2025年7月9日出版的《自然》杂志发表了环境及渔业科学Rick Thoman课题组的最新成果，他们揭示了弓头鲸的粪便将北极不断增加的藻类毒素与海洋变暖联系起来。

在过去的二十年里，海洋变暖和海冰的迅速消失极大地改变了太平洋北极的海洋环境。据预测，这些变化将增加有害藻华的发生率和毒性，因为气温上升和开阔水域面积扩大更有利于某些有毒藻类的生长。众所周知，藻类毒素在繁殖期间通过食物网转移，可能对野生动物和人类健康产生负面影响。然而，没有关于北极食物网中藻类毒素存在的长期定量报告来评估日益增加的暴露风险。

在目前的研究中，藻类毒素在收集205弓头鲸的肠道样本中进行了量化，这些样本是在19年半的时间里为生存目的而捕获的。这些滤食性鲸鱼作为波弗特海藻类毒素存在的综合食物网样本，因为它与20年来不断变化的环境条件有关。藻类毒素流行率和浓度与海洋热通量、开放水域面积、风速和大气压呈显著相关。这些结果为海洋变暖导致北极食物网中藻类毒素浓度增加提供了确凿的海洋、大气和生物证据。这种方法阐明了海洋变暖与北极野生动物日益增加的藻类毒素暴露风险之间的突破性机制联系，这威胁到依赖海洋资源生存5000年的阿拉斯加土著社区的粮食安全。

附：英文原文

Title: Bowhead whale faeces link increasing algal toxins in the Arctic to ocean warming

Author: Lefebvre, Kathi A., Charapata, Patrick, Stimmelmayr, Raphaela, Lin, Peigen, Pickart, Robert S., Hubbard, Katherine A., Bill, Brian D., Sheffield, Gay, Bowers, Emily K., Anderson, Donald M., Fachon, Evangeline, Thoman, Rick

Issue&Volume: 2025-07-09

Abstract: Over the last two decades, ocean warming and rapid loss of sea ice have dramatically changed the Pacific Arctic marine environment1,2,3. These changes are predicted to increase harmful algal bloom prevalence and toxicity, as rising temperatures and larger open water areas are more favourable for growth of some toxic algal species4. It is well known that algal toxins are transferred through food webs during blooms and can have negative impacts on wildlife and human health5,6,7. Yet, there are no long-term quantitative reports on algal toxin presence in Arctic food webs to evaluate increasing exposure risks. In the present study, algal toxins were quantified in bowel samples collected from 205 bowhead whales harvested for subsistence purposes over 19years. These filter-feeding whales served as integrated food web samplers for algal toxin presence in the Beaufort Sea as it relates to changing environmental conditions over two decades. Algal toxin prevalences and concentrations were significantly correlated with ocean heat flux, open water area, wind velocity and atmospheric pressure. These results provide confirmative oceanic, atmospheric and biological evidence for increasing algal toxin concentrations in Arctic food webs due to warming ocean conditions. This approach elucidates breakthrough mechanistic connections between warming oceans and increasing algal toxin exposure risks to Arctic wildlife, which threatens food security for Native Alaskan communities that have been reliant on marine resources for subsistence for 5,000years (ref. 8).

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09230-5

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09230-5