Sub-zero temperatures and large-scale weather patterns induce tooth damage in Icelandic arctic foxes

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Zoology
• Climate Science

Background:

• Tooth damage in carnivores is linked to diet and feeding behaviors, particularly bone consumption in large species.
• Arctic foxes (mesocarnivores) in Iceland provide a model to study climate-driven dietary shifts and their impact on tooth condition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between annual climatic variations and tooth condition in Icelandic arctic foxes.
• To test the hypothesis that climate influences tooth damage through diet alterations towards less palatable prey.

Main Methods:

• Examined tooth condition in 854 Icelandic arctic foxes over 29 years.
• Correlated tooth damage with climatic predictors: winter temperature, El Niño anomaly, North Atlantic subpolar gyre (SPG) index, and rain-on-snow (ROS) days.

Main Results:

• Higher winter temperatures, positive SPG index, and fewer ROS days correlated with better fox tooth condition.
• Subregional differences observed, with northeastern foxes showing less damage than western foxes.
• Contrary to hypothesis, western foxes had more damage, suggesting a shift to abrasive marine diets during cold periods.

Conclusions:

• Annual climate strongly influences arctic fox tooth condition, indicating dietary shifts.
• Monitoring tooth wear is a valuable tool for assessing climate change impacts on carnivore populations.
• Climate change can affect carnivore health and fitness in complex, sometimes contradictory ways.