Biodiversity and ecological function of northern terrestrial arthropods

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Canada's north is important from social, economic and ecological perspectives. The vitality and wellbeing of northern peoples, the land, and the wildlife is dependent on biodiversity, the variety and variation of species distributed across the country. Biodiversity is dominated insects and spiders and their relatives (the arthropods). These animals contribute in significant ways to the Arctic, whether as food for wildlife, as key pollinators, as predators of smaller animals, or as nuisance pests. Understanding the connections between arthropods, and their functional importance, is essential as we face environmental challenges in the northern, whether by climate change, or northern development. ******This long-term research program will quantify the biodiversity, trophic structure, and ecological importance of terrestrial insects and spiders living in northern tundra ecosystems. There are four short-term objectives for this research program: (1) descriptive and experimental ecological methods, and molecular approaches, will be used to quantify the feeding links between terrestrial arthropods in a focal study area in the Arctic (Cambridge Bay, Nunavut), and thus build a strong understanding of the interaction web' among tundra-dwelling insects and spiders. (2) The model system developed from the first objective will be used to assess how the interactions between insects and spiders changes along a critical biome transition in the North the transition between the northern boreal forest and the sub-arctic habitats found in the Yukon Territory (3) The research will test the functional importance of tundra arthropods in food-webs by experimenting with two model systems: plant-pollinator communities (i.e., dominated by bees and flies) and generalist predator communities (i.e., dominated by spiders). (4) Finally, the research will test the effects of climate change on insects and spiders by constructing climate-chambers in the tundra near Cambridge Bay - this will allow an opportunity to directly assess how warming the tundra affects arthropods. More generally, this research will contribute to understanding the natural history of northern species, and will include outreach, education and knowledge sharing with northern communities*******This research will train undergraduate and graduate students to become ecologists and entomologists with expertise in biodiversity science, including field work, data management and analysis, and science communication. This program will help develop a mechanistic understanding of what insects and spiders are doing in our tundra habitats. How these small animals are connected to each other, and to other parts our ecosystems, is critically important work, and foundational when we think about conservation of Arctic biodiversity. Only once we work to understand the connections between species can we be positioned to face the challenges ahead for Canada's north.******