scholarly journals Ecological insights from three decades of animal movement tracking across a changing Arctic

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 370 (6517) ◽  
pp. 712-715
Author(s):  
Sarah C. Davidson ◽  
Gil Bohrer ◽  
Eliezer Gurarie ◽  
Scott LaPoint ◽  
Peter J. Mahoney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Movement ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Reproductive Phenology ◽  
Marine Animal ◽  
Animal Tracking ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Migration Phenology ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Increasing Temperature ◽  
Collaborative Data Analysis

The Arctic is entering a new ecological state, with alarming consequences for humanity. Animal-borne sensors offer a window into these changes. Although substantial animal tracking data from the Arctic and subarctic exist, most are difficult to discover and access. Here, we present the new Arctic Animal Movement Archive (AAMA), a growing collection of more than 200 standardized terrestrial and marine animal tracking studies from 1991 to the present. The AAMA supports public data discovery, preserves fundamental baseline data for the future, and facilitates efficient, collaborative data analysis. With AAMA-based case studies, we document climatic influences on the migration phenology of eagles, geographic differences in the adaptive response of caribou reproductive phenology to climate change, and species-specific changes in terrestrial mammal movement rates in response to increasing temperature.

Routine identification of four sympatric species of calanoid copepods Pseudocalanus spp. in the Atlantic Arctic using a species-specific polymerase chain reaction

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-72
Author(s):  
E. A. Ershova
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Relative Distribution ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Routine Identification ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Plankton Communities

Сalanoid copepods of the genus Pseudocalanus play an important role in the plankton communities of the Arctic and boreal seas, often dominating in numbers and constituting a significant proportion of the biomass of zooplankton. Despite their high presence and significance in the shelf plankton communities, species-specific studies of the biology of these are significantly hampered by extremely small morphological differences between them, especially at the juvenile stages, at which they are virtually indistinguishable. In this paper, we describe a new, routine and low-cost molecular method for identifying all Pseudocalanus species found in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic: the Arctic P. acuspes, P. minutus and the boreal P. moultoni and P. elongatus, and apply it to describe the relative distribution of these species in four locations of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. With this method, species-specific polymerase chain reaction (ssPCR), mass identification of individuals of any developmental stage, including nauplii, is possible. This method can serve as an excellent tool for studying the species-specific biology of this group, describing their life cycles, as well as monitoring changes in Arctic marine ecosystems under the influence of changing climate.

scholarly journals Variability in nitrogen-derived trophic levels of Arctic marine biota

Polar Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renske P. J. Hoondert ◽  
Nico W. van den Brink ◽  
Martine J. van den Heuvel-Greve ◽  
Ad M. J. Ragas ◽  
A. Jan Hendriks
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Enrichment Factors ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Arctic Species ◽  
Single Region ◽  
Benthic Food ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractStable isotopes are often used to provide an indication of the trophic level (TL) of species. TLs may be derived by using food-web-specific enrichment factors in combination with a representative baseline species. It is challenging to sample stable isotopes for all species, regions and seasons in Arctic ecosystems, e.g. because of practical constraints. Species-specific TLs derived from a single region may be used as a proxy for TLs for the Arctic as a whole. However, its suitability is hampered by incomplete knowledge on the variation in TLs. We quantified variation in TLs of Arctic species by collating data on stable isotopes across the Arctic, including corresponding fractionation factors and baseline species. These were used to generate TL distributions for species in both pelagic and benthic food webs for four Arctic areas, which were then used to determine intra-sample, intra-study, intra-region and inter-region variation in TLs. Considerable variation in TLs of species between areas was observed. This is likely due to differences in parameter choice in estimating TLs (e.g. choice of baseline species) and seasonal, temporal and spatial influences. TLs between regions were higher than the variance observed within regions, studies or samples. This implies that TLs derived within one region may not be suitable as a proxy for the Arctic as a whole. The TL distributions derived in this study may be useful in bioaccumulation and climate change studies, as these provide insight in the variability of trophic levels of Arctic species.

scholarly journals Translating Marine Animal Tracking Data into Conservation Policy and Management

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 459-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme C. Hays ◽  
Helen Bailey ◽  
Steven J. Bograd ◽  
W. Don Bowen ◽  
Claudio Campagna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Policy ◽  
Marine Animal ◽  
Tracking Data ◽  
Animal Tracking

scholarly journals Increased summer food supply decreases non-breeding movement in black-legged kittiwakes

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 20190725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Whelan ◽  
Scott A. Hatch ◽  
David B. Irons ◽  
Alyson McKnight ◽  
Kyle H. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Reproductive Phenology ◽  
Rissa Tridactyla ◽  
Breeding Behaviour ◽  
Unlimited Supply ◽  
Migration Phenology ◽  
Carry Over

Individual condition at one stage of the annual cycle is expected to influence behaviour during subsequent stages, yet experimental evidence of food-mediated carry-over effects is scarce. We used a food supplementation experiment to test the effects of food supply during the breeding season on migration phenology and non-breeding behaviour. We provided an unlimited supply of fish to black-legged kittiwakes ( Rissa tridactyla ) during their breeding season on Middleton Island, Alaska, monitored reproductive phenology and breeding success, and used light-level geolocation to observe non-breeding behaviour. Among successful breeders, fed kittiwakes departed the colony earlier than unfed controls. Fed kittiwakes travelled less than controls during the breeding season, contracting their non-breeding range. Our results demonstrate that food supply during the breeding season affects non-breeding phenology, movement and distribution, providing a potential behavioural mechanism underlying observed survival costs of reproduction.

