Effects of changing permafrost and snow conditions on tundra wildlife: critical places and times

Berteaux, Dominique; Gauthier, Gilles; Dominé, Florent; Ims, Rolf A.; Lamoureux, Scott F.; Lévesque, Esther; Yoccoz, Nigel G.

doi:10.1139/as-2016-0023

Cited by 74 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 123 publications

(172 reference statements)

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“…the Arctic fox represents one of the top-predator species at Bylot TA B L E 1 Hypothesized causal links between climate, a predator species and its two main prey hypothesized in our study and implied known mechanisms specific to the Arctic ecosystem Negative High winter AO index, which is linked to a decrease of precipitation and an increase of wind strength, decreases the quality of lemming subnivean habitat (access to food and cold protection) and lemming breeding during winter (Berteaux et al, 2017;Dominé et al, 2018) and influences their summer abundance (Fauteux et al, 2015;Ims et al, 2008) 2.…”

Section: Fox Breeding Activitymentioning

confidence: 68%

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Direct and indirect effects of regional and local climatic factors on trophic interactions in the Arctic tundra

Juhasz

Shipley

Gauthier

et al. 2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Climate change can impact ecosystems by reshaping the dynamics of resource exploitation for predators and their prey. Alterations of these pathways could be especially intense in ecosystems characterized by a simple trophic structure and rapid warming trends, such as in the Arctic. However, quantifying the multiple direct and indirect pathways through which climate change is likely to alter trophic interactions and their relative strength remains a challenge. Here, we aim to identify direct and indirect causal mechanisms driven by climate affecting predator–prey interactions of species sharing a tundra food web. We based our study on relationships between one Arctic predator (Arctic fox) and its two main prey – lemmings (preferred prey) and snow geese (alternate prey) – which are exposed to variable local and regional climatic factors across years. We used a combination of models mapping multiple causal links among key variables derived from a long‐term dataset (21 years). We obtained several possible scenarios linking regional climate factors (Arctic oscillations) and local temperature and precipitation to the breeding of species. Our results suggest that both regional and local climate factors have direct and indirect impacts on the breeding of foxes and geese. Local climate showed a positive causal link with goose nesting success, while both regional and local climate displayed contrasted effects on the proportion of fox breeding. We found no impact of climate on lemming abundance. We observed positive relationships between lemming, fox and goose reproduction highlighting numerical and functional responses of fox to the variability of lemming abundance. Our study measures causal links and strength of interactions in a food web, quantifying both numerical response of a predator and apparent interactions between its two main prey. These results improve our understanding of the complex effects of climate on predator–prey interactions and our capacity to anticipate food web response to ongoing climate change.

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Section: Fox Breeding Activitymentioning

confidence: 68%

“…High spring AO index, which is linked to a decrease in air temperature, prolongs the snow cover and a good quality subnivean habitat for lemmings (cold protection and reduced predation risk; Berteaux et al, 2017) and influences their summer abundance 3. Spring AO (sprAO) Goose nesting success (goose)…”

Section: Positivementioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect effects of regional and local climatic factors on trophic interactions in the Arctic tundra

Juhasz

Shipley

Gauthier

et al. 2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…Their nesting success may also be impacted by wetland depletion, as a decrease in water availability implies increased distances to water sources and therefore reduced ability to defend nests against predators such as the arctic fox (Lecomte et al 2008). The rapid decrease of wetland habitats could also affect other tundra species (Berteaux et al 2017); for example, the community structure of Arctic arthropods is strongly dependent, even at small spatial scales, on vegetation composition changes (Hansen et al 2016). Although wetlands are common throughout the valley, it is worth noting that their distribution is heterogeneous; hence, the consequences of their depletion due to permafrost disturbance may be exacerbated in places where they are scarcer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote sensing evaluation of High Arctic wetland depletion following permafrost disturbance by thermo-erosion gullying processes

