Andisiwe Mvunelo and André van Tonder (MIMMP MSc students) visit Aarhus University Denmark

Andre van Tonder (Left) and Andisiwe Mvunelo (right) visit Aarhus University in Denmark.

Andisiwe Mvunelo and André van Tonder, MSc students, are visiting the Marin Økologi (Marine Ecology) research group at Aarhus University as part of a Aarhus/MIMMP collaborative study.

Under the auspices of Prof Peter Grønkjær and a very welcoming team of researchers, they have learnt to extract the protein laid down in fish otoliths (ear bones) (Grønkjær et al. 2013). They are applying their new skills to otoliths collected from fur seal faecal samples from Marion Island, as well as from seals housed at the South African National Zoological Gardens.

As part of their MSc projects, the ratios of the protein C and N stable isotopes will be measured using mass spectrometry. The goals of these studies, relevant to this visit, include establishing if digested otoliths can be used to acquire stable isotope signatures for fish from Marion Island, with the ultimate purpose of modelling fish contribution to the diets of more elusive local species like the southern elephant seal and killer whale.