Projected changes in wildlife habitats in Arctic natural areas of northwest Alaska

Marcot, Bruce G.; Jorgenson, M. Torre; Lawler, James P.; Handel, Colleen M.; DeGange, Anthony R.

doi:10.1007/s10584-015-1354-x

Cited by 30 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The distribution and structure of vegetation types in boreal and Arctic ecosystems have been changing rapidly in response to climatic changes, with significant implications for avian abundance, biodiversity, and life‐history phenology (Hinzman et al ; Marcot et al ; Stralberg et al , ). Carefully designed deployments of acoustic recorders may provide a cost‐effective technique for monitoring ecosystem‐level changes to bird communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of acoustic recorders and field observers for monitoring tundra bird communities

2017

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Acoustic recorders can be useful for studying bird populations but their efficiency and accuracy should be assessed in pertinent ecological settings before use. We investigated the utility of an acoustic recorder for monitoring abundance of tundra‐breeding birds relative to point‐count surveys in northwestern Alaska, USA, during 2014. Our objectives were to 1) compare numbers of birds and species detected by a field observer with those detected simultaneously by an acoustic recorder; 2) evaluate how detection probabilities for the observer and acoustic recorder varied with distance of birds from the survey point; and 3) evaluate whether avian guild‐specific detection rates differed between field observers and acoustic recorders relative to habitat. Compared with the observer, the acoustic recorder detected fewer species (βMethod = −0.39 ± 0.07) and fewer individuals (βMethod = −0.56 ± 0.05) in total and for 6 avian guilds. Discrepancies were attributed primarily to differences in effective area surveyed (91% missed by device were >100 m), but also to nonvocal birds being missed by the recorder (55% missed <100 m were silent). The observer missed a few individuals and one species detected by the device. Models indicated that relative abundance of various avian guilds was associated primarily with maximum shrub height and less so with shrub cover and visual obstruction. The absence of a significant interaction between survey method (observer vs. acoustic recorder) and any habitat characteristic suggests that traditional point counts and acoustic recorders would yield similar inferences about ecological relationships in tundra ecosystems. Pairing of the 2 methods could increase survey efficiency and allow for validation and archival of survey results. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of acoustic recorders and field observers for monitoring tundra bird communities

2017

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“…In addition, recent projected changes to wildlife habitats due to a warming climate in Alaska predict declines in low-shrub ecotypes in upland and alpine areas. The Smith's Longspur was listed as one of the species associated with low shrub that will likely lose habitat as a response to climate change (Marcot et al 2015). Loss of open tundra is also expected to affect populations of the congeneric Lapland Longspur; it was predicted that by 2050 there could be a 20-60% decline in their breeding habitat (Boelman et al 2015).…”

Section: Model Namementioning

confidence: 99%

Nest-site selection and reproductive success of Common Yellowthroats in managed Iowa grasslands

Murray

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2014

The Condor

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“…Thus, continuous permafrost in cold climates can be characterized as climate‐driven, ecosystem‐modified permafrost [ Shur and Jorgenson , ]. Permafrost thawing has large consequences for plant and wildlife habitats [ Marcot et al , ], hydrology [ Walvoord and Striegl , ; Liljedahl et al , ], energy balance [ Gamon et al ., ], soil carbon balance and trace gas emissions [ McGuire et al ., ; Sachs et al , ; Schuur et al , ], nutrient availability in adjacent waterbodies [ Bowden et al , ; Kokelj et al , ; Koch et al , ], and land use and infrastructure [ Arctic Research Commission Permafrost Task Force , ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of ground ice dynamics and ecological feedbacks in recent ice wedge degradation and stabilization

Jorgenson¹,

et al. 2015

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Ground ice is abundant in the upper permafrost throughout the Arctic and fundamentally affects terrain responses to climate warming. Ice wedges, which form near the surface and are the dominant type of massive ice in the Arctic, are particularly vulnerable to warming. Yet processes controlling ice wedge degradation and stabilization are poorly understood. Here we quantified ice wedge volume and degradation rates, compared ground ice characteristics and thermal regimes across a sequence of five degradation and stabilization stages and evaluated biophysical feedbacks controlling permafrost stability near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Mean ice wedge volume in the top 3 m of permafrost was 21%. Imagery from 1949 to 2012 showed thermokarst extent (area of water‐filled troughs) was relatively small from 1949 (0.9%) to 1988 (1.5%), abruptly increased by 2004 (6.3%) and increased slightly by 2012 (7.5%). Mean annual surface temperatures varied by 4.9°C among degradation and stabilization stages and by 9.9°C from polygon center to deep lake bottom. Mean thicknesses of the active layer, ice‐poor transient layer, ice‐rich intermediate layer, thermokarst cave ice, and wedge ice varied substantially among stages. In early stages, thaw settlement caused water to impound in thermokarst troughs, creating positive feedbacks that increased net radiation, soil heat flux, and soil temperatures. Plant growth and organic matter accumulation in the degraded troughs provided negative feedbacks that allowed ground ice to aggrade and heave the surface, thus reducing surface water depth and soil temperatures in later stages. The ground ice dynamics and ecological feedbacks greatly complicate efforts to assess permafrost responses to climate change.

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Projected changes in wildlife habitats in Arctic natural areas of northwest Alaska

Cited by 30 publications

References 22 publications

Comparison of acoustic recorders and field observers for monitoring tundra bird communities

Comparison of acoustic recorders and field observers for monitoring tundra bird communities

Nest-site selection and reproductive success of Common Yellowthroats in managed Iowa grasslands

Role of ground ice dynamics and ecological feedbacks in recent ice wedge degradation and stabilization

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