Microbial diversity and food web complexity over time and space in Arctic seas and associated coastal regions

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There are major gaps in knowledge of how marine ecosystems will respond to continued climate perturbations and other anthropogenic stressors, especially in the Arctic. The Arctic is now warming more rapidly than other regions of the planet, changing the patterns of water temperature, salinity and mixing across the region. These affect the nutrient supply to the plankton, and have a profound influence on the species composition of planktonic microbial communities, which are the base of all Arctic marine food webs. If production is displaced in time or the present species are replaced by less nutritionally valuable species major changes in higher food webs could occur, since life cycles of Arctic marine animals from zooplankton to seals are strongly linked to the predictable appearance of specific food sources during critical life stages. The fast pace of change requires new insights into mechanisms selecting for microbial communities occurring under specific conditions and the resilience of these communities to physical and biological changes. Increased understanding of the diverse metabolic pathways that recycle and mineralize carbon and nitrogen is needed to ensure informed planning in the context of change. We will investigate these questions by sampling a wide range of sites to define microbial metabolic capacity, species distribution, diversity, and survival under different conditions. This Northern supplement will support my Discovery based research on how microbial communities at the base of the Arctic Ocean food web are formed, their robustness over time and what factors force changes within the communities. In addition the supplement will provide the opportunity to sample a wide range of coastal environments and gain knowledge of the biodiversity of near-shore plankton, and salt tolerant and freshwater microbial communities providing a more complete inventory of microbial resources in the north. This research will provide new tools to measure Arctic biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability, and enable consultation, training and outreach to Northern communities.