Michael Polito

Our lab studies the trophic ecology of marine communities inhabiting rapidly changing environments and that are under threat from anthropogenic influences. We combine stable isotopes and other dietary biomarkers with classical ecological approaches to explore both basic and applied questions surrounding species and food-web level responses to environmental stressors. In Antarctica our labs' research helps to place recent ecological changes in the Southern Ocean into a larger historical context by examining decadal and millennial-scale shifts in the diets and population movements of Antarctic penguins, seabirds, marine mammals, and other predators. Understanding how these predators were affected by these factors in the past allows us to better understand how these predators, the prey they depend on, and the Antarctic marine ecosystem as a whole will respond to current challenges such as global climate change and the commercial fishery for Antarctic krill.