Marine resources alter tundra food web dynamics by subsidizing a terrestrial predator on the sea ice.

ABSTRACT: Predator use of resource subsidies can strengthen top-down effects on prey when predators respond numerically to subsidies. Although allochthonous subsidies are generally transported along natural gradients, consumers can cross ecosystem boundaries to acquire subsidies, thereby linking disparate ecosystems. In coastal Arctic ecosystems, terrestrial predators like Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) cross into the marine environment (sea ice) during winter to access marine resources. Arctic foxes kill seal pups and scavenge seal carrion (often remains from polar bear Ursus maritimus kills), especially when rodent abundance is low. Terrestrial predator use of marine subsidies may strengthen the top-down control of tundra food webs, but this hypothesis remained untested. We evaluated tundra food we

SUBMITTER: Johnson-Bice SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12515398 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature