Differential arthropod responses to warming are altering the structure of Arctic communities

Koltz, Amanda M.; Schmidt, Niels Martin; Høye, Toke T.

doi:10.1098/rsos.171503

Cited by 60 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 123 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast to other areas of high‐arctic tundra, vegetation structure at our study area of Zackenberg has been relatively stable so far (IPCC, ; Schmidt, Kristensen, Michelsen, & Bay, ). Yet, the area has experienced changes in flower phenology, soil moisture and air temperature in the last 19 years, leading to a decline in muscid flies and Collembola but to an increase in Hemiptera and parasitoid wasps (Høye et al., ; Koltz et al., ; Loboda et al., ). The availability of the most important prey of Pardosa —chironomid and culicid midges—may perhaps be less affected by climate change due to the buffered, aquatic habitat of their larvae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this, we use an altitudinal gradient in the High Arctic and examine how the environment, species traits and phylogenetic relationships shape trophic interactions. In the arctic biome, recent research has revealed an increase in temperature and humidity (Bintanja & Andry, 2017;IPCC, 2013), increased plant biomass and extension of shrubs and subsequent changes in arthropod abundances and community composition (Bowden, Hansen, Olsen, Schmidt, & Høye, 2018;Høye, Post, Schmidt, Trøjelsgaard, & Forchhammer, 2013;Koltz, Schmidt, & Høye, 2018;Loboda, Savage, Buddle, Schmidt, & Høye, 2018). Importantly, the very same parameters vary along our elevational gradient, emphasizing the space-for-time connection (IPCC, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Assessing changes in arthropod predator–prey interactions through DNA‐based gut content analysis—variable environment, stable diet

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Analysing the structure and dynamics of biotic interaction networks and the processes shaping them is currently one of the key fields in ecology. In this paper, we develop a novel approach to gut content analysis, thereby deriving a new perspective on community interactions and their responses to environment. For this, we use an elevational gradient in the High Arctic, asking how the environment and species traits interact in shaping predator-prey interactions involving the wolf spider Pardosa glacialis. To characterize the community of potential prey available to this predator, we used pitfall trapping and vacuum sampling. To characterize the prey actually consumed, we applied molecular gut content analysis. Using joint species distribution models, we found elevation and vegetation mass to explain the most variance in the composition of the prey community locally available. However, such environmental variables had only a small effect on the prey community found in the spider's gut. These observations indicate that Pardosa exerts selective feeding on particular taxa irrespective of environmental constraints. By directly modelling the probability of predation based on gut content data, we found that neither trait matching in terms of predator and prey body size nor phylogenetic or environmental constraints modified interaction probability. Our results indicate that taxonomic identity may be more important for predator-prey interactions than environmental constraints or prey traits. The impact of environmental change on predator-prey interactions thus appears to be indirect and mediated by its imprint on the community of available prey.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing changes in arthropod predator–prey interactions through DNA‐based gut content analysis—variable environment, stable diet

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this case, winter precipitation has a negative association with moth abundance, while winter temperature has a positive association (28). In Greenland, changes in the structure of arthropod communities over 18 years have been influenced by warming summers and falls and fewer freeze-thaw events, with the most negative associations observed for surface detritivores (29). On the other side of the temperature spectrum is maximum temperature, which has been shown to be the variable most associated with local extinctions in a global survey of insects and other taxa (18).…”

