Arctic Biodiversity Research Articles

Living on the edge: Conservation genetics of seven thermophilous plant species in a High Arctic archipelago.

Small, isolated, and/or peripheral populations are expected to harbour low levels of genetic variation and may therefore have reduced adaptability to environmental change, including climate warming. In the Arctic, global warming has already caused vegetation change across the region and is acting as a significant stressor on Arctic biodiversity. Many of the rare plants in the Arctic are relicts from early Holocene warm periods, but their ability to benefit from the current warming is dependent on the viability of their populations. We therefore examined Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) data from regional red listed vascular plant species in the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and reference populations from the main distribution area of: 1) Botrychium lunaria, 2) Carex capillaris ssp. fuscidula, 3) Comastoma tenellum, 4) Kobresia simpliciuscula ssp. subholarctica, 5) Ranunculus wilanderi, 6) Sibbaldia procumbens and 7) Tofieldia pusilla In addition, we gathered population size data in Svalbard. The Svalbard populations had low genetic diversity and distinctiveness and few or no private markers compared to populations outside the archipelago. This is similar to observations in other rare species in Svalbard and the genetic depletion may be due to an initial founder effect and/or a genetic bottleneck caused by late Holocene cooling. There seems to be limited gene flow from other areas and the Svalbard populations should therefore be considered as demographically independent management units. Overall, these management units have small and/or few populations and are therefore prone to stochastic events which may further increase vulnerability to inbreeding depression, loss of genetic variation, and reduced evolutionary potential. Our results support theory predicting lower levels of genetic diversity in small, isolated and/or peripheral populations and may be of importance for management of other rare plant species in the Arctic.

Rapid climate-driven loss of breeding habitat for Arctic migratory birds.

Millions of birds migrate to and from the Arctic each year, but rapid climate change in the High North could strongly affect where species are able to breed, disrupting migratory connections globally. We modelled the climatically suitable breeding conditions of 24 Arctic specialist shorebirds and projected them to 2070 and to the mid-Holocene climatic optimum, the world's last major warming event ~6000years ago. We show that climatically suitable breeding conditions could shift, contract and decline over the next 70years, with 66-83% of species losing the majority of currently suitable area. This exceeds, in rate and magnitude, the impact of the mid-Holocene climatic optimum. Suitable climatic conditions are predicted to decline acutely in the most species rich region, Beringia (western Alaska and eastern Russia), and become concentrated in the Eurasian and Canadian Arctic islands. These predicted spatial shifts of breeding grounds could affect the species composition of the world's major flyways. Encouragingly, protected area coverage of current and future climatically suitable breeding conditions generally meets target levels; however, there is a lack of protected areas within the Canadian Arctic where resource exploitation is a growing threat. Given that already there are rapid declines of many populations of Arctic migratory birds, our results emphasize the urgency of mitigating climate change and protecting Arctic biodiversity.

Emergent Rainy Winter Warm Spells May Promote Boreal Predator Expansion into the Arctic

Climate change has been characterized as the most serious threat to Arctic biodiversity. In addition to gradual changes such as climate warming, extreme weather events, such as melting temperatures in winter and rain on snow, can have profound consequences for ecosystems. Rain-on-snow events lead to the formation of ice layers in the snow pack, which can restrict access to forage plants and cause crashes of herbivore populations. These direct impacts can have cascading effects on other ecosystem components, often mediated by trophic interactions. Here we document how heavy rain in early winter, leading to the formation of a thick layer of ice, was associated with dramatic mortality of domestic reindeer on Yamal Peninsula, Russia. In the subsequent summer, breeding of two boreal generalist predators, red fox and Hooded Crow, was recorded for the first time in a monitoring area in the Low Arctic tundra of this region. We suggest that the resource pulse created by the abnormally high reindeer mortality and abundance of carrion may have facilitated these breeding events north of the known breeding range of the two species. Our observations provide an example of how specific emergent weather events may indirectly pave the way for more abrupt, although possibly temporary, species range changes.

