Ecological structure of northern arthropods: Adaptation to a changing environment

北极是地球上最脆弱的生态系统之一；由于全球变暖的影响在北纬地区最为明显，它也面临着巨大的环境压力。由于节肢动物的多样性和快速种群增长的潜力，它们可以作为环境变化的晴雨表。该提案旨在记录加拿大节肢动物动物群的变化，通过利用半个世纪前的北方昆虫调查（NIS）中大量但未被充分利用的标本——这是一项前所未有的倡议，在气候变化尚未成为全球关注的时候，对72个北极、亚北极和北方地区的多样性进行了采样。我们的首要研究目标是了解北方生物多样性是如何适应不断变化的环境的。我们将量化加拿大北部三个主要生态气候带的节肢动物生物多样性，并将战略性地选择作为加拿大1947-1962年国家NIS一部分的地点。我们将挖掘来自NIS的数据，并将这些数据与2010-2011年的实地研究联系起来，使我们能够有效地记录北方节肢动物的变化和适应；这为评估半个世纪以来气候变化对生物多样性的影响提供了前所未有的机会。对出现在北极的南方昆虫的观察抓住了公众的想象力，激发了好奇心和警惕。我们必须严格收集手头的数据，才能认识到变化何时真正发生，而不是仅仅依靠轶事报道，比如“南方”物种的偶发事件远远超出了它们已知的范围。我们有以下四个具体目标：(1)测试北方、亚北极和北极生态气气区节肢动物群落结构的变化方式和程度；(2)评估北方节肢动物群落如何适应最近（50-60年）的环境变化；(3)使用尖端的分子遗传技术来帮助物种鉴定并帮助阐明长期模式；(4)为开展未来的研究提供坚实的基础。包括通过教育和培训机会让北方利益攸关方参与。

The Arctic is among the most fragile ecosystems on Earth; it is also under immense environmental pressure as the effects of global warming are felt most acutely at northern latitudes. With their diversity and potential for rapid population growth, arthropods can serve as barometers of environmental change. This proposal aims to document changes in Canada's arthropod fauna by capitalizing on the vast but underused collections derived from the half century old Northern Insect Survey (NIS) - an unprecedented initiative that sampled diversity at 72 arctic, subarctic and northern boreal localities at a time when climate change was not yet a global concern. Our overarching research objective is to understand how northern biodiversity has and is adapting to a changing environment. We will quantify arthropod biodiversity across three major ecoclimatic zones in northern Canada, and we will strategically select sites that were part of Canada's 1947-1962 NIS. We will mine data from the NIS, and linking these data with field studies in 2010-2011 will allow us to effectively document change and adaptation of northern arthropods; this provides an unparalleled opportunity to assess impacts of a half-century of changing climates on biodiversity. Observations of southern insects appearing in the Arctic captures the public's imagination, inspiring both curiosity and alarm. We must have rigorously collected data in hand to recognize when change has really occurred, and not rely solely on anecdotal reports, such as the episodic occurrences of 'southern' species far beyond their known range. We have four specific objectives as follows: (1) to test how and to what degree the structure of arthropod communities change between the Boreal, Subarctic, and Arctic Ecoclimatic zones, (2) to assess how northern arthropod communities have adapted to recent (50-60 yr.) changes to their environment, (3) to use cutting-edge molecular genetic techniques to aid species identification and to help elucidate longer-term patterns, and (4) to provide a sound foundation from which to launch future studies, including the participation of northern stakeholders through education and training opportunities.