Effects of forest invasion and retreat on tundra biodiversity inferred from sedimentary ancient DNA of lake Levinson Lessing, Taymyr Peninsula, Russia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérémy Courtin ◽  
Luise Schulte ◽  
Andrei Andreev ◽  
Kathleen Stoof-Leichsenring ◽  
Matthias Lenz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Core ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Lake Sediment Core ◽  
Forest Invasion ◽  
Biodiversity Changes ◽  
Diversity Dynamics

<p>One of the consequences of the amplified warming of the arctic ecosystems is tundra “greening” and northward expansion of Siberian boreal forests. However, it is still challenging to predict how northern tundra biodiversity will change with the ongoing climate warming as models usually overestimate forest invasion. The investigation of Quaternary records spanning different Pleistocene glacial and interglacial cycles can provide unique insights on past diversity dynamics following forest invasion and retreat events. Therefore, by “looking backward to look forward“, reconstruction of past vegetation can help to forecast the effects of global warming on northern biodiversity.</p><p>In 2017, a 46 m core was recovered from the Lake Levinson Lessing located in the tundra of the far north Taymyr Peninsula (northern Central Siberia), the upper 38 m of which span the last 62ka continuously and with a rather constant sedimentation rate. A high resolution of 84 subsamples were collected from the lake sediment core with the aim to characterise biodiversity changes between glacials and interglacials in Russian Arctic during Late Quaternary. We studied pollen and non-pollen-palynomorphs and extracted the ancient DNA (sedaDNA), from the same sediment core samples. We also investigated past vegetation composition changes by a plant metabarcoding approach (chloroplast trnL P6 loop). We compared both pollen and sedaDNA signals to reconstruct changes in biodiversity in the Taymyr Peninsula emphasizing changes in diversity during forest invasion and retreat events.</p>

scholarly journals The Arctic Carbon Cycle and Its Response to Changing Climate

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-34
Author(s):  
Lori Bruhwiler ◽  
Frans-Jan W. Parmentier ◽  
Patrick Crill ◽  
Mark Leonard ◽  
Paul I. Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Top Down ◽  
High Northern Latitude ◽  
Arctic Climate Change

Abstract Purpose of Review The Arctic has experienced the most rapid change in climate of anywhere on Earth, and these changes are certain to drive changes in the carbon budget of the Arctic as vegetation changes, soils warm, fires become more frequent, and wetlands evolve as permafrost thaws. In this study, we review the extensive evidence for Arctic climate change and effects on the carbon cycle. In addition, we re-evaluate some of the observational evidence for changing Arctic carbon budgets. Recent Findings Observations suggest a more active CO2 cycle in high northern latitude ecosystems. Evidence points to increased uptake by boreal forests and Arctic ecosystems, as well as increasing respiration, especially in autumn. However, there is currently no strong evidence of increased CH4 emissions. Summary Long-term observations using both bottom-up (e.g., flux) and top-down (atmospheric abundance) approaches are essential for understanding changing carbon cycle budgets. Consideration of atmospheric transport is critical for interpretation of top-down observations of atmospheric carbon.

scholarly journals Variability in nitrogen-derived trophic levels of Arctic marine biota

Polar Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renske P. J. Hoondert ◽  
Nico W. van den Brink ◽  
Martine J. van den Heuvel-Greve ◽  
Ad M. J. Ragas ◽  
A. Jan Hendriks
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Enrichment Factors ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Arctic Species ◽  
Single Region ◽  
Benthic Food ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractStable isotopes are often used to provide an indication of the trophic level (TL) of species. TLs may be derived by using food-web-specific enrichment factors in combination with a representative baseline species. It is challenging to sample stable isotopes for all species, regions and seasons in Arctic ecosystems, e.g. because of practical constraints. Species-specific TLs derived from a single region may be used as a proxy for TLs for the Arctic as a whole. However, its suitability is hampered by incomplete knowledge on the variation in TLs. We quantified variation in TLs of Arctic species by collating data on stable isotopes across the Arctic, including corresponding fractionation factors and baseline species. These were used to generate TL distributions for species in both pelagic and benthic food webs for four Arctic areas, which were then used to determine intra-sample, intra-study, intra-region and inter-region variation in TLs. Considerable variation in TLs of species between areas was observed. This is likely due to differences in parameter choice in estimating TLs (e.g. choice of baseline species) and seasonal, temporal and spatial influences. TLs between regions were higher than the variance observed within regions, studies or samples. This implies that TLs derived within one region may not be suitable as a proxy for the Arctic as a whole. The TL distributions derived in this study may be useful in bioaccumulation and climate change studies, as these provide insight in the variability of trophic levels of Arctic species.