Legal Instruments for Marine Sanctuary in the High Arctic

In response to heightened threat to Arctic marine biodiversity due to polar ice melt, the following paper seeks to use qualitative secondary research to analyze existing anthropogenic threat to Arctic marine life and to evaluate current efforts on the part of the Arctic Council to protect biodiversity through a network of state-created marine protected areas (MPAs). We conclude that the current method for MPA creation fails to offer adequate pathways for creation of MPAs in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), the high seas which fall beyond individual countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Thus, our central research question is to determine what legal basis and mechanisms exist for the creation of MPAs in ABNJs, with particular focus on the Arctic marine environment. In keeping with The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’s (UNCBD) precautionary approach, along with specific rules embodied within The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), we find a basis for creation of MPAs in the ABNJ. The text evaluates findings from the Boulogne-sur-Mer international conference of 2011 to suggest that such MPA creation in ABNJ could be approached via four pathways: regional agreement, UNCLOS implementing agreement, UNCBD additional protocol, or an Arctic Sanctuary modeled on the Antarctic Treaty. While we explore all four options, we argue that, due to geopolitical constraints, a comprehensive regional agreement offers the best path to High Arctic MPA creation.

Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data

Satellite-derived remote-sensing products are providing a modern circumpolar perspective of Arctic vegetation and its changes, but this new view is dependent on a long heritage of ground-based observations in the Arctic. Several products of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna are key to our current understanding. We review aspects of the PanArctic Flora, the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map, the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment, and the Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA) as they relate to efforts to describe and map the vegetation, plant biomass, and biodiversity of the Arctic at circumpolar, regional, landscape and plot scales. Cornerstones for all these tools are ground-based plant-species and plant-community surveys. The AVA is in progress and will store plot-based vegetation observations in a public-accessible database for vegetation classification, modeling, diversity studies, and other applications. We present the current status of the Alaska Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA-AK), as a regional example for the panarctic archive, and with a roadmap for a coordinated international approach to survey, archive and classify Arctic vegetation. We note the need for more consistent standards of plot-based observations, and make several recommendations to improve the linkage between plot-based observations biodiversity studies and satellite-based observations of Arctic vegetation.

Arctic biodiversity: increasing richness accompanies shrinking refugia for a cold‐associated tundra fauna

As ancestral biodiversity responded dynamically to late‐Quaternary climate changes, so are extant organisms responding to the warming trajectory of the Anthropocene. Ecological predictive modeling, statistical hypothesis tests, and genetic signatures of demographic change can provide a powerful integrated toolset for investigating these biodiversity responses to climate change, and relative resiliency across different communities. Within the biotic province of Beringia, we analyzed specimen localities and DNA sequences from 28 mammal species associated with boreal forest and Arctic tundra biomes to assess both historical distributional and evolutionary responses and then forecasted future changes based on statistical assessments of past and present trajectories, and quantified distributional and demographic changes in relation to major management regions within the study area. We addressed three sets of hypotheses associated with aspects of methodological, biological, and socio‐political importance by asking (1) what is the consistency among implications of predicted changes based on the results of both ecological and evolutionary analyses; (2) what are the ecological and evolutionary implications of climate change considering either total regional diversity or distinct communities associated with major biomes; and (3) are there differences in management implications across regions? Our results indicate increasing Arctic richness through time that highlights a potential state shift across the Arctic landscape. However, within distinct ecological communities, we found a predicted decline in the range and effective population size of tundra species into several discrete refugial areas. Consistency in results based on a combination of both ecological and evolutionary approaches demonstrates increased statistical confidence by applying cross‐discipline comparative analyses to conservation of biodiversity, particularly considering variable management regimes that seek to balance sustainable ecosystems with other anthropogenic values. Refugial areas for cold‐adapted taxa appear to be persistent across both warm and cold climate phases and although fragmented, constitute vital regions for persistence of Arctic mammals.

