Bioenergetic Effects of Anthropogenic Contaminants and Climate Change on a Keystone Arctic Seabird

Global climate change and anthropogenic contamination are pressing problems of international scope.

A paucity of knowledge exists regarding combined effects of climate change and contaminant exposure on bioenergetics and thermoregulation, effects which are projected to be especially pronounced in the high Arctic.

Indeed, understanding joint effects of climate change and anthropogenic contaminants is a current research priority of the Arctic Council.

In this project (BioenergArc), I will collaborate with leading French scientists at La Rochelle University to address this research area from a bioenergetic perspective, using a keystone Arctic seabird species, the little auk (Alle alle), as a model system.

I will use field respirometry to elucidate whether exposure to a suite of contaminants (methylmercury, organochlorines, perfluoroalkyls) affects resting metabolic rate and thermoregulatory capacity in a fashion that could undermine the capacity to cope with climate change.

I will also use accelerometry in combination with experimental manipulations to examine whether contaminant exposure affects field metabolic rate, activity patterns and responses to increased workloads.

Finally, I will investigate whether variation in thermoregulatory capacity and energy budgeting affects spatial habitat use and fitness.

BioenergArc will combine my expertise in behavioural and physiological responses to environmental change with my collaborators’ complementary expertise in Arctic ecophysiology, ecotoxicology and spatial ecology.

I will receive advanced training in field respirometry and biologging, and expand my research in highly topical new directions.

Results will be disseminated through top-tier publications, international conferences and public engagement, and communicated to working groups of the Arctic Council to promote conservation initiatives.

The project will solidify my scientific reputation and serve as a critical stepping stone towards a permanent research position.