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Impact of Glaciers on Trophic Dynamics and Polyunsaturated Fat Accumulation in Southern Greenland Fjord Ecosystems
Department of Surface Waters-Research and Management, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland; Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Aquatic Ecology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
WasserCluster Lunz—Biologische Station, Dr. Carl Kupelwieser Promenade 5, Lunz am See, Austria.
Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Aquatic Ecology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
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2025 (English)In: Global Change Biology, ISSN 1354-1013, E-ISSN 1365-2486, Vol. 31, no 1, article id e70044Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The primary production of fjords across the Arctic and Subarctic is undergoing significant transformations due to the climatically driven retreat of glaciers and ice sheets. However, the implications of these changes for upper trophic levels remain largely unknown. In this study, we employ both bulk and compound-specific stable isotope analyses to investigate how shifts at the base of fjord food webs impact the carbon and energy sources of consumers. Focusing on two rapidly changing fjords in Southern Greenland, we used the migratory Arctic char as an indicator species, sampling populations along environmental gradients within the fjords, building upon the assumption that char populations feed primarily close to their natal stream, thereby integrating a dietary gradient. Our analysis of bulk stable isotopes in Arctic char tissue confirmed this premise, revealing a consistent change in resource use from the outer to the inner fjord, which nonetheless served as preferred feeding grounds. Essential amino acid analysis further indicated shifts in carbon and nitrogen sources, consistent with changes in nutrient use near glacier inputs characterized by low turbidity and high iron levels. Notably, these changes in the source of primary production were associated with shifts in trophic positions and the transfer of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with Arctic char in glacier-influenced inner fjords feeding at lower trophic level (size-corrected) and accumulating higher levels of high-quality docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These findings highlight the usefulness of new analytical tools in revealing that glacial retreat can substantially alter food web dynamics, enhancing both carbon flow and the nutritional quality of fish in fjord ecosystems. The two Southern Greenland fjords studied could represent the future of other fjords, where retreating glaciers become land-terminating and glacial inputs decrease. Our study underscores the critical role of glacier dynamics in affecting high-level consumers, such as salmonids, with implications for fjords globally.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley and Sons Inc , 2025. Vol. 31, no 1, article id e70044
Keywords [en]
amino acid isotope, arctic char, fjord, food web, glacier, Greenland, polyunsaturated fatty acid, trophic position
National Category
Ecology Geochemistry
Research subject
Applied Geochemistry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-111584DOI: 10.1111/gcb.70044ISI: 001406149100001PubMedID: 39868674Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85216208636OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-111584DiVA, id: diva2:1936331
Note

Validerad;2025;Nivå 2;2025-02-10 (u5);

Funder: Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (310030_185195); Eidgenössische Anstalt für Wasserversorgung Abwasserreinigung und Gewässerschutz; Swiss Polar Institute (SPIEG-2021- 003);

Available from: 2025-02-10 Created: 2025-02-10 Last updated: 2025-10-21Bibliographically approved

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Aquino, Norberto Jr.

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