Thiemann, Gregory W
Areas of Academic Interest
- Arctic ecosystems;
- Food web ecology;
- Wildlife conservation;
- Resource management;
- Animal physiology.
My research focuses on the foraging ecology and conservation of Arctic carnivores. By examining the trophic relationships between top predators and their prey, we can define the structure of food webs and monitor changes in ecosystems over time. By understanding where, when, and how predators hunt for food, we can better act to protect wildlife populations and entire ecosystems.
Much of my research has involved the use of fatty acid signature analysis to examine the diets of marine and terrestrial carnivores. This technique is based on the knowledge that ingested dietary fatty acids (such as “omega-3’s”) are predictably incorporated into a predator’s fat stores. Therefore, the fatty acid profile of an animal can be used to make inferences about its foraging habits.
Long-term climate warming is having rapid and widespread effects on northern ecosystems. This in turn is altering the relationships between northern aboriginal communities and the wildlife populations they utilize. Accurate information on the current structure and functioning of food webs will help us predict how wildlife populations will change in the future and how these changes will impact the lives of people in the North. FES is uniquely positioned to examine the complex ecological, social, and economic changes that will result from a warming Arctic environment.
Major research projects
- Predator-Prey Interactions in Dynamic Arctic Ecosystems
- Foraging Ecology of Wolves and Wolverines
- Nutritional Physiology of Bears
- Fatty Acid Profiles of Marine Mammals in Nunavut
Other positions/affiliations
- Member, IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group
- Associate Editor, Wildlife Biology
Select prizes and awards
- NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Alberta Ingenuity Postdoctoral Prize
- Postdoctoral Research Award - University of Alberta Celebration of Research & Innovation
Select publications
Thiemann, G.W., A.E. Derocher, and I. Stirling. 2008. Polar bear conservation in Canada: an ecological basis for identifying Designatable Units. Oryx 42: 504-515.
Thiemann, G.W., S.J. Iverson, and I. Stirling. 2008. Polar bear diets and arctic marine food webs: insights from fatty acid analysis. Ecological Monographs 78: 591-613
Thiemann, G.W., S.J. Iverson, and I. Stirling. 2008. Variation in blubber fatty acid composition among marine mammals in the Canadian Arctic. Marine Mammal Science 24: 91-111.
Thiemann, G.W., R.S. Stahl, S. Baruch-Murdo, and S.W. Breck. 2008. Trans fatty acids provide evidence of anthropogenic feeding by black bears. Human-Wildlife Conflicts 2: 183-193.
Thiemann, G.W., S.M. Budge, S.J. Iverson, and I. Stirling. 2007. Unusual fatty acid biomarkers reveal age- and sex-specific foraging in polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Canadian Journal of Zoology 85: 505-517.