scholarly journals Use of Body Stores in Shorebirds After Arrival on High-Arctic Breeding Grounds

The Auk ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. I Guy Morrison ◽  
Keith A. Hobson
Keyword(s):  
High Arctic ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Nutrient Sources ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Egg Formation ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Negative Exponential ◽  
Egg Components

Abstract Stable-isotope analyses of egg components can illuminate the contributions of endogenous and exogenous nutrients to egg formation in cases where birds move from one isotopic biome to another just before egg-laying, as in Red Knots (Calidris canutus islandica) and Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres interpres) nesting in the northeastern Canadian High Arctic. Those populations use inshore marine habitats during the winter and northward migration periods, but switch to feeding and breeding in terrestrial C-3 habitats in the Arctic. Upon the birds' arrival at Alert, Nunavut, Canada, stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values for their red blood cells were consistent with those expected from an inshore marine diet. After the birds switched to a terrestrial diet, those values decayed in a negative exponential fashion until they reached asymptotic values consistent with a local terrestrial C-3 diet. Components of eggs laid later in the season, including lipid-free yolk, albumen, yolk lipid, and albumen lipid, generally showed isotope values consistent with routing from exogenous (i.e. local) nutrient sources, which supports the notion that High Arctic shorebirds are primarily income and not capital breeders. However, eggs in earliest clutches were enriched in 13C and 15N, which suggests that some residual marine nutrients were available for reproduction. The extent to which endogenous stores are transferred to eggs in High Arctic shorebirds may depend on year and climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Transformations at High Latitudes: Why do Red Knots Bring Body Stores to the Breeding Grounds?

The Condor ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 449-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. I Guy Morrison ◽  
Nick C. Davidson ◽  
Theunis Piersma
Keyword(s):  
Physiological State ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Concomitant Increase ◽  
Rapid Loss ◽  
Major Function ◽  
Calidris Canutus ◽  
Egg Formation ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Gut Length

Abstract We examined changes in body composition of Red Knots (Calidris canutus islandica) following arrival on their High Arctic breeding grounds at Alert, Ellesmere Island, Canada. Knots arrived in late May and early June with large fat and muscle stores. In the next two weeks, fat and protein stores (pectoral muscles) declined, while increases occurred in gizzard, proventriculus, gut length, heart, liver, and possibly gonads. Most stores were used before egg laying occurred and were therefore not available for egg formation. Early development of ova in some females suggests that body stores may be incorporated into the earliest eggs. While stores may be used for survival when conditions are difficult after arrival, their rapid loss and the concomitant increase in other organs suggests that a major function may be to facilitate a transformation from a physiological state suitable for migration to one suitable, and possibly required, for successful breeding. Transformaciones a Altas Latitudes: ¿Por qué Calidris canutus islandica Lleva Reservas Corporales a los Sitios de Nidificación? Resumen. Examinamos los cambios en la condición corporal de individuos de Calidris canutus islandica luego de que éstos llegaran a sus territorios reproductivos a altas latitudes en el Ártico en Alert, isla Ellesmere, Canadá. Los individuos de C. c. islandica llegaron a fines de mayo y comienzos de junio con grandes reservas de grasa y músculo. Durante las dos semanas siguientes, las reservas de grasa y proteína (músculos pectorales) disminuyeron, mientras que la molleja, los proventrículos, el largo del intestino, el hígado y posiblemente las gónadas aumentaron de tamaño. La mayoría de las reservas fueron usadas antes del período de puesta de huevos, por lo que éstas no estuvieron disponibles para la formación de los huevos. En algunas hembras, el desarrollo temprano de los óvulos sugiere que las reservas corporales pueden ser incorporadas en los primeros huevos. Si bien las reservas pueden ser usadas para sobrevivir en el momento de la llegada cuando las condiciones son difí ciles, su rápida pérdida y el aumento concomitante en otros órganos sugiere que una de las funciones principales de las reservas podría ser facilitar la transformación de un estado fisiológico apropiado para la migración a un estado apropiado y posiblemente requerido para la reproducción exitosa.

scholarly journals Does Sea Ice Constrain the Breeding Schedules of High Arctic Northern Fulmars?

