| Database | MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE |
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