Ecological investigations at treeline in southwest Yukon and central Northwest Territories

随着气候变暖的继续，从北方森林过渡到北极冻土带的过程预计将显著推进，这将对生物多样性和地球系统进程产生严重影响。我的研究计划的总体目标是确定并更彻底地了解这种情况将如何发生在加拿大北部，以及更重要的是，将产生什么生态后果。更准确的变化预测将帮助加拿大北部人应对日益增加的不确定性，并为制定与当地相关的适应战略提供有用的知识。未来五年的研究将在多个时空尺度上将野外生态学与地理空间分析结合起来，努力回答两个主题问题：(1)森林冻土带过去对气候变化的反应？(2)影响林线乔灌木建立和生长的一系列物理和生物变量？调查将集中在育空地区西南部和西北地区中部，那里是南部图奇尼人和德内人的家园。《北方研究补编》提供的资金将有助于抵消在这些地区进行实地考察所需的较高费用。资金将用于：(I)前往外地地点的浮式飞机和直升机支助费用；(Iii)研究小组和设备每年返回怀特霍斯和耶洛奈夫的交通费；(Iii)这些地区日常交通和生活费的增加费用。与北方原住民、社区、资源共同管理委员会以及地区和联邦机构的沟通和合作是该研究计划的重要组成部分。最近在这些方面取得了成功，并将在授予期间扩大这些成就。对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来扩展。

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.