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 894-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark L. Mallory ◽  
Mark R. Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Behavioral Flexibility ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Breeding Phenology ◽  
Canadian High Arctic ◽  
Behavioral Adaptations ◽  
Southern Colonies ◽  
Colony Attendance

Abstract The Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) is a pelagic seabird that breeds across 25° of latitude, from the boreal to the high Arctic oceanographic zones. We examined the breeding schedule of fulmars in the remote Cape Vera colony in the Canadian high Arctic, a marine region covered by sea ice much of the year, to determine if the timing of breeding and colony attendance patterns of birds differed from the breeding phenology of fulmars in colonies farther south. Cape Vera fulmars arrived at the colony later in the year, spent less time at the colony before egg-laying, and took a significantly longer prelaying exodus from the colony compared to fulmars nesting in more southerly colonies. After egg-laying, however, patterns of colony attendance by fulmars in the high Arctic were similar to patterns for fulmars in southern colonies; this part of the fulmar breeding schedule may be inflexible. The differences in breeding schedules across the species' range might reflect behavioral adaptations by arctic-nesting birds to accommodate the physical and biological limitations imposed by extensive sea ice near arctic colonies, particularly early in the breeding season. Given that climate warming and corresponding reductions in sea ice are taking place in the Arctic, it remains to be determined whether fulmars in the high Arctic have the behavioral flexibility in their breeding phenology to compensate for rapidly occurring changes in their environment.

scholarly journals Climate warming may affect the optimal timing of reproduction for migratory geese differently in the low and high Arctic

Oecologia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 191 (4) ◽  
pp. 1003-1014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas K. Lameris ◽  
Margje E. de Jong ◽  
Michiel P. Boom ◽  
Henk P. van der Jeugd ◽  
Konstantin E. Litvin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Warming ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Optimal Timing ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Barnacle Goose ◽  
Timing Of Reproduction ◽  
Low Arctic

Abstract Rapid climate warming is driving organisms to advance timing of reproduction with earlier springs, but the rate of advancement shows large variation, even among populations of the same species. In this study, we investigated how the rate of advancement in timing of reproduction with a warming climate varies for barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) populations breeding at different latitudes in the Arctic. We hypothesized that populations breeding further North are generally more time constrained and, therefore, produce clutches earlier relative to the onset of spring than southern populations. Therefore, with increasing temperatures and a progressive relief of time constraint, we expected latitudinal differences to decrease. For the years 2000–2016, we determined the onset of spring from snow cover data derived from satellite images, and compiled data on egg laying date and reproductive performance in one low-Arctic and two high-Arctic sites. As expected, high-Arctic geese laid their eggs earlier relative to snowmelt than low-Arctic geese. Contrary to expectations, advancement in laying dates was similar in high- and low-Arctic colonies, at a rate of 27% of the advance in date of snowmelt. Although advancement of egg laying did not fully compensate for the advancement of snowmelt, geese laying eggs at intermediate dates in the low Arctic were the most successful breeders. In the high Arctic, however, early nesting geese were the most successful breeders, suggesting that high-Arctic geese have not advanced their laying dates sufficiently to earlier springs. This indicates that high-Arctic geese especially are vulnerable to negative effects of climate warming.

Summer phytoplankton of the northern Barents Sea (75–80º N)

2019 ◽  
pp. 8-19
Author(s):  
Larisa A. Pautova ◽  
Vladimir A. Silkin ◽  
Marina D. Kravchishina ◽  
Valeriy G. Yakubenko ◽  
Anna L. Chultsova
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Arctic Basin ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Alexandrium Tamarense ◽  
Warm Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Absolute Maximum ◽  
Deep Trench ◽  
Maximum Biomass

The structure of the summer planktonic communities of the Northern part of the Barents sea in the first half of August 2017 were studied. In the sea-ice melting area, the average phytoplankton biomass producing upper 50-meter layer of water reached values levels of eutrophic waters (up to 2.1 g/m3). Phytoplankton was presented by diatoms of the genera Thalassiosira and Eucampia. Maximum biomass recorded at depths of 22–52 m, the absolute maximum biomass community (5,0 g/m3) marked on the horizon of 45 m (station 5558), located at the outlet of the deep trench Franz Victoria near the West coast of the archipelago Franz Josef Land. In ice-free waters, phytoplankton abundance was low, and the weighted average biomass (8.0 mg/m3 – 123.1 mg/m3) corresponded to oligotrophic waters and lower mesotrophic waters. In the upper layers of the water population abundance was dominated by small flagellates and picoplankton from, biomass – Arctic dinoflagellates (Gymnodinium spp.) and cold Atlantic complexes (Gyrodinium lachryma, Alexandrium tamarense, Dinophysis norvegica). The proportion of Atlantic species in phytoplankton reached 75%. The representatives of warm-water Atlantic complex (Emiliania huxleyi, Rhizosolenia hebetata f. semispina, Ceratium horridum) were recorded up to 80º N, as indicators of the penetration of warm Atlantic waters into the Arctic basin. The presence of oceanic Atlantic species as warm-water and cold systems in the high Arctic indicates the strengthening of processes of “atlantificacion” in the region.

