Austin Murrel

MS
Biology

This research investigates the ecological impacts of commercial whaling on baleen whales by analyzing ancient whale bone fragments from archaeological sites in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, South America. The study utilizes δ13C and δ15N of bulk and amino acid bone collagen tissue to identify historical foraging areas and highlight shifts in trophic levels of whale populations prior to commercial whaling. Our goal is to understand how overharvest has aCected whale distribution and food web dynamics in the Southern Ocean. Findings will inform conservation eCorts by identifying changes in foraging areas and ecological plasticity before and after commercial whaling.