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

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toke T. Høye ◽  
Anne Eskildsen ◽  
Rikke R. Hansen ◽  
Joseph J. Bowden ◽  
Niels M. Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Species Level ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Butterfly Species ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Flight Season ◽  
Species Specific

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.

scholarly journals Long-term effects of snowmelt timing and climate warming on phenology, growth and reproductive effort of arctic tundra plant species

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther R. Frei ◽  
Greg H.R. Henry
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Passive Warming ◽  
Species Specific

Arctic regions are particularly affected by rapidly rising temperatures and altered snow regimes. Snowmelt timing depends on spring temperatures and winter snow accumulation. Scenarios for the Arctic include both decreases and increases in snow accumulation. Predictions of future snowmelt timing are thus difficult and experimental evidence for ecological consequences is scarce. In 1995, a long-term factorial experiment was set up in a High Arctic evergreen shrub heath community on Ellesmere Island, Canada. We investigated how snow removal, snow addition and passive warming affected phenology, growth and reproductive effort of the four common tundra plant species <i>Cassiope tetragona</i>, <i>Dryas integrifolia</i>, <i>Luzula arctica</i> and <i>Papaver radicatum</i>. Timing of flowering and seed maturation as well as flower production were more strongly influenced by the combined effects of snowmelt timing and warming in the two shrub species than in the two herbaceous species. Warming effects persisted over the course of the growing season and resulted in increased shrub growth. Moreover, the long-term trend of increasing growth in two species suggests that ambient warming promotes tundra plant growth. Our results confirm the importance of complex interactions between temperature and snowmelt timing in driving species-specific plant responses to climate change in the Arctic.

scholarly journals Multi-model ensemble projections of climate change effects on global marine biodiversity

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 741-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda C. Jones ◽  
William W. L. Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Climate Change Effects ◽  
Distribution Shifts ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract Species distribution models (SDMs) are important tools to explore the effects of future global changes in biodiversity. Previous studies show that variability is introduced into projected distributions through alternative datasets and modelling procedures. However, a multi-model approach to assess biogeographic shifts at the global scale is still rarely applied, particularly in the marine environment. Here, we apply three commonly used SDMs (AquaMaps, Maxent, and the Dynamic Bioclimate Envelope Model) to assess the global patterns of change in species richness, invasion, and extinction intensity in the world oceans. We make species-specific projections of distribution shift using each SDM, subsequently aggregating them to calculate indices of change across a set of 802 species of exploited marine fish and invertebrates. Results indicate an average poleward latitudinal shift across species and SDMs at a rate of 15.5 and 25.6 km decade−1 for a low and high emissions climate change scenario, respectively. Predicted distribution shifts resulted in hotspots of local invasion intensity in high latitude regions, while local extinctions were concentrated near the equator. Specifically, between 10°N and 10°S, we predicted that, on average, 6.5 species would become locally extinct per 0.5° latitude under the climate change emissions scenario Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5. Average invasions were predicted to be 2.0 species per 0.5° latitude in the Arctic Ocean and 1.5 species per 0.5° latitude in the Southern Ocean. These averaged global hotspots of invasion and local extinction intensity are robust to the different SDM used and coincide with high levels of agreement.

scholarly journals Climate change negatively impacts dominant microbes in the sediments of a High Arctic lake

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham A. Colby ◽  
Matti O. Ruuskanen ◽  
Kyra A. St. Pierre ◽  
Vincent L. St. Louis ◽  
Alexandre J. Poulain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Large Lake ◽  
Spatial Gradients ◽  
Functional Potential ◽  
High Runoff ◽  
Sediment Microbes

AbstractTemperatures in the Arctic are expected to increase dramatically over the next century, yet little is known about how microbial communities and their underlying metabolic processes will be affected by these environmental changes in freshwater sedimentary systems. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed sediments from Lake Hazen, NU Canada. Here, we exploit the spatial heterogeneity created by varying runoff regimes across the watershed of this uniquely large lake at these latitudes to test how a transition from low to high runoff, used as one proxy for climate change, affects the community structure and functional potential of dominant microbes. Based on metagenomic analyses of lake sediments along these spatial gradients, we show that increasing runoff leads to a decrease in taxonomic and functional diversity of sediment microbes. Our findings are likely to apply to other, smaller, glacierized watersheds typical of polar or high latitude / high altitudes ecosystems; we can predict that such changes will have far reaching consequences on these ecosystems by affecting nutrient biogeochemical cycling, the direction and magnitude of which are yet to be determined.

scholarly journals 40 years High Arctic climatological dataset of the Polish Polar Station Hornsund (SW Spitsbergen, Svalbard)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Wawrzyniak ◽  
Marzena Osuch
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Atlantic Sector ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago

Abstract. The article presents the climatological dataset from the Polish Polar Station Hornsund located in the SW part of Spitsbergen - the biggest island of the Svalbard Archipelago. Due to a general lack of long-term in situ measurements and observations, the high Arctic remains one of the largest climate‐data deficient regions on the Earth, so described series is of unique value. To draw conclusions on the climatic changes in the Arctic, it is necessary to analyse the long-term series of continuous, systematic, in situ observations from different locations and comparing the corresponding data, rather than rely on the climatic simulations only. In recent decades, rapid environmental changes occurring in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic are reflected in the data series collected by the operational monitoring conducted at the Hornsund Station. We demonstrate the results of the 40 years-long series of observations. Climatological mean values or totals are given, and we also examined the variability of meteorological variables at monthly and annual scale using the modified Mann-Kendall test for trend and Sen’s method. The relevant daily, monthly, and annual data are provided on the PANGAEA repository (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.909042, Wawrzyniak and Osuch, 2019).

scholarly journals Tundra Type Drives Distinct Trajectories of Functional and Taxonomic Composition of Arctic Fungal Communities in Response to Climate Change – Results From Long-Term Experimental Summer Warming and Increased Snow Depth

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
József Geml ◽  
Luis N. Morgado ◽  
Tatiana A. Semenova-Nelsen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Fungal Community Composition ◽  
Summer Warming ◽  
Edaphic Variables

The arctic tundra is undergoing climate-driven changes and there are serious concerns related to the future of arctic biodiversity and altered ecological processes under possible climate change scenarios. Arctic land surface temperatures and precipitation are predicted to increase further, likely causing major transformation in terrestrial ecosystems. As a response to increasing temperatures, shifts in vegetation and soil fungal communities have already been observed. Little is known, however, how long-term experimental warming coupled with increased snow depth influence the trajectories of soil fungal communities in different tundra types. We compared edaphic variables and fungal community composition in experimental plots simulating the expected increase in summer warming and winter snow depth, based on DNA metabarcoding data. Fungal communities in the sampled dry and moist acidic tundra communities differed greatly, with tundra type explaining ca. one-third of compositional variation. Furthermore, dry and moist tundra appear to have different trajectories in response to climate change. Specifically, while both warming and increased snow depth had significant effects on fungal community composition and edaphic variables in dry tundra, the effect of increased snow was greater. However, in moist tundra, fungal communities mainly were affected by summer warming, while increased snow depth had a smaller effect and only on some functional groups. In dry tundra, microorganisms generally are limited by moisture in the summer and extremely low temperatures in winter, which is in agreement with the stronger effect of increased snow depth relative to warming. On the contrary, moist tundra soils generally are saturated with water, remain cold year-round and show relatively small seasonal fluctuations in temperature. The greater observed effect of warming on fungi in moist tundra may be explained by the narrower temperature optimum compared to those in dry tundra.

scholarly journals High-Arctic butterflies become smaller with rising temperatures

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 20150574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph J. Bowden ◽  
Anne Eskildsen ◽  
Rikke R. Hansen ◽  
Kent Olsen ◽  
Carolyn M. Kurle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Wing Length ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Butterfly Species ◽  
Dispersal Capacity ◽  
Growing Seasons

The response of body size to increasing temperature constitutes a universal response to climate change that could strongly affect terrestrial ectotherms, but the magnitude and direction of such responses remain unknown in most species. The metabolic cost of increased temperature could reduce body size but long growing seasons could also increase body size as was recently shown in an Arctic spider species. Here, we present the longest known time series on body size variation in two High-Arctic butterfly species: Boloria chariclea and Colias hecla . We measured wing length of nearly 4500 individuals collected annually between 1996 and 2013 from Zackenberg, Greenland and found that wing length significantly decreased at a similar rate in both species in response to warmer summers. Body size is strongly related to dispersal capacity and fecundity and our results suggest that these Arctic species could face severe challenges in response to ongoing rapid climate change.

scholarly journals Ten-year trends of atmospheric mercury in the high Arctic compared to Canadian sub-Arctic and mid-latitude sites

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1535-1545 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Cole ◽  
A. Steffen ◽  
K. A. Pfaffhuber ◽  
T. Berg ◽  
M. Pilote ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Mercury ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Gaseous Mercury ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Arctic Atmosphere ◽  
Global Emissions

