stable isotope analysis

Prey variety is key to coexistence of octopuses and sea stars

By Katherine Barrett ⋅ March 3, 2020 ⋅ Post a comment

At family gatherings, relatives often compete for that last bite of turkey or crescent roll. How do predators living in the same habitat get the resources they need? Do they compete for the same resources, or do they use resources in different ways? Read on to find out how Storero and colleagues investigated predator diets […]

SURFO Special: Keep clam and carry on! Comparing diet differences in awning clams and quahogs

By Nyla Husain ⋅ September 22, 2019 ⋅ Post a comment

Every summer, the URI Graduate School of Oceanography hosts undergraduate research interns called SURFOs. In this post, learn about Sommer Meyer’s 2019 SURFO research doing isotope analysis on Rhode Island’s local clams and quahogs! Nyla HusainI’m a PhD student at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. I use a small-scale computer model […]

Stuck in the middle with you: The trophic ecology of Caribbean reef sharks and large teleost coral reef predators

By Grace Casselberry ⋅ July 14, 2018 ⋅ Post a comment

We often think of sharks as the top of the ocean food web, chowing down on seals and big fish to their heart’s content. That is often not the case! Where does the Caribbean reef shark fall in this hierarchy? Let’s find out. Grace CasselberryI am currently a Marine Science and Technology Doctoral student at […]

Whale skin samples track changes in ocean biogeochemistry

By Irvin Huang ⋅ November 25, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

Article: Ruiz-Cooley RI, Koch PL, Fiedler PC, McCarthy MD (2014) Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes from Top Predator Amino Acids Reveal Rapidly Shifting OceanBiochemistry in the Outer California Current. PLoS ONE 9(10): e110355. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0110355 Introduction Scientists have devised alternative ways to study ocean food webs using stable isotope analysis – particularly for carbon and nitrogen. […]

Penguins can rock their bodies without eating high trophic level prey

By Megan Chen ⋅ November 19, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

Prey of a higher trophic level does not necessarily translate to a higher body mass in rockhopper penguins. Read more to find out why! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management from the University of Akureyri in Iceland, and am currently working at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History […]