The Resilience of Polar Collembola to Climate Change

• Main Author: Beet, Clare R.
• Other Authors: Cary, S. Craig, Hogg, Ian D., McDonald, Ian R., Sinclair, Brent J.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: The University of Waikato 2023
• Subjects: Resilience; Climate Change; Collembola; Springtail; Polar; Genetic Diversity; Physiology; Arctic; Cambridge Bay; Climate change
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/16077

Polar Collembola have adapted over millions of years to an environment that is changing faster than any other on earth. Globally, Collembola (springtails) are among the most abundant and widely-distributed arthropods and are key components of species-poor polar ecosystems. Understanding the resilience of polar collembola to climate change is therefore an urgent research priority. Here we explore the links between genetic diversity and physiology in shaping the resilience of polar Collembola to climate change. I have reviewed the resilience of polar Collembola considering genetic diversity, behavioural avoidance and physiological tolerances along with an examination of the potential impacts of biotic interactions. I also explored potential recovery dynamics with reference to temperate taxa and colonisation patterns of new habitat exposed by glacial retreat. This review illustrated that polar Collembola exhibit a suite of traits that have enabled their survival in extreme conditions and may serve as pre-adaptations to changing conditions. However, if resistance capacities are insufficient, complete community level recovery following disturbances is exceedingly slow, especially among Collembola that inhabit deeper microhabitats within the soil column (deeper-dwelling). Overall, it appears that deeper-dwelling species that fail to resist climate changes may not recover in ecologically realistic timescales, especially given the projected pace of climate changes. The largest spatial scale study and analysis of the genetic diversity of Collembola from the central Canadian High Arctic location of Cambridge Bay (Ikaluktuktiak) was undertaken to refine species identifications, examine levels of population diversity, and explore the role of geological processes and glacial dynamics in shaping the current Arctic collembolan fauna. I identified 68 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs, as a proxy for species diversity) representing an estimated 43 morphological species, with 29 BINs unique to Cambridge Bay. The geographic linkages ...