Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station
We present the history of research activities at the Bylot Island Field Station of the Centre d’études nordiques, a hotspot of biodiversity in the Canadian Arctic. Intensive wildlife studies started at the station in the late 1980s, initially focussing on greater snow goose ecology and its impacts o...
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Canadian Science Publishing
2024
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0029 https://doaj.org/article/e97a74f10da44a94a89a82e2bc2faa28 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:e97a74f10da44a94a89a82e2bc2faa28 2024-09-15T17:50:25+00:00 Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station Gilles Gauthier Marie-Christine Cadieux Dominique Berteaux Joël Bêty Dominique Fauteux Pierre Legagneux Esther Lévesque Catherine A. Gagnon 2024-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0029 https://doaj.org/article/e97a74f10da44a94a89a82e2bc2faa28 EN FR eng fre Canadian Science Publishing https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2023-0029 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2023-0029 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/e97a74f10da44a94a89a82e2bc2faa28 Arctic Science, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 108-124 (2024) snow goose lemmings shorebirds birds of prey Arctic fox trophic interactions Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0029 2024-08-05T17:49:49Z We present the history of research activities at the Bylot Island Field Station of the Centre d’études nordiques, a hotspot of biodiversity in the Canadian Arctic. Intensive wildlife studies started at the station in the late 1980s, initially focussing on greater snow goose ecology and its impacts on the tundra vegetation. Since then, studies have expanded to encompass the whole vertebrate food web and have become one of the most comprehensive ecological monitoring programs in the Canadian Arctic. The main vertebrate species monitored include snow geese, lemmings, shorebirds, avian predators, buntings, and Arctic foxes. Over time, we recorded 66 bird and 10 mammal species, including 51 confirmed breeders. Contributions of the program to the field of ecology are numerous, but our demonstration of the dominant role played by predator–prey interactions in the Arctic food web is especially significant for the understanding of direct and indirect trophic interactions. Our studies provided essential information for management decisions taken to control the overabundant greater snow goose population and supported international efforts to assess the state of Arctic biodiversity. Future directions will reflect the need to deepen our understanding of trophic interactions and the effects of climate change using innovative advanced technologies. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic biodiversity Arctic Fox Bylot Island Climate change Tundra Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Science |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English French |
topic |
snow goose lemmings shorebirds birds of prey Arctic fox trophic interactions Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
spellingShingle |
snow goose lemmings shorebirds birds of prey Arctic fox trophic interactions Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 Gilles Gauthier Marie-Christine Cadieux Dominique Berteaux Joël Bêty Dominique Fauteux Pierre Legagneux Esther Lévesque Catherine A. Gagnon Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station |
topic_facet |
snow goose lemmings shorebirds birds of prey Arctic fox trophic interactions Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
description |
We present the history of research activities at the Bylot Island Field Station of the Centre d’études nordiques, a hotspot of biodiversity in the Canadian Arctic. Intensive wildlife studies started at the station in the late 1980s, initially focussing on greater snow goose ecology and its impacts on the tundra vegetation. Since then, studies have expanded to encompass the whole vertebrate food web and have become one of the most comprehensive ecological monitoring programs in the Canadian Arctic. The main vertebrate species monitored include snow geese, lemmings, shorebirds, avian predators, buntings, and Arctic foxes. Over time, we recorded 66 bird and 10 mammal species, including 51 confirmed breeders. Contributions of the program to the field of ecology are numerous, but our demonstration of the dominant role played by predator–prey interactions in the Arctic food web is especially significant for the understanding of direct and indirect trophic interactions. Our studies provided essential information for management decisions taken to control the overabundant greater snow goose population and supported international efforts to assess the state of Arctic biodiversity. Future directions will reflect the need to deepen our understanding of trophic interactions and the effects of climate change using innovative advanced technologies. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gilles Gauthier Marie-Christine Cadieux Dominique Berteaux Joël Bêty Dominique Fauteux Pierre Legagneux Esther Lévesque Catherine A. Gagnon |
author_facet |
Gilles Gauthier Marie-Christine Cadieux Dominique Berteaux Joël Bêty Dominique Fauteux Pierre Legagneux Esther Lévesque Catherine A. Gagnon |
author_sort |
Gilles Gauthier |
title |
Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station |
title_short |
Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station |
title_full |
Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station |
title_fullStr |
Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station |
title_full_unstemmed |
Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station |
title_sort |
long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of arctic biodiversity, the bylot island field station |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0029 https://doaj.org/article/e97a74f10da44a94a89a82e2bc2faa28 |
genre |
Arctic Arctic biodiversity Arctic Fox Bylot Island Climate change Tundra |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic biodiversity Arctic Fox Bylot Island Climate change Tundra |
op_source |
Arctic Science, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 108-124 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2023-0029 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2023-0029 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/e97a74f10da44a94a89a82e2bc2faa28 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0029 |
container_title |
Arctic Science |
_version_ |
1810292239584198656 |