Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

In Arctic and Atlantic Canada, seabirds are subject to increasing and novel anthropogenic stressors throughout the year, which can markedly affect bird populations and the people that rely on them. A key question for scientists, managers, and politicians is "can we predict and mitigate effects of anthropogenic stressors on coastal wildlife populations (and their habitats) when so few data are available on their ecology and health?" A stressor of particular interest is environmental contamination; despite decades of monitoring in this region, there are few studies that directly link contaminants and wild bird health. My research program will build on my lab's experience and success in remote field work to test the hypothesis that coastal and marine habitats for migratory birds are connected through bird behaviour and ecology (notably diet), which leads to avian chemical and health connectivity. Specifically, during the next 5 years, my lab will: (1) assess variation in contaminants, diet and wild seabird health in Arctic and Atlantic Canada, using recent advances in genetic sequencing and field health assessment; and (2) link seabird diet and health to annual movements and anthropogenic stressors, using advanced telemetry and statistical techniques.      To achieve these objectives, we will undertake contamination, diet, movement and health research on 3 seabird species with which we have extensive experience (Arctic terns, herring gulls, common eiders), at 3 colonies (each), spread across an environmental gradient from Iceland to Nova Scotia to Nunavut. We will examine concurrently 11 different physiological health metrics, including the first analyses of microbiome diversity, as well as measuring a suite of contaminants. We will sample through the year, between sexes, in closely-related species, and across latitude to look for predictable patterns in health and contamination, and identify factors that negatively influence health. Finally, using tracking we will link diet, health and contamination to local and annual movement patterns to assess where birds may be at most risk, and how this relates to our previous work on contamination of colony sites and identification of key marine habitat sites.      My research program will result in a significant advancement in understanding how seabird health may be affected by existing contaminant levels in the marine environment, and how this relates to their habitat use in Arctic and Atlantic Canada. This builds on our work over the past decade, providing unique information vital for environmental assessment and protected area management, and for modeling of future environmental conditions in key coastal habitats. As well, contaminant data will directly fulfill part of Canada's reporting obligations for several national and international agreements, including the Minamata Convention, the Canadian Plastics Science Agenda, and conservation and contamination work of the Arctic Council.