Continental-scale nutrient and contaminant delivery by Pacific salmon.

ABSTRACT: The movement of large amounts of nutrients by migrating animals has ecological benefits for recipient food webs^1,2 that may be offset by co-transported contaminants^3,4. Salmon spawning migrations are archetypal of this process, carrying marine-derived materials to inland ecosystems where they stimulate local productivity but also enhance contaminant exposure^5-7. Pacific salmon abundance and biomass are higher now than in the last century, reflecting substantial shifts in community structure⁸ that probably altered nutrient versus contaminant delivery. Here we combined nutrient and contaminant concentrations with 40 years of annual Pacific salmon returns to quantify how changes in community structure influenced marine to freshwater inputs to wester

SUBMITTER: Brandt JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11499284 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature