Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes of A Sentinel Species, the Western Alaska Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes)

Mercury (Hg) is a metal of both natural and anthropogenic origins that bioaccumulates in wildlife. Environmental risk assessments to arctic wildlife, such as the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), often use mercury analysis of hair due to its minimally invasive sampling method. The fate and transport of Hg provides refined risk assessment information. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in hair and other tissues from 65 members of a wild, free-ranging population of red foxes in western Alaska were investigated to establish the trophic position for a northern red fox population in western Alaska. Hair stable isotopes δ13C correlated with stable isotope values from bone and muscle. Stable isotope ratios of the wild red fox are distinct from published farmed red fox data. Data demonstrated that hair δ15N positively correlated with hair total mercury levels. The western Alaska red fox consumes a diet of rodents and birds, which agrees with stable isotope data. The data establishes a baseline for monitoring changes in trophic level patterns as climate change impacts the red foxes' food web.