Abstract. Global emissions of mercury continue to change at the same time as the Arctic is experiencing ongoing climatic changes. Continuous monitoring of atmospheric mercury provides important information about long-term trends in the balance between transport, chemistry, and deposition of this pollutant in the Arctic atmosphere. Ten-year records of total gaseous mercury (TGM) from 2000 to 2009 were analyzed from two high Arctic sites at Alert (Nunavut, Canada) and Zeppelin Station (Svalbard, Norway); one sub-Arctic site at Kuujjuarapik (Nunavik, Québec, Canada); and three temperate Canadian sites at St. Anicet (Québec), Kejimkujik (Nova Scotia) and Egbert (Ontario). Five of the six sites examined showed a decreasing trend over this time period. Overall trend estimates at high latitude sites were: −0.9% yr−1 (95% confidence limits: −1.4, 0) at Alert and no trend (−0.5, +0.7) at Zeppelin Station. Faster decreases were observed at the remainder of the sites: −2.1% yr−1 (−3.1, −1.1) at Kuujjuarapik, −1.9% yr−1 (−2.1, −1.8) at St. Anicet, −1.6% yr−1 (−2.4, −1.0) at Kejimkujik and −2.2% yr−1 (−2.8, −1.7) at Egbert. Trends at the sub-Arctic and mid-latitude sites agree with reported decreases in background TGM concentration since 1996 at Mace Head, Ireland, and Cape Point, South Africa, but conflict with estimates showing an increase in global anthropogenic emissions over a similar period. Trends in TGM at the two high Arctic sites were not only less negative (or neutral) overall but much more variable by season. Possible reasons for differences in seasonal and overall trends at the Arctic sites compared to those at lower latitudes are discussed, as well as implications for the Arctic mercury cycle. The first calculations of multi-year trends in reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) and total particulate mercury (TPM) at Alert were also performed, indicating increases from 2002 to 2009 in both RGM and TPM in the spring when concentrations are highest.

scholarly journals Ecosystem responses to climate change at a Low Arctic and a High Arctic long-term research site

AMBIO ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (S1) ◽  
pp. 160-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Hobbie ◽  
Gaius R. Shaver ◽  
Edward B. Rastetter ◽  
Jessica E. Cherry ◽  
Scott J. Goetz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Ecosystem Responses ◽  
Research Site ◽  
Low Arctic

scholarly journals Leaf Multi-Element Network Reveals the Change of Species Dominance Under Nitrogen Deposition

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahui Zhang ◽  
Tingting Ren ◽  
Junjie Yang ◽  
Li Xu ◽  
Mingxu Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
High Plasticity ◽  
Species Dominance ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Species Specific

Elements are important functional traits reflecting plant response to climate change. Multiple elements work jointly in plant physiology. Although a large number of studies have focused on the variation and allocation of multiple elements in plants, it remains unclear how these elements co-vary to adapt to environmental change. We proposed a novel concept of the multi-element network including the mutual effects between element concentrations to more effectively explore the alterations in response to long-term nitrogen (N) deposition. Leaf multi-element networks were constructed with 18 elements (i.e., six macronutrients, six micronutrients, and six trace elements) in this study. Multi-element networks were species-specific, being effectively discriminated irrespective of N deposition level. Different sensitive elements and interactions to N addition were found in different species, mainly concentrating on N, Ca, Mg, Mn, Li, Sr, Ba, and their related stoichiometry. Interestingly, high plasticity of multi-element network increased or maintained relative aboveground biomass (species dominance) in community under simulated N deposition, which developed the multi-element network hypothesis. In summary, multi-element networks provide a novel approach for exploring the adaptation strategies of plants and to better predict the change of species dominance under altering nutrient availability or environmental stress associated with future global climate change.

scholarly journals Sounding the Arctic in Chantal Bilodeau’s Climate Change Plays

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-81
Author(s):  
Nassin W. Balestrini
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Musical Performances ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Performance Poetry ◽  
Traditional Songs ◽  
Long Term Impact

Quebec-born playwright Chantal Bilodeau has been responding to the challenges of dramatizing anthropogenic climate change by developing an eight-part Arctic Cycle, each play of which is set in one of the nations that claims Arctic territory. Sila (2014) immerses audiences into a complex network of humans, animals, and mythical beings crisscrossing the Canadian Arctic. These movements circle around the Inuit concept of sila, which is the life-giving force of breath and voice. Thus, the sonic world of Sila focuses on voices speaking words, on performance poetry, and on the sounds of breath and wind. Bilodeau’ s second Arctic Cycle play, Forward (2016), addresses the long-term impact of Fridtjof Nansen’s polar exploration of the 1890s on Norway’s economy and society. In terms of sound, Forward features multiple musical performances rangingfrom traditional songs to European opera arias and Lieder to contemporary Norwegian electro-pop. The sonic features of both plays stress interdependence across time, space, as well as (non-)human, earthly, and metaphysical realms. Sila and Forward address climate change in a non-universalizing manner which promotes a heterarchical (rather than hierarchical) aesthetic fit for a growing awareness of planetary relationality.

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