Ecosystem stewardship: A resilience framework for arctic conservation

Ecosystem stewardship is a framework for actively shaping trajectories of ecological and social change to foster a more sustainable future for species, ecosystems, and society. We apply this framework to conservation challenges and opportunities in the Arctic, where the rapid pace of human-induced changes and their interactions force us now to consider a new relationship between people and the rest of nature. Biodiversity, which has traditionally been the target of conservation efforts, is increasingly affected by human impacts such as energy demand and industrial development that are motivated more by short-term profits than by concerns for societal consequences of long-term arctic biodiversity change. We posit that effective approaches to conservation must (a) foster both ecosystem resilience and human wellbeing, (b) integrate ecological and social processes across scales, and (c) take actions that shape the future rather than seeking only to restore the past. To this end, we identify progress through actions that have been or could be taken at local, national, and international scales to promote arctic resilience and conservation. A stewardship approach to conservation aims to prevent undesirable changes and prepares for adaptation to rapid and uncertain changes that cannot be avoided and for transformation to avoid or escape undesirable states. The greatest opportunity for arctic stewardship at the local scale may lie in building upon culturally engrained (often indigenous) respect for nature and reliance on local environment, empowering it through knowledge and power sharing with national regulatory frameworks. This, in turn, allows connection of drivers with impacts across scales and raises awareness of the value of human–environment relationships. At national and international scales stewardship provides rules for coordinated action to reconcile local and regional conservation actions with those that are motivated by constraints at the global level, to foster ecosystem integrity and human wellbeing in the face of transformative changes in environment, landscapes, species, and society.

Arctic biodiversity: from science to policy

In 2013, the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) and the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council released the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA), a report containing the best available science informed by traditional ecological knowledge on the status and trends of Arctic biodiversity and accompanying policy recommendations (ABA 2013a) for biodiversity conservation. This text provides a summary of the ABA recommendations and a discussion on their path from key scientific findings to policy and subsequent actions.

Global warming affecting Arctic sea ice and biodiversity

Global warming affecting Arctic sea ice and biodiversity

Community structure of under-ice fauna in the Eurasian central Arctic Ocean in relation to environmental properties of sea-ice habitats

Arctic sea-ice decline is expected to have a significant impact on Arctic marine ecosystems. Ice-associated fauna play a key role in this context because they constitute a unique part of Arctic biodiversity and transmit carbon from sea-ice algae into pelagic and benthic food webs. Our study presents the first regional-scale record of under-ice faunal distribution and the environmental characteristics of under-ice habitats throughout the Eurasian Basin. Sampling was conducted with a Surface and Under-Ice Trawl, equipped with a sensor array recording ice thickness and other physical parameters during trawling. We identified 2 environmental regimes, broadly coherent with the Nansen and Amundsen Basins. The Nansen Basin regime was distinguished from the Amundsen Basin regime by heavier sea-ice conditions, higher surface salinities and higher nitrate + nitrite concentrations. We found a diverse (28 species) under-ice community throughout the Eurasian Basin. Change in community structure reflected differences in the relative contribution of abundant species. Copepods (Calanus hyperboreus and C. glacialis) dominated in the Nansen Basin regime. In the Amundsen Basin regime, amphipods (Apherusa glacialis, Themisto libellula) dominated. Polar cod Boreogadus saida was present throughout the sampling area. Abrupt changes from a dominance of ice-associated amphipods at ice-covered stations to a dominance of pelagic amphipods (T. libellula) at nearby ice-free stations emphasised the decisive influence of sea ice on small-scale patterns in the surface-layer community. The observed response in community composition to different environmental regimes indicates potential long-term alterations in Arctic marine ecosystems as the Arctic Ocean continues to change.

