Biogeochemical Markers

Via PLoS ONE:
Understanding Oceanic Migrations with Intrinsic Biogeochemical Markers

... using tracked pelagic seabirds and some of their own feathers which were known to be grown at different places and times within the annual cycle, we proved the value of biogeochemical analyses of inert tissue as tracers of marine movements and habitat use.

...

Our findings shed new light on the simple and effective assignment of marine organisms to distinct oceanic areas, providing new opportunities to study unknown migration patterns of secretive species, including in relation to human-induced mortality on specific populations in the marine environment.

Read the Open Access article at PLoS ONE.