Section: On Changing Maximums Minimums Means and Variancementioning

confidence: 99%

Insects and recent climate change

Halsch

Shapiro²,

Fordyce

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

24Insects have diversified through 400 million years of Earth's changeable climate, yet recent and 25 ongoing shifts in patterns of temperature and precipitation pose novel challenges as they 26 combine with decades of other anthropogenic stressors including the conversion and degradation 27 of land. Here we consider how insects are responding to recent climate change, while 28 summarizing the literature on long-term monitoring of insect populations in the context of 29 climatic fluctuations. Results to date suggest that climate change impacts on insects have the 30 potential to be considerable, even when compared to changes in land use. The importance of 31 climate is illustrated with a case study from the butterflies of Northern California, where we find 32 that population declines have been severe in high-elevation areas removed from the most 33 immediate effects of habitat loss. These results shed light on the complexity of montane-adapted 34 insects responding to changing abiotic conditions and raise questions about the utility of 35 temperate mountains as refugia during the Anthropocene. We consider methodological issues 36 that would improve syntheses of results across long-term insect datasets and highlight directions 37 for future empirical work. 38 39 Key words 40 Anthropocene, climate change, population decline, extinction, extreme weather 41 42 43 51 52 53 54 From invasive species to habitat loss, pesticides and pollution, the stressors of the Anthropocene 55 are many and multi-faceted, but none are as geographically pervasive or as likely to interact with 56 all other factors as climate change (1, 2). For these reasons, understanding the effects of 57 anthropogenic climate change on natural systems could be considered the defining challenge for 58 the ecological sciences in the 21 st century (3). It is of particular interest to ask how insects will 59 respond to recent and ongoing climate change, because they are the most diverse lineage of 60 multicellular organisms on the planet, and of fundamental importance to the functioning of 61 terrestrial ecosystems. The issue also has new urgency in light of recent and ongoing reports of 62 insect declines from around the globe (4). Insects and climate change have been discussed 63 elsewhere (5-8), and our goal here is not to cover all aspects of the problem. Instead, we focus 64 on recent discoveries and questions inspired by long-term records of insect populations, 65

show abstract

“…Our previous work on spiders (Araneae) and a single family of flies (Diptera) has shown that habitat type can play an important role in the strength of species abundance trends (16, 28, 29). Previously, we also found evidence of differential long-term changes across invertebrate orders, altering the entire community composition (30). Therefore, there is an urgent need for an improved understanding of the spatial and taxonomic variation in population dynamics of arthropods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Taxonomic, temporal, and spatial variation in the dynamics of High-Arctic arthropod populations

Loboda

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

trend 26 27 Significance statement: Terrestrial arthropods, including insects and spiders, serve critical 28 ecosystem functions and are excellent indicators of environmental change due to their physiology, 29 short generation time, and abundance. The Arctic, with its rapid climate change and limited direct 30 anthropogenic impact, is ideal for examining arthropod population dynamics. We use the most 31 comprehensive, standardized dataset available on Arctic arthropods to evaluate the variability in 32 population dynamics for the most common arthropod groups at various taxonomic levels across 24 33 years. Our results highlight that temporal trends of arthropod populations seem less directional in 34 the Arctic than in temperate regions. Although abundances of some arthropod taxa are declining, 35 particularly in recent decades, population trends still display high variation among time periods, 36 taxa, and habitats. 37 38 ABSTRACT 39 Time-series data on arthropod populations are critical for understanding the magnitude, direction, 40 and drivers of abundance changes. However, most arthropod monitoring programs are short-lived 41 and limited in taxonomic resolution and spatial extent. Consequently, variation in population 42 dynamics among taxa and habitats remains poorly understood. Monitoring data from the Arctic are 43 particularly underrepresented, yet important to assessments of species abundance changes because 44 many anthropogenic drivers of change that are present in other regions are absent in polar regions. 45Here, we utilise 24 years of abundance data from Zackenberg in High-Arctic Greenland, which is 46 the longest running Arctic arthropod monitoring program, to study temporal trends in abundance. 47Despite a strong warming signal in air temperature, we only find evidence of weak temporal trends 48 in arthropod abundances across most taxa. These trends are more pronounced in the most recent 49 decade, with change point analyses suggesting distinct non-linear dynamics within some functional 50 groups such as predators and detritivores. Although the abundances of many taxa were correlated, 51 we detected both positive and negative correlations, suggesting that multiple processes are affecting 52 arthropod populations even in this relatively simple Arctic food web. Finally, we found clear 53 differences among species within single families of arthropods, indicating that an apparent lack of 54 change in abundance at broader taxonomic or functional levels could mask substantial species-55 specific trends. Our results reiterate the need for more basic research into the life-history, ecology, 56 and adaptation of arthropod species to better understand their sensitivity to global changes. 57 58 595

show abstract

Differential arthropod responses to warming are altering the structure of Arctic communities

Cited by 60 publications

References 123 publications

Assessing changes in arthropod predator–prey interactions through DNA‐based gut content analysis—variable environment, stable diet

Assessing changes in arthropod predator–prey interactions through DNA‐based gut content analysis—variable environment, stable diet

Insects and recent climate change

Taxonomic, temporal, and spatial variation in the dynamics of High-Arctic arthropod populations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About