Thermal behaviour and the prospect spread of an invasive benthic top predator onto the Euro‐Arctic shelves

AbstractAimA focal task for invasion biology is to identify the environmental variables and biological traits that set and underpin realised and potential habitats of invasive species. Ecophysiology provides powerful empirical knowledge that connects theory with natural phenomena and may improve the accuracy of species distribution modelling. We used the introduced Kamchatka red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus of the Barents Sea as a prime case to show how thermal behaviour may drive the spreading of a marine invader in context of ocean warming. Finally, we discuss the conceivable consequences for a poleward spread of invasive top predators on native marine biota, conservation and management policies.LocationBarents Sea, Euro‐Arctic shelves, Northeast Atlantic.MethodsWe used novel and non‐manipulative tests which allowed adult red king crab to freely select and monitor ambient temperature in situ across a < 1–14 °C gradient by means of a temperature data storage tag attached to the carapace.ResultsAdult red king crab, irrespective of body size, maturation stage and nutritional state, (1) displays clear behavioural thermoregulation in a hetero‐thermal environment and, (2) conclusively selects temperatures in the coldest end of a gradient and avoids temperatures > 4 °C. The final thermal preferendum matches completely present day Arctic shelf temperatures north and east in the Barents Sea.Main conclusionsThis is the first published study on the thermal behaviour of a marine invasive top predator. Our tests and the concurrent realised habitat north‐east of Kola Peninsula suggest that the introduced red king crab is capable of invading the Euro‐Arctic shelves in less than three decades. We argue that current management practices of the introduced red king crab compromise Arctic biodiversity and conservation and, to counteract further spreading, we recommend free fisheries on this species across its entire distributional area in the Northeast Atlantic.

The peripheral olfactory organ in the Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801)

Event Abstract Back to Event The peripheral olfactory organ in the Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) Sara Ferrando1, Lorenzo Gallus1, Laura Ghigliotti2, Marino Vacchi2, Julius Nielsen3, Jorgen S. Christiansen4 and Eva Pisano1* 1 University of Genova, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Science (DISTAV), Italy 2 CNR ISMAR GE, Italy 3 Københavns Universitet, Marinbiologisk Sektion, Denmark 4 Uit The Arctic University of Norway, Norway The Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) is the largest predatory fish in Arctic waters. The socio-economic significance of Greenland shark is demonstrated by its impact on the fishing cultures in Greenland, Scandinavia and Iceland for centuries. The fundamental biology and ecological role of Greenland shark, on the other hand, is virtually unknown. Although knowledge of its life history is limited, increasing evidence indicates that the Greenland shark may undertake long-distance migrations and perform vertical movements from the surface to the deep sea. It is an omnivorous species feeding on carrion and a wide variety of pelagic and bottom-dwelling organisms ranging from invertebrates to mammals, and including active species such as fishes and seals. Accordingly, Greenland shark should be recognized as a top predator, with a strong potential to influence the trophic dynamics of the Arctic marine ecosystem. The sensory biology of Greenland shark is scarcely studied, and considering the importance of olfaction in chemoreception, feeding and other behavioral traits, we examined the architecture of the peripheral olfactory organ where olfactory cues are received from the environment – the olfactory rosette. The structural organization of the olfactory rosette, in terms of histological features of the sensory epithelium, number of primary lamellae and total sensory surface area, provides a first proxy of the olfactory capability of Greenland shark. Based on own results and published studies, the overall morphology of the olfactory rosette is viewed in context of the functional and trophic ecology among other elasmobranch species. Acknowledgements Research supported by the PNRA (Italian Programme for Antarctic Research, Project 2013/AZ.1.11) and TUNU-Programme lead by the UiT The Arctic University of Norway Keywords: Greenland shark, Somniosus microcephalus, Olfactory rosette, Arctic Regions, Arctic fish, Arctic biodiversity Conference: XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Physiology, Behavior and Toxicology Citation: Ferrando S, Gallus L, Ghigliotti L, Vacchi M, Nielsen J, Christiansen JS and Pisano E (2015). The peripheral olfactory organ in the Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801). Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XV European Congress of Ichthyology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2015.03.00072 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 12 Nov 2015; Published Online: 12 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Prof. Eva Pisano, University of Genova, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Science (DISTAV), Genoa, Italy, pisano@unige.it Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Sara Ferrando Lorenzo Gallus Laura Ghigliotti Marino Vacchi Julius Nielsen Jorgen S Christiansen Eva Pisano Google Sara Ferrando Lorenzo Gallus Laura Ghigliotti Marino Vacchi Julius Nielsen Jorgen S Christiansen Eva Pisano Google Scholar Sara Ferrando Lorenzo Gallus Laura Ghigliotti Marino Vacchi Julius Nielsen Jorgen S Christiansen Eva Pisano PubMed Sara Ferrando Lorenzo Gallus Laura Ghigliotti Marino Vacchi Julius Nielsen Jorgen S Christiansen Eva Pisano Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Phenology of high-arctic butterflies and their floral resources: Species-specific responses to climate change

