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Habitat alteration and fecal deposition by geese alter tundra invertebrate communities: Implications for diets of sympatric birds. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269938. [PMID: 35776726 PMCID: PMC9249211 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last 60 years, Arctic goose populations have increased while many sympatric tundra nesting bird populations have declined. Hyperabundant geese have well-documented effects on tundra habitats, which can alter habitat use by sympatric bird species. These habitat changes may also alter invertebrate communities and abundances, with potentially important, but as of yet, undocumented effects on insectivorous birds such as shorebirds. Here, we determined the effects of goose-induced habitat alteration on invertebrate communities and relate the observed changes to shorebird diet. At sites and habitat types representing a gradient of goose influence, we identified goose-related changes in ground cover and linked these factors to variation in invertebrate communities. We then used DNA metabarcoding to characterize the diet of six shorebird species across sites and identify inter-site variation in abundance, biomass, and timing of emergence of dominant shorebird prey items. Invertebrate diversity and richness did not vary either among sites or habitat types. However, for prey items identified as part of the shorebird diet, we found significantly higher abundances and biomasses at a moderately goose-influenced site than at either low or high goose-influenced sites. Biomass of Tipulidae, the dominant prey taxon for shorebirds at the study sites, was 7.5 times higher at the moderately goose-influenced site compared to the site where goose influence was minor. We attribute this enhancement of prey biomass to both the fertilizing effect of goose fecal pellets and the moderate grazing pressure. Many studies have documented adverse effects of overabundant geese, but here we show that a moderate degree of goose grazing can lead to enhanced biomass of invertebrates, with the potential for improved shorebird foraging success and chick growth. These benefits, however, might be outweighed by negative effects of goose-induced habitat alteration and predation pressure.
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Robinson SI, Mikola J, Ovaskainen O, O'Gorman EJ. Temperature effects on the temporal dynamics of a subarctic invertebrate community. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1217-1227. [PMID: 33625727 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Climate warming is predicted to have major impacts on the structure of terrestrial communities, particularly in high latitude ecosystems where growing seasons are short. Higher temperatures may dampen seasonal dynamics in community composition as a consequence of earlier snowmelt, with potentially cascading effects across all levels of biological organisation. Here, we examined changes in community assembly and structure along a natural soil temperature gradient in the Hengill geothermal valley, Iceland, during the summer of 2015. Sample collection over several time points within a season allowed us to assess whether temperature alters temporal variance in terrestrial communities and compositional turnover. We found that seasonal fluctuations in species richness, diversity and evenness were dampened as soil temperature increased, whereas invertebrate biomass varied more. Body mass was found to be a good predictor of species occurrence, with smaller species found at higher soil temperatures and emerging earlier in the season. Our results provide more in-depth understanding of the temporal nature of community and population-level responses to temperature, and indicate that climate warming will likely dampen the seasonal turnover of community structure that is characteristic of high latitude invertebrate communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinikka I Robinson
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Lahti, Finland
| | - Juha Mikola
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Lahti, Finland
| | - Otso Ovaskainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Eoin J O'Gorman
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
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Gillespie MAK, Alfredsson M, Barrio IC, Bowden J, Convey P, Coulson SJ, Culler LE, Dahl MT, Daly KM, Koponen S, Loboda S, Marusik Y, Sandström JP, Sikes DS, Slowik J, Høye TT. Circumpolar terrestrial arthropod monitoring: A review of ongoing activities, opportunities and challenges, with a focus on spiders. AMBIO 2020; 49:704-717. [PMID: 31030417 PMCID: PMC6989709 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-019-01185-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The terrestrial chapter of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme (CBMP) has the potential to bring international multi-taxon, long-term monitoring together, but detailed fundamental species information for Arctic arthropods lags far behind that for vertebrates and plants. In this paper, we demonstrate this major challenge to the CBMP by focussing on spiders (Order: Araneae) as an example group. We collate available circumpolar data on the distribution of spiders and highlight the current monitoring opportunities and identify the key knowledge gaps to address before monitoring can become efficient. We found spider data to be more complete than data for other taxa, but still variable in quality and availability between Arctic regions, highlighting the need for greater international co-operation for baseline studies and data sharing. There is also a dearth of long-term datasets for spiders and other arthropod groups from which to assess status and trends of biodiversity. Therefore, baseline studies should be conducted at all monitoring stations and we make recommendations for the development of the CBMP in relation to terrestrial arthropods more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. K. Gillespie
- Department of Environmental Science, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal Campus, 6851 Sogndal, Norway
| | - Matthias Alfredsson
- The Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Urridaholtsstraeti 6–8, 210 Gardabaer, Iceland
| | - Isabel C. Barrio
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Árleyni 22, Keldnaholt, 112 Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Joe Bowden
- Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Bldg. 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Present Address: Canadian Forest Service – Atlantic Forestry Centre, 26 University Drive, PO Box 960, Corner Brook, NL A2H 6J3 Canada
| | - Peter Convey
- British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET UK
| | - Stephen J. Coulson
- Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lauren E. Culler
- Environmental Studies Program, Dartmouth College, 113 Steele Hall, Hanover, NH 03755 USA
- Institute of Arctic Studies, Dartmouth College, 6214 Haldeman Center, Hanover, NH 03755 USA
| | | | - Kathryn M. Daly
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960 USA
| | - Seppo Koponen
- Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Sarah Loboda
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC Canada
| | - Yuri Marusik
- Institute for Biological Problems of the North RAS, Portovaya Str. 18, Magadan, Russia 685000
- Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 9300 South Africa
| | - Jonas P. Sandström
- Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Derek S. Sikes
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960 USA
| | - Jozef Slowik
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960 USA
| | - Toke T. Høye
- Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Bldg. 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Grenåvej 14, 8410 Rønde, Denmark
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