Ecological structure of northern arthropods: Adaptation to a changing environment

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The Arctic is among the most fragile ecosystems on Earth; it is also under immense environmental pressure as the effects of global warming are felt most acutely at northern latitudes. With their diversity and potential for rapid population growth, arthropods can serve as barometers of environmental change. This proposal aims to document changes in Canada's arthropod fauna by capitalizing on the vast but underused collections derived from the half century old Northern Insect Survey (NIS) - an unprecedented initiative that sampled diversity at 72 arctic, subarctic and northern boreal localities at a time when climate change was not yet a global concern. Our overarching research objective is to understand how northern biodiversity has and is adapting to a changing environment. We will quantify arthropod biodiversity across three major ecoclimatic zones in northern Canada, and we will strategically select sites that were part of Canada's 1947-1962 NIS. We will mine data from the NIS, and linking these data with field studies in 2010-2011 will allow us to effectively document change and adaptation of northern arthropods; this provides an unparalleled opportunity to assess impacts of a half-century of changing climates on biodiversity. Observations of southern insects appearing in the Arctic captures the public's imagination, inspiring both curiosity and alarm. We must have rigorously collected data in hand to recognize when change has really occurred, and not rely solely on anecdotal reports, such as the episodic occurrences of 'southern' species far beyond their known range. We have four specific objectives as follows: (1) to test how and to what degree the structure of arthropod communities change between the Boreal, Subarctic, and Arctic Ecoclimatic zones, (2) to assess how northern arthropod communities have adapted to recent (50-60 yr.) changes to their environment, (3) to use cutting-edge molecular genetic techniques to aid species identification and to help elucidate longer-term patterns, and (4) to provide a sound foundation from which to launch future studies, including the participation of northern stakeholders through education and training opportunities.