Abstract Current global warming is particularly pronounced in the Arctic and arthropods are expected to respond rapidly to these changes. Long-term studies of individual arthropod species from the Arctic are, however, virtually absent. We examined butterfly specimens collected from yellow pitfall traps over 14 years (1996–2009) at Zackenberg in high-arctic, north-east Greenland. Specimens were previously sorted to the family level. We identified them to the species level and examined long-term species-specific phenological responses to recent summer warming. Two species were rare in the samples (Polaris fritillary Bolo-ria polaris and Arctic blue Plebejus glandon) and statistical analyses of phenological responses were therefore restricted to the two most abundant species (Arctic fritillary, B. chariclea and Northern clouded yellow Colias hecla). Our analyses demonstrated a trend towards earlier flight seasons in B. chariclea, but not in C. hecla. The timing of onset, peak and end of the flight season in B. chariclea were closely related to snowmelt, July temperature and their interaction, whereas onset, peak and end of the flight season in C. hecla were only related to timing of snowmelt. The duration of the butterfly flight season was significantly positively related to the temporal overlap with floral resources in both butterfly species. We further demonstrate that yellow pitfall traps are a useful alternative to transect walks for butterfly recording in tundra habitats. More phenological studies of Arctic arthropods should be carried out at the species level and ideally be analysed in context with interacting species to assess how ongoing climate change will affect Arctic biodiversity in the near future.

Putting models to a good use: a rapid assessment of Arctic seabird biodiversity indicates potential conflicts with shipping lanes and human activity

AbstractAimsTo use open access models of predicted seabird distribution data in the Arctic to create rapid assessment biodiversity maps for management purposes and for prioritization of conservation.LocationHigh Arctic, North of 60° latitude.MethodsThe predicted distributions of 27 species of Arctic seabirds were combined to create a seabird biodiversity map. The GIS layers created were based on peer‐reviewed model outputs which were calculated using the random forest algorithm and supplemented with ISO standardized metadata for quality assurance. We have overlain the species diversity and occurrence maps with known shipping lanes and areas of human activities in the Arctic to highlight areas of potential human conflict with pelagic seabirds.ResultsEntry points to the Arctic Basin for example Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Chukchi Sea, Greenland Sea and Norwegian Sea are specific conflict zones with mean number of species occurring within 20 km of shipping zones ranging from 17 to 19 (63–70% of modelled species). We also show that these are areas of the highest intensity of human activities in the Arctic (fishing, ship traffic and accident rates).Main conclusionThese Arctic seabird biodiversity maps can be used to make decisions which take into account ecology and socio‐economy (e.g. Marxan analysis and marine protected areas MPAs) and for ecological/economic studies which can help to create a pro‐active management scheme. This is particularly important due to the future increase in human impacts in the Arctic (i.e. fishing, tourism and especially shipping). By improving upon these models and further examination into the interactions between seabirds and humans in the Arctic, we can guide important policy decisions to protect Arctic biodiversity.

