What is that dark figure in the photo and how does it relate to island foxes?
Join Friends of the Island Fox
Tuesday, August 18 at 6:30 pm (PT) for
"Date with a Fox" on Zoom for
Museums & Environmental Toxicology:
Micro/nanoplastic bioaccumulation in San Nicolas Island foxes
with
Dr. Eve Rowland
We've all seen bits of plastic at the beach or along a waterway, but it also comes off our clothes and containers. There is growing evidence that microplastic is impacting human health, but what about wildlife?
Dr. Eve Rowland is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy. Her current research focuses on using museum collections to better understand environmental toxicology and how wildlife populations have been impacted by novel environmental contaminants.
Micro/nanoplastics and their link to detrimental health effects are a global concern, but there has been limited research into wildlife populations. Dr. Rowland's work in collaboration with the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico brought her to investigate island fox specimens. San Nicolas Island foxes are an especially vulnerable population of conservation concern.
Dr. Rowland's work aims to better understand the extent of San Nicolas Island fox exposure to micro/nanoplastics with the hope of providing more in-depth considerations for population monitoring and understanding how plastics are impacting wildlife.
FIF is especially excited to host Dr. Rowland because her work with museum collections intersects with FIF's goal to help archive island fox specimens in collections accessible to researchers. FIF partnered with the U.S. Navy to archive San Nicolas Island fox specimens at the Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico in 2023 and a 2025 FIF research grant contributed to this investigation.
2025 - Santa Cruz Island fox specimens go to Museum of Southwestern Biology