scholarly journals Paleocene-Eocene volcanic segmentation of the Norwegian-Greenland seaway reorganized high-latitude ocean circulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jussi Hovikoski ◽  
Michael B. W. Fyhn ◽  
Henrik Nøhr-Hansen ◽  
John R. Hopper ◽  
Steven Andrews ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
Subaerial Exposure ◽  
Thermal Maximum ◽  
Volcanic Facies

AbstractThe paleoenvironmental and paleogeographic development of the Norwegian–Greenland seaway remains poorly understood, despite its importance for the oceanographic and climatic conditions of the Paleocene–Eocene greenhouse world. Here we present analyses of the sedimentological and paleontological characteristics of Paleocene–Eocene deposits (between 63 and 47 million years old) in northeast Greenland, and investigate key unconformities and volcanic facies observed through seismic reflection imaging in offshore basins. We identify Paleocene–Eocene uplift that culminated in widespread regression, volcanism, and subaerial exposure during the Ypresian. We reconstruct the paleogeography of the northeast Atlantic–Arctic region and propose that this uplift led to fragmentation of the Norwegian–Greenland seaway during this period. We suggest that the seaway became severely restricted between about 56 and 53 million years ago, effectively isolating the Arctic from the Atlantic ocean during the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum and the early Eocene.

scholarly journals High-time resolved radon-progeny measurements in the Arctic region (Svalbard Islands, Norway): results and potentialities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Salzano ◽  
Antonello Pasini ◽  
Antonietta Ianniello ◽  
Mauro Mazzola ◽  
Rita Traversi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Radon Emanation ◽  
Radon Progeny ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Scientific Challenge ◽  
The Arctic Region

Abstract. The estimation of radon progeny in the Arctic region represents a scientific challenge due to the required low limit of detection in consideration of the limited radon emanation associated with permafrost dynamics. This preliminary study highlighted, for the first time, the possibility to monitor radon progeny in the Arctic region with a higher time resolution. The composition of the radon progeny offered the opportunity to identify air masses dominated by long-range transport, in presence or not of near-constant radon progeny instead of long and short lived progenies. Furthermore, the different ratio between radon and thoron progenies evidenced the contributions of local emissions and atmospheric stability. Two different emanation periods were defined in accordance to the permafrost dynamics at the ground and several accumulation windows were recognized coherently to the meteo-climatic conditions occurring at the study site.

scholarly journals Characterization of Transport Regimes and the Polar Dome during Arctic Spring and Summer using in-situ Aircraft Measurements

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heiko Bozem ◽  
Peter Hoor ◽  
Daniel Kunkel ◽  
Franziska Köllner ◽  
Johannes Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Transport Barrier ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Mixing Ratios

