Community structure and food-web ecology of northern terrestrial arthropods

加拿大北部从社会、经济和生态角度来看都很重要。北方人民、土地和野生动物的活力和福祉取决于生物多样性，即分布在全国各地的各种物种。生物多样性以昆虫和蜘蛛及其近亲（节肢动物）为主。这些动物对北极的贡献很大，无论是作为野生动物的食物，还是作为主要的传粉者，作为小型动物的捕食者，还是作为令人讨厌的害虫。了解节肢动物之间的联系至关重要，因为我们面临着北方的环境挑战，无论是气候变化，还是北方的发展。这项长期研究计划将量化生活在北方苔原生态系统中的陆地昆虫和蜘蛛的生物多样性、食物网动态和群落结构。本研究计划有四个短期目标：（1）描述性和实验性生态学方法，以及分子方法，将用于量化北极重点研究区（剑桥湾，努纳武特）陆地节肢动物之间的联系，从而建立一个强大的理解是如何“相互作用网络”之间的苔原栖息的昆虫和蜘蛛。(2)测试的一般性，这一食物网将扩大到阿克塞尔海伯格，拜洛特岛，库伊华克和育空地区，并量化比较互动为基础的食物网在加拿大北方大部分地区。(3)这项研究将通过两个模型系统的实验来测试苔原节肢动物在食物网中的功能重要性：植物传粉者群落（即，以蜜蜂和苍蝇为主）和多面手捕食者群落（即，由蜘蛛控制）。(4)最后，这项研究将测试道路和城镇发展对生物多样性和食物网结构的影响，在剑桥湾和伊卡卢伊特-两个迅速发展的社区。这项研究还将有助于了解北方物种的自然历史，并将包括与北方社区的外联，教育和知识共享 * 这项研究将培养本科生和研究生成为生态学家和昆虫学家，在生物多样性科学方面具有重要的专业知识，包括实地工作，数据管理和分析，以及科学交流。该计划将建立在关于加拿大北极节肢动物生物多样性的基础工作之上，量化食物网和群落结构将有助于我们更好地了解北部昆虫和蜘蛛的功能重要性，以及它们与生态系统其他部分的联系。只有我们努力了解物种之间的联系，我们才能应对加拿大北部面临的挑战。

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 of species distributed across the country. Biodiversity is dominated insects and spiders and their relatives (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 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, food-web dynamics and community structure 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 linkages between terrestrial arthropods in a focal study area in the Arctic (Cambridge Bay, Nunavut), and thus build a strong understanding of how the ‘interaction web' among tundra-dwelling insects and spiders. (2) Testing the generality of this food-web will be done by expanding to Axel Heiberg, Bylot Island, Kuujjuaq and the Yukon, and quantifying comparative interaction-base food-webs across much of northern Canada. (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 road and town-site development on biodiversity and food-web structure, in Cambridge Bay and Iqaluit – two communities which are growing rapidly. The research will also 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 critical expertise in biodiversity science, including field work, data management and analysis, and science communication. This program will build upon foundational work about arthropod biodiversity in Canada's Arctic, and quantifying food-webs and community structure will help us better understand the functional importance of insects and spiders in the north, and their connections to other parts our ecosystems. Only once we work to understand the connections between species can we be positioned to the challenges ahead for Canada's north.***