Potential impacts of oil and gas development and climate change on migratory reindeer calving grounds across the Russian Arctic

AbstractAimDrivers of biodiversity loss are increasingly broad in scale, requiring conservation planning to move towards range‐wide assessments. This is especially challenging for migratory species, such as reindeer or caribou (Rangifer tarandus), which use only a small portion of their range at a given point in time, and for which some parts of their range, such as calving grounds, may be much more important than others. Our aim was to identify potential calving ground habitat of wild tundra reindeer populations throughout Russia, where scarce knowledge about seasonal reindeer habitat is an obstacle for conservation planning, and to assess possible impacts from oil and gas development and climate change.LocationNorthern Eurasia.MethodWe used occurrence data from known reindeer calving grounds using species distribution models to first assess calving grounds characteristics and second predict their distribution across the Russian Arctic. We then compared our calving ground map with maps of oil and gas development, and a range of climate change indicators.ResultsWe found areas throughout the Russian Arctic that are suitable for calving, including for some wild reindeer populations where calving ground locations are unknown. Variables relating to resource availability in spring and predator avoidance were the strongest predictors in our model. Oil and gas development affects calving grounds especially in the Barents Sea region and in south‐western Siberia, whereas climate change affects calving grounds on Taymyr, Chukotka, and Kamchatka.Main conclusionsWe conducted the first assessment of calving grounds of Russia's wild reindeer populations, highlighting the spatial heterogeneity of the threats that they may face. Given the potentially strong impact of oil and gas development and climate change, conservation planning should aim for designing resilient conservation networks that would allow Arctic biodiversity to freely move in time and space and thus to adapt to changing environments.

Arctic entomology in the 21st century

AbstractResearch interest in the Arctic is accelerating because of observed and anticipated dramatic climate change and its impacts on societies and ecosystems. Arthropods form a major part of the terrestrial species diversity in the Arctic, and are particularly sensitive to changes in the abiotic environment. Hence, increased research activity on Arctic arthropods would help towards conservation of Arctic biodiversity as well as in understanding the role of Arctic arthropods in ecosystem functioning. In this introduction to the special issue on Arctic entomology in the 21st century, we identify trophic interactions, biodiversity assessments, and taxonomic revisions as three important research fields in Arctic entomology. We also point to ways in which Arctic entomology could take advantage of recent developments in other research fields and we place the contributions to the special issue in a broader context. Arthropods form ideal model organisms in global change studies and there is a particular need for entomological studies from the dramatically changing Arctic. It is our hope that the papers within this special issue will be a valuable source of inspiration and may stimulate novel insights and achievements in Arctic entomology during the 21st century.

Mobile hard substrata – An additional biodiversity source in a high latitude shallow subtidal system

This study demonstrates the importance of a hard mobile substratum (hermit crab shells) for Arctic biodiversity. Based on previous observations from other geographic regions we hypothesized that this niche at high latitudes would support a higher biodiversity of epifauna than might be predicted from similar substrata. We test whether the hermit crab epifauna is specific to that substratum providing unique biodiversity components to the local community. From four study sites in Isfjorden (78°N), West Spitsbergen and two study sites in Northern Norway (69°N) we collected approximately 50 each of hermit crabs, gastropods and pebbles, of visually similar surface area using SCUBA diving. Hermit crab shells were colonized by a larger number of epifaunal species than either gastropods or pebbles, even when they were of a larger size. Among 87 taxa found on all the three substrata, 22 occurred only on hermit crab shells. Except for two study sites hermit crab shells also supported more individuals. This study shows that the contribution of shells carried by hermit crabs to high-latitude, shallow-subtidal diversity is higher than might be predicted by their surface area alone and that hermit crabs modify, maintain and create a unique habitat. This is the result of a number of factors interacting positively on the presence of epifauna including shell surface heterogeneity and the complex influence of the crab host.

