TCU Contaminant Ecology Lab

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TCU Contaminant Ecology Lab

The contaminant ecology lab at Texas Christian University studies mercury toxicology in the Arctic

08/27/2026

You heard it here folks we finally figured out what the fox says. In addition to getting valuable hair samples for mercury analysis, our camera trap fox rub stations gave us many fun insights into Arctic Fox behavioral ecology.

Wildlife samples were collected following proper permitting and authorization, do not attempt to recreate.

07/31/2026

🚨 Pub Alert! 🚨

Congratulations to Ben Strang (M.S. ’24) on the publication of his master’s thesis in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry with SETAC! This work is a testament to Ben’s hard work and dedication, and we’re excited to see it contribute to the field. Congratulations, Ben! 👏

Read the article here: https://watermark02.silverchair.com/vgag064.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAA34wggN6BgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggNrMIIDZwIBADCCA2AGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMahUjs6yD2zq377XUAgEQgIIDMb9kksLwq1Nk7NvzY5sGaB8Ea5TzOIURyPHVZZEJC9q0sk5wuK53Mba3i_H8Jgy_n18nkbD-yq_hh86rohAYpPCabF-hP1MRrklTZap5wWp7yKwwSBoHnvLUnnbHdo-2Q7AImaxc3jOanFTKnbm1FT1eS8UBYuhWQv6nOjoKwIKiDNptQx_SfS9zc6dMfUFw917thiHBrM784gmAd-B1Ug2qCGwwKC0vDfgvyhkJf27WmrLvFcb2BLszPfc4Rg1iiJD3ZwO0MfwyalsgMSfhlt202TXFwjrU35ilTvKE2yGij3ntvGC_hQyTCEEFOy56jQdoqUhuNHYtXAjwCqjI-8IPG1pk-uqnOkQQ20wbagbF6Yxsj7OuYoXPqLuWH9xhFJTrw27tOXoGZ9hoKx9I8J0MXYEPmk2Q1BG2abjZCQeplau311YM5MLfBQAASKVpVVj5krNE0fzy-4MNfMXz3cxZHEFIjPwBEHzdssHqY7sK0lW-YEqK2aB3akvh0gOrJq5KARQeJ80W_t8-uPcGL9-ufYw6n_WoIdaxTA0n243zLNwk7mCrhSZ838BpopJWAZ6UkMdPhhNuF0xXC43RanWO1JP6K8FcC5LLt_0rYcJEPCK1aIZFqo1xR5w9E0Zea7ZNx5wgVT68a2duc8LF9zZ-kZlmQiq8iAOQq6KGxmxAGMTLW1mAIuMc6tJaw3c-lr05ypKdYwp7xQCQ19tyEDR9LXm-qkcV4YeMYnl_vGGvvaR8GFZJ-8SXYlfvzfUa8YDkOEfNAvpw_S77N4YlbAHRivOkhARn5W37GbMZZUWUh7fmtiZsPvkQqkskS8YtL_QZhPgkJaaqKqTLddGTgQpGCV8mNTTWC7rhjLQemlVxBMqtNPBhCK3ypA4i_lfl_VpxbEAoHeINpXjhRu3Z7gMBw9nHjFvdWLV4uTLb7ZD5sSeJYtuspILGIbHIBUJfVG-IIsXMtBeYQBckFrCOYvvScDV_avC_kl2JVeIQHEF7hZK2OkNbCMYYnbcjSbaqoiqLE8cMQ4B3TjScQdZtXcTRG2FNKUwml5LrmOt3ocdkKEef-wQegMrU7JyQ8lBrr-c

06/30/2026

PhD student Nicole Fordree got to band her first bird of the season, a male Snow Bunting, K06! 🐦

In addition to studying how contaminants impact songbirds, bird banding allows us and other researchers to monitor individuals and populations year after year. These long-term data help us better understand survival, movement, and population trends, providing valuable insight into the health of northern bird populations.

Welcome to the study, K06!

06/20/2026

Wishing our PI and graduate students good luck in Greenland for their 2027 ecological sampling. So far so good!

05/21/2026

Had a great time representing the Texas Christian University Contaminant Ecology Lab at the Society for Freshwater Science meeting!

Cami Middlebrooks (2nd year PhD student) gave an oral presentation on mercury concentrations and the diets of Arctic wolf spiders at different distances from pond shorelines, and Nicole Fordree presented a poster on temporal and species differences in mercury concentrations in seabirds. Both projects focused on ecosystems from the Pituffik Peninsula in Greenland.

Really fun week getting to share our research and hear about all the cool work happening in freshwater science! ❄️🕷️🐦

05/14/2026

Baby spider update 🕷️

Our orb weaver spiders have grown a lot and will soon be moving into upgraded enclosures! We’re also excited to welcome new lab members to the project as we begin asking new questions about lab-reared orb weavers.

Current projects include:
• How does humidity affect survival and growth?
• Does feeding frequency impact survival?

These studies will help us improve rearing methods for future contaminant testing research. Stay tuned for more spider updates!

05/01/2026

Congratulations to our PhD student Cami Middlebrooks, who has been awarded a $5,400 Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research Grant and named a Lewis and Clark Field Scholar.

The award will support dissertation research in northwest Greenland investigating contaminants in Arctic foxes, a top terrestrial predator that has never before been tested for contaminant burdens in this region. This research will help reveal how terrestrial predators accumulate contaminants through multiple environmental pathways, improving our understanding of wildlife health, ecosystem risk, and the impacts of environmental change in the rapidly changing Arctic.

(Do not attempt to recreate without proper permitting and authorization)

04/22/2026

Our grad students had a great time at Como Community Center for Science Nights with the TCU Graduate Student Community Outreach Club! ❄️

Kids learned about Arctic food webs, how energy flows through ecosystems, and how removing even one species can impact the whole system. So many great questions and a fun night all around! 🌎

04/17/2026

Proud of our incredible undergraduate researchers representing our lab at the TCU Student Research Symposium 🕷️🔬

Kiera and Ramsey are sharing their work on how spider diets influence mercury concentrations, while Sommerlyn and Aiden are presenting their research on orb-weaver spider husbandry and survival rates.

Grateful for the dedication and curiosity they bring to this work.

04/10/2026

Huge congratulations to undergraduate researchers Chidi Mbagwu and David Wright on their outstanding honors presentation “Assessment of Dietary Sources of Mercury Contamination in Spiders from Western Greenland” 🎉

We’re incredibly proud and can’t wait to see where their scientific journeys take them next!

Address

Spokane, WA

Website

http://www.aquaticecologylab.tcu.edu/

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