scholarly journals Societal implications of a changing Arctic Ocean

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry P. Huntington ◽  
Andrey Zagorsky ◽  
Bjørn P. Kaltenborn ◽  
Hyoung Chul Shin ◽  
Jackie Dawson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Cultural Continuity ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
The Many

AbstractThe Arctic Ocean is undergoing rapid change: sea ice is being lost, waters are warming, coastlines are eroding, species are moving into new areas, and more. This paper explores the many ways that a changing Arctic Ocean affects societies in the Arctic and around the world. In the Arctic, Indigenous Peoples are again seeing their food security threatened and cultural continuity in danger of disruption. Resource development is increasing as is interest in tourism and possibilities for trans-Arctic maritime trade, creating new opportunities and also new stresses. Beyond the Arctic, changes in sea ice affect mid-latitude weather, and Arctic economic opportunities may re-shape commodities and transportation markets. Rising interest in the Arctic is also raising geopolitical tensions about the region. What happens next depends in large part on the choices made within and beyond the Arctic concerning global climate change and industrial policies and Arctic ecosystems and cultures.

A 450-year warming and wetting climate in southern Altay inferred from a Yileimu Lake sediment core

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiawei Fan ◽  
Hanchao Jiang ◽  
Wei Shi ◽  
Qiaoqiao Guo ◽  
Siqi Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Sediment ◽  
Sediment Core ◽  
Lake Sediment Core

Lake Sediment Core Records of Sulphur Accumulation and Sulphur Isotopic Composition in Central Ontario, Canada Lakes

2006 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Catherine Eimers ◽  
Andrew M. Paterson ◽  
Peter J. Dillon ◽  
Sherry L. Schiff ◽  
Brian F. Cumming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Lake Sediment ◽  
Sediment Core ◽  
Lake Sediment Core ◽  
Sulphur Isotopic Composition

Sea ice protists in arctic marine sedaDNA records: origins, diversity, and vertical export of DNA from the sea surface to the seafloor 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Harðardóttir ◽  
Connie Lovejoy ◽  
Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz ◽  
Sofia Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Gene Copy ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Vertical Export

<p>Arctic sea ice is declining at an unprecedented pace as the Arctic Ocean heads towards ice-free summers within the next few decades. Because of the role of sea ice in the Earth System such as ocean circulation and ecosystem functioning, reconstructing its past variability is of great importance providing insight into past climate patterns and future climate scenarios. Today, much of our knowledge of past sea-ice variability derives from a relatively few microfossil and biogeochemical tracers, which have limitations, such as preservation biases and low taxonomic resolution. Marine sedimentary ancient DNA (marine <em>seda</em>DNA) has the potential to capture more of the arctic marine biodiversity compared to other approaches. However, little is known about how well past communities are represented in marine <em>seda</em>DNA. The transport and fate of DNA derived from sea-ice associated organisms, from surface waters to the seafloor and its eventual incorporation into marine sediment records is poorly understood.  Here, we present results from a study applying a combination of methods to examine modern and ancient DNA to material collected along the Northeast Greenland Shelf. We characterized the vertical export of genetic material by amplicon sequencing the hyper-variable V4 region of the 18S rDNA at three water depths, in surface sediments, and in a dated sediment core.  The amplicon sequencing approach, as currently applied, includes some limitations for quantitative reconstructions of past changes such as primer competition, PCR errors, and variation of gene copy numbers across different taxa. For these reasons we quantified amplicons from a single species, the circum-polar sea ice dinoflagellate <em>Polarella glacialis</em> in the marine <em>seda</em>DNA, using digital droplet PCR. The results will increase our understanding on the taphonomy of DNA in sea ice environments, how sedimentation differs among taxonomic groups, and provide indications to potentially useful marine <em>seda</em>DNA-based proxies for climate and environmental reconstructions.</p>