Feeding experiments of the seep-associated foraminifer Nonionellina labradorica with a marine methanotroph from the Arctic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Schmidt ◽  
Geslin Emmanuelle ◽  
Bernhard Joan M. ◽  
LeKieffre Charlotte ◽  
Roberge Helene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Type I ◽  
Intracytoplasmic Membrane ◽  
Organic Detritus ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Food Vacuoles ◽  
Species Specific

<p>Foraminifera on the seafloor are known to have species-specific feeding habits. Among those are deposit feeders, eating organic detritus and bacteria. Little is known about the feeding habits of foraminifera from Arctic seep environments. That is, in particular, of interest as variable δ<sup>13</sup>C values in the tests of foraminifera have been suggested to be partly linked with a diet rich in bacteria, themselves lighter in δ<sup>13</sup>C values. As there is little information on the ecology of the foraminifer <em>Nonionellina labradorica</em> (Dawson, 1860), this study examined feeding habits on bacteria and compared them to in situ collected specimens, using Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM). As bacterial food, the marine methane-oxidizing bacterium <em>Methyloprofundus sedimenti</em> was chosen, which is an important representative of methanotrophs in the marine environment near methane seeps. Sediment samples containing living N. labradorica specimens collected in close vicinity(approx. 5 m) from an active methane seep in Storfjordrenna, Barents Sea (382-m water depth).  We performed a feeding experiment on <em>N. labradorica </em>(n=17 specimen), which were incubated in the dark at in situ temperature. Specimens were fed at the beginning of the experiment, except the un-fed controls, and incubations terminated after 4, 8 and 20 h. After fixation in epoxy resin the ultrastructure of all specimens and their food vacuoles was observed and compared using a TEM. All examined specimens were living at the time of fixation, based on observation of intact mitochondrial membranes. In all specimens, inorganic detritus was preserved inside food vacuoles. Closer observation of food vacuoles also revealed that in addition to inorganic debris, such as clay, occasionally bacteria were visible. This led us to conclude that our <em>N. labradorica </em>can  generally be classified as a deposit feeder, which is rather a generalist than a specialist. Regarding uptake of <em>M. sedimenti</em>, the timing of the experimentation seemed to be critical. We did not observe methanotrophs preserved in the resin at the 4 and 8 h incubations, but found two putative methanotrophs near the apertural region after the 20-h incubation. After closer observation, we could identify one of those two putative specimen as the menthanothroph <em>M. sedimenti</em> near the foraminiferal aperture, based on presence of a typical type I stacked intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM) and storage granules (SC). We concluded that <em>N. labradorica</em> may ingest <em>M. sedimenti</em> via “untargeted grazing” in seeps. Further studies must examine the exact relationship between diet and δ<sup>13</sup>C in foraminiferal test on several different paleo-oceanographically relevant species.</p>

scholarly journals Multi-model ensemble projections of climate change effects on global marine biodiversity

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 741-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda C. Jones ◽  
William W. L. Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Climate Change Effects ◽  
Distribution Shifts ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract Species distribution models (SDMs) are important tools to explore the effects of future global changes in biodiversity. Previous studies show that variability is introduced into projected distributions through alternative datasets and modelling procedures. However, a multi-model approach to assess biogeographic shifts at the global scale is still rarely applied, particularly in the marine environment. Here, we apply three commonly used SDMs (AquaMaps, Maxent, and the Dynamic Bioclimate Envelope Model) to assess the global patterns of change in species richness, invasion, and extinction intensity in the world oceans. We make species-specific projections of distribution shift using each SDM, subsequently aggregating them to calculate indices of change across a set of 802 species of exploited marine fish and invertebrates. Results indicate an average poleward latitudinal shift across species and SDMs at a rate of 15.5 and 25.6 km decade−1 for a low and high emissions climate change scenario, respectively. Predicted distribution shifts resulted in hotspots of local invasion intensity in high latitude regions, while local extinctions were concentrated near the equator. Specifically, between 10°N and 10°S, we predicted that, on average, 6.5 species would become locally extinct per 0.5° latitude under the climate change emissions scenario Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5. Average invasions were predicted to be 2.0 species per 0.5° latitude in the Arctic Ocean and 1.5 species per 0.5° latitude in the Southern Ocean. These averaged global hotspots of invasion and local extinction intensity are robust to the different SDM used and coincide with high levels of agreement.

