A Memorial University researcher is looking at the ways in which the province’s moose and caribou populations are mitigating climate change.
Dr. Kristy Ferraro, a recipient of the Banting Post-doctoral Fellowship, is using her $140,000 grant over the next two years to explore how the conservation and reintroduction of large herbivores to the ecosystem is an effective tool to combat climate change.
Ferraro is hoping to start her research in the province this spring to examine the impact of moose and caribou on boreal forests and the effect they have on carbon cycling and storage.
Photo submitted
“They walk around, they deposit poop and pee, and ultimately their bodies, and as any gardener would know, those materials are really full of elements and nutrients that really are important for plant growth. So by depositing these body materials and excrement, they can accelerate cycles and processes that move nutrients through our ecosystem.”
