The Common Eider, an Arctic nesting duck that is used by the Inuit as an important food source, is in danger.
A vicious disease called avian cholera is one culprit. The other is polar bears, which are being forced to find new food sources due to the early breakup of the northern sea ice.
PhD Candidate Sam Iverson has just completed his final field work studying these birds.
“At several Common Eider colonies, we have noted complete reproductive failure which is very jarring,” says Iverson. “The colonies are experiencing some pretty rapid changes and I am hoping that my research will lead to management recommendations that protect the population and allow subsistence harvest to continue.”
The biology student is intrigued by this species. “These ducks endure long cold winters diving for food near the ice edge and migrate long distances to breed. Females have to amass huge energetic reserves because they rarely leave their nests once incubation begins. They nest in large groups, which attracts predators, and our data show that bears have been showing up on eider colonies with greater frequency. Avian cholera gets transmitted in the water and when these exhausted birds take an incubation break and drink contaminated water – that’s when it gets them. Disease onset is very rapid and you will actually find females dead on their nests.”
Iverson was recently awarded the W. Garfield Weston Award for Northern Research worth $40,000. This award, which is presented by the Canadian Northern Studies Trust through the Association of Canadian Universities Association for Northern Studies, is given to recipients who represent the best in subject, quality, and commitment in Canadian northern research in all disciplines.
Carleton Prof. Mark Forbes is Iverson’s senior thesis supervisor. Says Iverson: “Dr. Forbes is an amazing generator of ideas and he brings people together. He has assembled a great research team, which I feel fortunate to be a part of.” Forbes is the principle investigator on a Strategic NSERC project examining the spread of avian cholera in Arctic birds. His team includes experts from several universities and government in a range of fields.
Iverson chose to do his grad studies at Carleton because of the opportunity to do field research in the North and the university’s links with Environment Canada. The National Wildlife Research Centre (NWRC) is located on Carleton’s campus. Grant Gilchrist, a research scientist with the NWRC and adjunct professor at Carleton is also on Iverson’s thesis advisory committee. “He has been instrumental in getting my project going,” shares Iverson.
Iverson notes that Environment Canada runs a long-term monitoring station that he can access and has been one of the main funders of his community-based surveys.
The PhD student hopes to complete his degree by December 2013 and then continue doing wildlife conservation research in the Canadian Arctic.
Monday, September 17, 2012 in Awards, News, Research
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