Ecological interactions in high places: patterns, processes and consequences

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Determining when, where and how species interactions, resource availability, and abiotic factors (e.g. weather/climate) influence population and community dynamics in different ecosystems remains one of the great challenges in ecology. Sustained field observations and experiments are essential for testing and advancing ecological theory; for improving predictions about how populations, communities and ecosystems respond to cumulative effects or stochastic events (disturbance); and for developing viable strategies for conserving biodiversity, restoring degraded habitats and managing the unexpected consequences of global and local climate change. Over the past 25-years my research program has focused on unraveling some key aspects of plant-herbivore-climate interactions in mountain and high latitude terrestrial environments. In these ecosystems, the effects of warming are expected to be amplified and the impacts of these changes will lead to new conditions that will not resemble current states. The transition to this "new normal" appears to be driven by reduced ice and snow, and will have far-reaching consequences. Both my research group at SFU and extended networks of collaborators have adopted an interdisciplinary approach to studying the dynamics of plant-herbivore-climate interactions. The primary focal study areas for my research program are located in the mountains of the southwest Yukon, a region that continues to experience rapid warming. This research has been conducted in collaboration with a diverse group of students, university and government scientists, and northern partners. These ecosystems have many advantages for my research because: most biological activity occurs during a short summer; many species can be studied and manipulated at ecologically relevant scales; ecological theory can be tested along steep ecological gradients; and global change models (and data) indicate that some of the largest responses will occur at higher elevation. In this proposal, I identify new research activities focused on the following priorities: (1) determine how variation in the effects of climate, resource availability, competition and predation risk affect the behaviour, demography and distribution of collared pikas at the edge of the species range in Yukon; (2) identify processes influencing hotspots of herbivore diversity and conservation in the Arctic; (3) determine how the strength of trophic interactions change along elevational gradients; and 4) sustain long-term measurements of meteorological, limnological and ecological variables in southwest Yukon, to determine the influence of climate on rates and trajectory of ecological change in northern mountains environments. Over the five years of this new NSERC Discovery Grant my research program will provide training for 2 PDFs, 2 PhD and 3 MSc students, at least 8-10 undergraduates, as well as youth from the local communities (including Yukon First Nation communities) that we work with.