scholarly journals Development of generative structures of polar Caryophyllaceae plants: the Arctic Cerastium alpinum and Silene involucrata, and the Antarctic Colobanthus quitensis

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wioleta Kellmann-Sopyła ◽  
Justyna Koc ◽  
Ryszard J. Górecki ◽  
Marcin Domaciuk ◽  
Irena Giełwanowska
Keyword(s):  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Egg Cell ◽  
Colobanthus Quitensis ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
The Family ◽  
Electron Microscopes ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractThe embryology of three polar flowering plants of the family Caryophyllaceae was studied using the methods and techniques of the light, normal and fluorescence microscopes, and the electron microscopes, scanning and transmission. The analyzed species wereColobanthus quitensisof West Antarctic (King George Island, South Shetlands Islands) as well asCerastium alpinumandSilene involucrataof the Arctic (Spitsbergen, Svalbard). In all evaluated species, flowering responses were adapted to the short Arctic and Australian summer, and adaptations to autogamy and anemogamy were also observed. The microsporangia of the analyzed plants produced small numbers of microspore mother cells that were differentiated into a dozen or dozens of trinucleate pollen grains. The majority of mature pollen grains remained inside microsporangia and germinated in the thecae. The monosporous Polygonum type (the most common type in angiosperms) of embryo sac development was observed in the studied species. The egg apparatus had an egg cell and two synergids with typical polarization. A well-developed filiform apparatus was differentiated in the micropylar end of the synergids. In mature diaspores of the analyzed plants of the family Caryophyllaceae, a large and peripherally located embryo was, in most part, adjacent to perisperm cells filled with reserve substances, whereas the radicle was surrounded by micropylar endosperm composed of a single layer of cells with thick, intensely stained cytoplasm, organelles and reserve substances. The testae of the analyzed plants were characterized by species-specific primary and secondary sculpture, and they contained large amounts of osmophilic material with varied density. Seeds ofC. quitensis,C. alpinumandS. involucrataare very small, light and compact shaped.

Selected mitochondrial genes as species markers of the Arctic Contracaecum osculatum complex

2011 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Dzido ◽  
A. Kijewska ◽  
J. Rokicki
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Mitochondrial Genes ◽  
Intraspecific Diversity ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
As Species ◽  
Contracaecum Osculatum ◽  
Species Markers ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractThis study, aimed at testing the hypothesis that some mitochondrial genes can serve as species-specific markers, involved a comparison of the sequence variance of selected mitochondrial DNA genes of the Arctic Contracaecum osculatum species (C. osculatum A, C. osculatum B and C. osculatum C). We compared differences between five complete (ND2, CYTB, ND3, ND4L and ND6) and three partial (CO1, CO3 and ND5) protein-coding genes. The total length of the sequence of each of the 13 specimens was 4830 bp. The sample consisted of C. osculatum L3 larvae collected from Reinhardtius hippoglossoides and Gadus ogac from the Barents Sea and Davis Strait. The K2P distance values between the species ranged within 0.06–0.12, the intraspecific variability (0.01–0.03) proving 3–6 times lower. The lowest interspecific divergence was observed between C. osculatum A and C. osculatum B, whereas the highest intraspecific diversity was typical of C. osculatum C. Among the C. osculatum species studied, the highest nucleotide diversity was recorded in the CYTB, CO3 and ND5 genes. These genes may be useful in species identification of the very closely related Contracaecum sibling species.

scholarly journals Positive mass balance during the late 20th century on Austfonna, Svalbard, revealed using satellite radar interferometry

2007 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Bevan ◽  
Adrian Luckman ◽  
Tavi Murray ◽  
Helena Sykes ◽  
Jack Kohler
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Radar Interferometry ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Radio Echo Sounding ◽  
Satellite Radar ◽  
Increasing Temperature

AbstractDetermining whether increasing temperature or precipitation will dominate the cryospheric response to climate change is key to forecasting future sea-level rise. The volume of ice contained in the ice caps and glaciers of the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is small compared with that of the Greenland or Antarctic ice sheets, but is likely to be affected much more rapidly in the short term by climate change. This study investigates the mass balance of Austfonna, Svalbard’s largest ice cap. Equilibrium-line fluxes for the whole ice cap, and for individual drainage basins, were estimated by combining surface velocities measured using satellite radar interferometry with ice thicknesses derived from radio-echo sounding. These fluxes were compared with balance fluxes to reveal that during the 1990s the total mass balance of the accumulation zone was (5.6±2.0)×108m3 a–1. Three basins in the quiescent phase of their surge cycles contributed 75% of this accumulation. The remaining volume may be attributable either to as yet unidentified surge-type glaciers, or to increased precipitation. This result emphasizes the importance of considering the surge dynamics of glaciers when attempting to draw any conclusions on climate change based on snapshot observations of the cryosphere.

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