Impacts of a rapidly changing environment on the last self-sustaining population of whooping cranes

Funding period: 2020-2024
Lead: Catherine Soos
Total GRDI funding: $178,000

Our work aims to validate and use Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-based metabolomics to evaluate impacts of multiple stressors on the physiology, migration, and survival of endangered whooping cranes. We are examining the effects of climate, habitat quality, diet, and contaminant exposure, on stress responses (using techniques validated in other migratory bird species), and assess how stressors interact to influence subsequent migratory behaviour and survival. This information is critical for building predictive models to prioritize and develop conservation strategies for this highly endangered species.