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Pollution is stressing Arctic wildlife

13.12.2018

Man-made pollution can have far-reaching consequences for the reproduction and survival of animals.

Behavioral biologists Isabella Scheiber from the University of Vienna and Brigitte Weiß from the University of Leipzig, together with scientists from the University of Groningen and Wageningen University, have shown that pollution from coal mines that have long since been abandoned has a negative effect on the stress behavior and physiological processes of young geese. The results of this study are currently published in the prestigious journal "Proceedings of the Royal Society B". [read more]

Scheiber, I. B. R., Weiß, B. M., de Jong, M. E., Braun, A., van den Brink, N. W., Loonen, M. J. J. E., Millesi, E. & Komdeur J. Stress behaviour and physiology of developing Arctic barnacle goslings (Branta leucopsis) is affected by legacy trace contaminants. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1866

Two hand raised goslings eat in an abandoned coal mine. The area is still characterized by heavy contamination (© Brigitte M. Schlögl, née Weiß)