Ecological investigations at treeline in southwest Yukon and central Northwest Territories

从北方森林到北极冻土带的过渡——被称为“森林-冻土带过渡带”，被称为“树线”的树木生长上限打断——预计将随着气候变暖的持续而显著推进，对生物多样性和地球系统过程产生严重影响。我的研究计划的首要目标是确定并更彻底地了解这种情况将如何在加拿大北部发生，更重要的是，将会产生什么样的生态后果。更准确的变化预测将有助于加拿大北部应对日益增加的不确定性，并为制定与当地有关的适应战略提供有用的知识。未来5年的研究将把野外生态学与多时空尺度的地理空间分析结合起来，努力回答两个主题问题：(1)森林-冻土带在过去如何响应气候变化？(2)影响林木线树木和灌木建立和生长的一系列物理和生物变量是什么？调查将集中在育空地区西南部和西北地区中部，那里是南塔奇翁人和迪尼人的家园。来自《北方研究补编》的资金将有助于抵消在这些地区进行实地考察的较高费用。资金将用于(i)为进入外地地点提供浮式飞机和直升机支助的费用；（iii）每年运送研究小组和设备到Whitehorse和Yellowknife；（三）这些地区日常交通和生活费用的增加。与北方第一民族、社区、资源共同管理委员会、领土和联邦机构的沟通和合作是研究计划的重要组成部分。最近在这些方面取得了成功，并将在赠款期间扩大这些成功。研究生和本科生的跨学科培训是该计划的核心目标，并将通过让北方人和当地社区成员参与研究过程而得到扩展。

The transition from boreal forest to arctic tundra - referred to as the 'forest-tundra ecotone' and punctuated by the upper limit of tree growth, known as 'treeline' - is expected to advance significantly as climate warming continues, with serious implications for biodiversity and earth-system processes. The over-arching goal of my research program is to identify and more thoroughly understand how this will occur in northern Canada and, importantly, what the ecological consequences will be. More accurate forecasts of change will help northern Canadians cope with mounting uncertainty and provide useful knowledge for developing locally relevant adaptation strategies. Research over the next five years will integrate field ecology with geospatial analysis at multiple spatial and temporal scales and endeavour to answer two thematic questions: (1) How has the forest-tundra responded to climatic change in the past?, and (2) What are the suite of physical and biological variables that influence the establishment and growth of trees and shrubs at treeline? Investigations will focus on the southwest Yukon and central Northwest Territories, home to the Southern Tutchone and Dene Peoples. Funding from the Northern Research Supplement will help offset the higher costs associated with conducting fieldwork in these regions. Funds will be used towards (i) the cost of float-plane and helicopter support to access field sites; (iii) annual return transport of the research team and equipment to Whitehorse and Yellowknife; and (iii) the added costs of daily transportation and subsistence in these areas. Communication and collaboration with northern first nations, communities, resource co-management councils, and territorial and federal agencies is an important component of the research program. Recent success has been achieved on these fronts, and these will be expanded during the granting period. Interdisciplinary training of graduate and undergraduate students is a core objective of the program and will be extended by involving northerners and local community members in the research process.