The Virtual Water Gallery: a collaborative science and art project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Arnal ◽  
Martyn Clark ◽  
Stacey Dumanski ◽  
John Pomeroy
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Virtual Water ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science And Art ◽  
Quality Degradation ◽  
Collaborative Space

<p>Water is life and so water-related challenges, such as droughts, floods and water quality degradation, affect everyone. Conceptualizing water-related environmental and social problems in novel ways, with engagement between the public and science researchers, may lead to new and more comprehensive solutions to complex problems. A society that makes decisions informed by science and science that approaches problems in a transdisciplinary manner are key elements in finding creative and holistic solutions to the water-related challenges we all face. We believe that art can help co-establish new social norms to help us grasp and tackle water-related challenges in a more holistic manner.</p><p>The Virtual Water Gallery* is a science and art pilot project funded by Global Water Futures (GWF). GWF is a University of Saskatchewan-led research program that is funded in part by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. Its overarching goal is to deliver risk management solutions, informed by leading-edge water science, to manage water futures in Canada and other cold regions where global warming is changing landscapes, ecosystems and the water environment. Launched in Summer 2020, the Virtual Water Gallery aims to provide a safe, inclusive and collaborative space for fully open discussions between scientists, artists, and a wider public, to explore past, present and future water challenges.</p><p>As part of this pilot project, 13 artists were paired with teams of GWF scientists to co-explore specific water challenges in various Canadian ecoregions and river basins, including the Arctic, the mountains, boreal forests, prairies, farmlands, lakes, rivers, and communities. These collaborations are leading to the co-creation of science and art pieces which will be exhibited online on a Virtual Water Gallery. By making this online exhibition accessible to a global audience, we hope that the co-created art pieces will open creative and informative discussions about urgent water challenges to a wider audience via the gallery space.</p><p>*More information about the Virtual Water Gallery on the GWF webpage: https://gwf.usask.ca/outreach/virtual-water-gallery.php</p>

Fungi and plant co-variation in Arctic Siberia inferred from sedimentary ancient DNA metabarcoding during the last 45.000 years

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara von Hippel ◽  
Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring ◽  
Luise Schulte ◽  
Peter Seeber ◽  
Laura S. Epp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Siberian Larch ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
Arctic Siberia

<p>Climate change has a great impact on boreal ecosystems including Siberian larch forests. As a consequence of warming, larch grow is possible in areas where climate used to be too cold, leading to a shift of the tree line into more arctic regions. Most plants co-exist in symbiosis with heterotrophic organisms surrounding their root system. In arctic ecosystems, mycorrhizal fungi are a prerequisite for plant establishment and survival because they support nutrient uptake from nutrient-poor soils and maintain the water supply. Until now, however, knowledge about the co-variation of vegetation and fungi is poor. Certainly, the understanding of dynamic changes in biotic interactions is important to understand adaptation mechanisms of ecosystems to climate change.</p><p>We investigated sedimentary ancient DNA from Lake Levinson Lessing, Taymyr Peninsula (Arctic Siberia, tundra), Lake Lama, Lake Kyutyunda (both northern Siberia, tundra-taiga transition zone) and Lake Bolshoe Toko (southern Siberia, forest area) covering the last about 45.000 years using ITS primers for fungi along with the chloroplast P6 loop marker for vegetation metabarcoding. We found changes in the fungal communities that are in broad agreement with vegetation turnover. To our knowledge, this is the first broad ecological study on lake sediment cores to analyze fungal biodiversity in relation to vegetation change on millennial time scales.</p>

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