et al. 2017

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Northern wetlands and their productive tundra vegetation are of prime importance for Arctic wildlife by providing high-quality forage and breeding habitats. However, many wetlands are becoming drier as a function of climate-induced permafrost degradation. This phenomenon is notably the case in cold, ice-rich permafrost regions such as Bylot Island, Nunavut, where degradation of ice wedges and thermo-erosion gullying have already occurred throughout the polygon-patterned landscape resulting in a progressive shift from wet to mesic tundra vegetation within a decade. This study reports on the application of the normalized difference vegetation index to determine the extent of permafrost ecosystem disturbance on wetlands adjacent to thermo-erosion gullies. The analysis of a GeoEye-1 image of the Qarlikturvik valley, yielding a classification with five classes and 62% accuracy, resulted in directly identifying affected areas when compared to undisturbed baseline of wet and mesic plant communities. The total wetland area lost by drainage around the three studied gullies approximated to 95 430 m 2 , which already represents 0.5% of the total wetland area of the valley. This is worrisome considering that 36 gullies have been documented in a single valley since 1999 and that permafrost degradation by thermal erosion gullying is significantly altering landscape morphology, modifying wetland hydrology, and generating new fluxes of nutrients, sediments, and carbon in the watershed. This study demonstrates that remote sensing provides an effective means for monitoring spatially and temporally the impact of permafrost disturbance on Arctic wetland stability.Key words: Arctic wetlands, thermo-erosion gullies, permafrost disturbance, remote sensing, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI).Résumé : Les terres humides du Nord ainsi que leur végétation de toundra fertile sont d'une grande importance pour la faune arctique en procurant un fourrage de grande qualité et des habitats de reproduction. Cependant, beaucoup de terres humides deviennent plus sèches en fonction de la dégradation du pergélisol d'origine climatique. Ce phénomène est notamment le cas dans les régions de pergélisol froides, riches en glace comme l'île Bylot, Nunavut, où les phénomènes de fonte de coins de glace et de ravinement par érosion For personal use only.thermique se sont déjà produits partout dans le paysage de polygones en plan, entraînant un changement progressif de la végétation de toundra humide à mésique en une décennie. Cette étude fait état de l'application d'indice de végétation par différence normalisée afin de déterminer l'ampleur de la perturbation des écosystèmes du pergélisol affectant les terres humides adjacentes aux ravins d'érosion thermique. L'analyse d'une image de GeoEye-1 de la vallée Qarlikturvik, rapportant une classification à cinq classes avec une exactitude de 62%, a permis de directement identifier les zones touchées lorsque comparées à la référence, soit les communautés intactes de plantes humides et mésiques...

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“…Retrogressive thaw slumps are critical places of landscape perturbation where soil and vegetation are displaced downslope; studies in the Canadian High Arctic show that these are localised sites of reduced vegetation D r a f t coverage, increased wet soil conditions and altered CO2 exchange with the atmosphere (Cassidy et al 2017). Abrupt landscape changes can also affect wildlife habitats by altering critical sites such as lakes and ponds for aquatic animals, including water fowl, and by destroying permanent structures used for reproduction such as fox dens and bird nesting sites (Berteaux et al 2017). One example of the latter from the High Arctic is the loss of cliff nesting sites for roughlegged hawks (Buteo lagopus) caused by mass movements of steep permafrost terrain as a result of heavy rainfall events and warm temperatures during summer (Beardsall et al, 2017).…”

Section: R a F Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changes in snowfall patterns are likely to have wide-ranging effects on the ecology of northern biota, including animal populations (see Berteaux et al 2017), as well as on water supply, landscape stability and infrastructure. Climate projections indicate a major decrease in snowfall by the end of this century, which will affect the buffer layer and its insolation properties.…”

Section: Permafrost Lands In Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arctic permafrost landscapes in transition: towards an integrated Earth system approach

2017

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Permafrost science and engineering are of vital importance for northern development and climate adaptation given that buildings, roads and other infrastructure in many parts of the Arctic depend on permafrost stability. Permafrost also has wide-ranging effects on other features of the Arctic environment including geomorphology, biogeochemical fluxes, tundra plant and animal ecology, and the functioning of lake, river and coastal marine ecosystems. This review presents an Earth system perspective on permafrost landscapes as an approach towards integration across disciplines. The permafrost system can be described by a three-layer conceptual model, with an upper buffer layer that contains vegetation or infrastructure. Snow and liquid water strongly affect the thermal properties and stability of these layers and their associated interfaces, resulting in critical times and places for accelerated degradation of permafrost and for exchanges of mass and heat with the hydrosphere and atmosphere. Northern permafrost landscapes are now in rapid transition as a result of climate warming and socioeconomic development, which is affecting their ability to provide geosystem and ecosystem services. The Earth system approach provides a framework for identifying linkages, thresholds and feedbacks among system components, including human systems, and for the development of management strategies to cope with permafrost change.

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Effects of changing permafrost and snow conditions on tundra wildlife: critical places and times

Cited by 74 publications

References 123 publications

Direct and indirect effects of regional and local climatic factors on trophic interactions in the Arctic tundra

Direct and indirect effects of regional and local climatic factors on trophic interactions in the Arctic tundra

Remote sensing evaluation of High Arctic wetland depletion following permafrost disturbance by thermo-erosion gullying processes

Arctic permafrost landscapes in transition: towards an integrated Earth system approach

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