You are here:
Reconstructing the energy pathways and contaminant burden to lake trout in contrasting Great Lakes
Citation:
Lepak, R., J. Hoffman, S. Janssen, M. Gordon, M. Tate, J. Ogorek, D. Krabbenhoft, E. Murphy, J. Hurley, AND A. Cotter. Reconstructing the energy pathways and contaminant burden to lake trout in contrasting Great Lakes. International Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) Virtual Conference, Duluth, MN, May 17 - 21, 2021. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.14785365
Impact/Purpose:
Reconstructing the energy pathways and contaminant burden to lake trout in contrasting Great Lakes
Description:
Evaluating the reduction of contaminants in the Great Lakes has relied on sediment core reconstructions and long-term biological monitoring and specimen archiving. For some chemicals, these retrospective approaches can reveal differing narratives about the success of reducing contaminant loading to the Great Lakes. Interpreting contaminant trends in fish through time is challenging because they are mobile, express individuality in resource use and are highly sensitive to physical, ecological, and biological changes. Yet, contaminant reductions in fish are a prized marker of success in resource management. Here, we present bulk and compound-specific stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in two lake trout archives from Lakes Superior and Michigan to evaluate the impact biological and ecological changes have on energetic pathways and the mercury burden in lake trout. Then we ask are fish responding to declining emissions and how do fish influence the variability in contaminant burden?
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Reconstructing the energy pathways and contaminant burden to lake trout in contrasting Great Lakes