Effects of changing permafrost and snow conditions on tundra wildlife: Critical places and times
Abstract The change of water phase around 0 °C has considerable impacts on wildlife ecology because liquid and solid water strongly differ in their insulating capability, mechanical resistance, and light reflectance. Freeze and melt events thus have strong ecological relevance, particularly in the A...
| Published in: | Arctic Science |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://depot-e.uqtr.ca/id/eprint/11081/ https://depot-e.uqtr.ca/id/eprint/11081/1/LEVESQUE_E_259_ED.pdf https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2016-0023 |
| Summary: | Abstract The change of water phase around 0 °C has considerable impacts on wildlife ecology because liquid and solid water strongly differ in their insulating capability, mechanical resistance, and light reflectance. Freeze and melt events thus have strong ecological relevance, particularly in the Arctic where snow and ice are omnipresent and their conditions are changing due to climate warming. We first review the mechanisms linking water phase transitions to wildlife ecology, with emphasis on seven key processes. These processes are illustrated with examples or detailed case studies, such as snowmelt and icing events affecting herbivore populations, thaw-induced collapse of structures used by wildlife for reproduction, and thermal erosion of ice wedges reducing waterfowl habitat. We infer that water phase transitions generate some critical places and critical times that play a disproportionate role in the ecology of tundra wildlife. We map these critical places and times to help structure future research on the effects of climate change on tundra wildlife in a context where changing permafrost and snow conditions might trigger abrupt ecological responses in the Arctic tundra. Résumé Le changement de phase de l’eau autour de 0 °C a des impacts considérables sur l’écologie de la faune parce que l’eau liquide et l’eau solide diffèrent fortement dans leur capacité d’isolation, leur résistance mécanique et leur réflectance à la lumière. Les événements de gel et de dégel ont ainsi une grande pertinence écologique, particulièrement dans l’Arctique où la neige et la glace sont omniprésentes et leurs conditions changent en raison du réchauffement climatique. Nous passons d’abord en revue les mécanismes liant les transitions de phase de l’eau à l’écologie de la faune, l’accent étant mis sur sept processus clés. Ces processus sont illustrés par des exemples ou des études de cas détaillées, tels que des événements de fonte des neiges et de gel ayant un effet sur les populations herbivores, l’écroulement provoqué par le ... |
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