Abstract. The springtime composition of the Arctic lower troposphere is to a large extent controlled by transport of mid-latitude air masses into the Arctic, whereas during the summer precipitation and natural sources play the most important role. Within the Arctic region, there exists a transport barrier, known as the polar dome, which results from sloping isentropes. The polar dome, which varies in space and time, exhibits a strong influence on the transport of air masses from mid-latitudes, enhancing it during winter and inhibiting it during summer. Furthermore, a definition for the location of the polar dome boundary itself is quite sparse in the literature. We analyzed aircraft based trace gas measurements in the Arctic during two NETCARE airborne field camapigns (July 2014 and April 2015) with the Polar 6 aircraft of Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, Germany, covering an area from Spitsbergen to Alaska (134° W to 17° W and 68° N to 83° N). For the spring (April 2015) and summer (July 2014) season we analyzed transport regimes of mid-latitude air masses travelling to the high Arctic based on CO and CO2 measurements as well as kinematic 10-day back trajectories. The dynamical isolation of the high Arctic lower troposphere caused by the transport barrier leads to gradients of chemical tracers reflecting different local chemical life times and sources and sinks. Particularly gradients of CO and CO2 allowed for a trace gas based definition of the polar dome boundary for the two measurement periods with pronounced seasonal differences. For both campaigns a transition zone rather than a sharp boundary was derived. For July 2014 the polar dome boundary was determined to be 73.5° N latitude and 299–303.5 K potential temperature, respectively. During April 2015 the polar dome boundary was on average located at 66–68.5° N and 283.5–287.5 K. Tracer-tracer scatter plots and probability density functions confirm different air mass properties inside and outside of the polar dome for the July 2014 and April 2015 data set. Using the tracer derived polar dome boundaries the analysis of aerosol data indicates secondary aerosol formation events in the clean summertime polar dome. Synoptic-scale weather systems frequently disturb this transport barrier and foster exchange between air masses from midlatitudes and polar regions. During the second phase of the NETCARE 2014 measurements a pronounced low pressure system south of Resolute Bay brought inflow from southern latitudes that pushed the polar dome northward and significantly affected trace gas mixing ratios in the measurement region. Mean CO mixing ratios increased from 77.9 ± 2.5 ppbv to 84.9 ± 4.7 ppbv from the first period to the second period. At the same time CO2 mixing ratios significantly dropped from 398.16 ± 1.01 ppmv to 393.81 ± 2.25 ppmv. We further analysed processes controlling the recent transport history of air masses within and outside the polar dome. Air masses within the spring time polar dome mainly experienced diabatic cooling while travelling over cold surfaces. In contrast air masses in the summertime polar dome were diabatically heated due to insolation. During both seasons air masses outside the polar dome slowly descended into the Arctic lower troposphere from above caused by radiative cooling. The ascent to the middle and upper troposphere mainly took place outside the Arctic, followed by a northward motion. Our results demonstrate the successful application of a tracer based diagnostic to determine the location of the polar dome boundary.

scholarly journals Metagenomic Analysis of Stress Genes in Microbial Mat Communities from Antarctica and the High Arctic

2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 549-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thibault Varin ◽  
Connie Lovejoy ◽  
Anne D. Jungblut ◽  
Warwick F. Vincent ◽  
Jacques Corbeil
Keyword(s):  
High Arctic ◽  
Environmental Stresses ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Functional Responses ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stress Genes ◽  
Cyanobacterial Genes ◽  
Shock Proteins ◽  
The Antarctic

ABSTRACTPolar and alpine microbial communities experience a variety of environmental stresses, including perennial cold and freezing; however, knowledge of genomic responses to such conditions is still rudimentary. We analyzed the metagenomes of cyanobacterial mats from Arctic and Antarctic ice shelves, using high-throughput pyrosequencing to test the hypotheses that consortia from these extreme polar habitats were similar in terms of major phyla and subphyla and consequently in their potential responses to environmental stresses. Statistical comparisons of the protein-coding genes showed similarities between the mats from the two poles, with the majority of genes derived fromProteobacteriaandCyanobacteria; however, the relative proportions differed, with cyanobacterial genes more prevalent in the Antarctic mat metagenome. Other differences included a higher representation ofActinobacteriaandAlphaproteobacteriain the Arctic metagenomes, which may reflect the greater access to diasporas from both adjacent ice-free lands and the open ocean. Genes coding for functional responses to environmental stress (exopolysaccharides, cold shock proteins, and membrane modifications) were found in all of the metagenomes. However, in keeping with the greater exposure of the Arctic to long-range pollutants, sequences assigned to copper homeostasis genes were statistically (30%) more abundant in the Arctic samples. In contrast, more reads matching the sigma B genes were identified in the Antarctic mat, likely reflecting the more severe osmotic stress during freeze-up of the Antarctic ponds. This study underscores the presence of diverse mechanisms of adaptation to cold and other stresses in polar mats, consistent with the proportional representation of major bacterial groups.

First finding of Tyzzeria parvula (Kotlán, 1933) Klimeš, 1963 (Protozoa: Coccidiida) in Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis Bechstein, 1803) on Spitsbergen

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-214
Author(s):  
O.V. Dolnik ◽  
M.J.J.E. Loonen
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
First Finding ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Barnacle Geese ◽  
Branta Leucopsis

This is the first finding of Tyzzeria sp. in Barnacle Geese, as well as the first documentation of Tyzzeria parasites on Spitsbergen. Since goslings were highly infected, it can be concluded that transmission of Tyzzeria parasites takes place on the arctic breeding grounds.

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