The role of the circumarctic forest–tundra ecotone for Arctic biodiversity

The arctic forest–tundra ecotone (FTE), which links species communities of the boreal forest with those of the arctic tundra, is expected to respond swiftly to climate change with a profound reduction of tundra as the dominating scenario. With its circumarctic expanse and up to several hundred kilometres in width, the zone occupies a large part of the vegetated surface at high latitudes. Relocation and structural changes of the ecotone vegetation will affect not only plant but also animal and other biological diversity. A large number of arctic species are dependent on the FTE in terms of food and habitat during parts of their life cycle or annual migration. In the ‘Arctic Species Trend Index’, developed to provide trends in arctic vertebrates, more than half of the species and data are from the FTE. However, in assessments of arctic biodiversity, only the northernmost tundra-dominated areas of the ecotone are included. This is unfortunate and somewhat problematic since the treed part that serves as a source of seeds for new seedlings and saplings in the tundra-dominated part is excluded. This inconsistency hampers monitoring efficiency and biodiversity conservation efforts. During the International Polar Year, a large international research project on the FTE established numerous sites around the circumpolar north where causes and consequences of vegetation change were analysed. This network of sites and data forms an excellent basis for necessary monitoring of the spatial and temporal complexity of forest encroachment into tundra and its relation to arctic biodiversity.

The Arctic Species Trend Index: using vertebrate population trends to monitor the health of a rapidly changing ecosystem

The task of measuring the change of Arctic biodiversity and instituting changes to halt and reverse any downturn has been taken up in response to the rapid changes observed in the region. It is an undertaking made more difficult by the rate at which environmental change is occurring and the difficulty in monitoring species in remote and challenging habitats. We explored techniques to aggregate population trends among vertebrate species. We compiled almost 900 time series data sets tracking trends in Arctic vertebrate populations over the past four decades representing 37% of all known Arctic vertebrate species. Our results showed strengths in the breadth of populations and species monitored and the disaggregation of the data to uncover regional trends. Limitations of the data set were still apparent, due to the lack of any stratified monitoring scheme. Specifically, there were more bird species data than any other vertebrate class. To measure progress towards global targets for the environment, such as the Aichi biodiversity targets for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), indicators like the one we have developed must be strengthened and adapted. Never has it been more important to understand how Arctic ecosystems and the living resources they support are responding to environmental change; tracking how they respond to growing and cumulative pressures will enable pre-emptive action to safeguard their future.

Recent climate-related terrestrial biodiversity research in Canada's Arctic national parks: review, summary, and management implications

It is now well documented that Arctic climates and ecosystems are changing at some of the fastest rates on planet Earth. These changes are significant for all Arctic biodiversity, and they are a great challenge for cooperative management boards of Canada's Arctic national parks, those legislated to maintain or improve the ecological integrity of all national parks. Owing to the inherent complexity of natural ecosystems, it is not at all clear how, nor how rapidly, these ongoing changes will affect park biodiversity and impact the traditional land-based lifestyles of Indigenous park cooperative management partners. In this context, this paper reviews and integrates recent research carried out in Canadian Arctic national parks: (1) geophysical – a reduction in glacial area and volume, active layer thickening, warming soil temperatures, and terrain instability; (2) vegetation – widespread but ecosystem-specific increases in NDVI ‘greenness’, plant biomass, shrub and herb coverage, and growing season lengths; and (3) wildlife – complex changes in small mammals and ungulate populations, very negative effects on some polar bear populations, and relatively stable mammalian predator and raptor populations at this time. This work provides a partial snapshot of ongoing and evolving ecological effects of climate change in Arctic national parks, and provides a strong foundation for prioritising future research and monitoring efforts. These evolving changes also undermine the historical paradigm of place-based conservation and necessitate a new approach for managing protected areas that involves acceptance of ongoing transformational change and adoption of a risk-based, forward looking paradigm in a changing world. It is proposed that Arctic national parks are ideal locations to focus Arctic science, especially as a component of a strategic, coordinated, and pan-Arctic approach to Arctic research that makes the most effective use of limited resources in the vast areas of Canada's north.