Time series data for Canadian arctic vertebrates: IPY contributions to science, management, and policy

Ferguson, Steve; Berteaux, Dominique; Gaston, Anthony J.; Higdon, Jeff W.; Lecomte, Nicolas; Lunn, Nicholas J.; Reist, James D.; Russell, Donald E.; Yoccoz, Nigel G.; Zhu, Xingyu

doi:10.1007/s10584-012-0476-7

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 103 publications

(103 reference statements)

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“…Long‐term data archives are vital for understanding the impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems as a whole (Ferguson et al . ). This long‐term data set indicated temporal changes in diet, which alluded to changes in distribution and timing of migration for narwhals in BB and NHB, with the greatest stable isotope differences occurring in NHB.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Fatty acids and stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) reveal temporal changes in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet linked to migration patterns

Watt

Ferguson

2014

Marine Mammal Science

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Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are sentinel species in the Arctic and to investigate marine food web changes from 1982-2011 we examined diet using fatty acids, d 15 N, and d 13 C, in narwhals from Baffin Bay (BB) and northern Hudson Bay (NHB). We predicted temporal changes would be greater in NHB due to a significant reduction in summer ice cover. In NHB, d 15 N significantly increased, d 13 C displayed a parabolic trend, and fatty acids gradually shifted, albeit not significantly, over time. d 15 N was stable, d 13 C decreased, and fatty acids significantly changed over time in BB. Stable isotope mixing models indicated a dietary reduction in capelin and increase in Greenland halibut from 1994-2000 to 2006-2011 in BB, while capelin was an important dietary component for narwhals in NHB in recent years (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011). These dietary changes may be attributed to changes in sea ice and narwhal migration. Seasonal dietary changes, as evidenced by changes in blubber fatty acids and skin and muscle stable isotopes, were not as apparent in the NHB population, which may be indicative of a reduced migratory distance. Long-term monitoring of narwhal diet and migratory patterns associated with reduced sea ice provides invaluable information about how the marine ecosystem will redistribute with global warming.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Fatty acids and stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) reveal temporal changes in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet linked to migration patterns

Watt

Ferguson

2014

Marine Mammal Science

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“…Ringed seals are an important food for circumpolar Inuit (Furgal et al 2002) and community-based collections that sample from these hunts have been successful in providing long-term information (Ferguson et al 2012, Harwood et al 2012. Studies on ringed seal seasonal and long-term variation in body condition are limited due to the logistical challenges associated with collecting large numbers of morphological measures and tissue samples (Harwood et al 2000, Ferguson et al 2005, Rosing-Asvid 2006.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing temporal patterns in body condition of ringed seals living within their core geographic range with those living at the edge

et al. 2020

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Ecological theory suggests that demographic responses by populations to environmental change vary depending on whether individuals inhabit central or peripheral regions within the species' geographic range. Here, we tested this prediction by comparing a population of ringed seals Pusa hispida located at high latitudes as part of their core range (core) with a population located at the southern extremity of their range (peripheral). First, we compared the two regions' environmental trends in timing of sea-ice breakup and freeze-up, open-water duration and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). We found that the core region shifted to progressively warmer conditions in the early 1990s; whereas, in the peripheral region, the warming trend shifted in 1999 to one with no warming trend but high inter-annual variability. Next, we examined how body condition, inferred from blubber depth, responded to temporal changes in sea-ice and climatic variables-variables that have been shown to influence ringed seal demography. Core seals displayed minimal seasonal changes in body condition; whereas peripheral seals displayed a 20-60% amplitude seasonal change in body condition with a phase shift to earlier initiation of fat accumulation and loss. Finally, we tested for interannual differences and found that both core and peripheral seals responded similarly with decreased body condition following more positive NAO. Environmental variables influenced body condition in opposite directions between the two regions with core seals declining in body condition with later spring breakup and shorter open-water duration, whereas peripheral seals showed opposite relationships. Seals living at the core likely benefit from an evolved match between adaptation and environmental variation resulting in dampened seasonal and interannual fluctuations in body condition. Knowledge of how different populations respond to environmental change depending on geographic location within a species range can assist in anticipating population specific responses to climate warming.

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“…Our approach to selecting control sites could be modified slightly to apply to other species of concern in order to assess specific hypotheses addressing wildlife responses to human actions. The identification of control sites in long‐term monitoring is relevant to monitoring of mammals (Sullivan et al , Johnson and Russell , Keinath et al ), birds (Johnson et al , Hoare et al , Booms et al ), amphibians (Brown et al , Denton and Richter , Weir et al ), and multiple‐taxa vertebrate (Nichols and Grant , Ferguson et al , Venier et al ). Even if data do not exist across large landscapes, as in the sage‐grouse example, these approaches using relevant GIS data could be used to focus the identification of potential control.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-scale control site selection for population monitoring: An example assessing sage-grouse trends

2015

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Human impacts on wildlife populations are widespread and prolific and understanding wildlife responses to human impacts is a fundamental component of wildlife management. The first step to understanding wildlife responses is the documentation of changes in wildlife population parameters, such as population size. Meaningful assessment of population changes in potentially impacted sites requires the establishment of monitoring at similar, nonimpacted, control sites. However, it is often difficult to identify appropriate control sites in wildlife populations. We demonstrated use of Geographic Information System (GIS) data across large spatial scales to select biologically relevant control sites for population monitoring. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hearafter, sage-grouse) are negatively affected by energy development, and monitoring of sage-grouse population within energy development areas is necessary to detect population-level responses. We used population data (1995-2012) from an energy development area in Wyoming, USA, the Atlantic Rim Project Area (ARPA), and GIS data to identify control sites that were not impacted by energy development for population monitoring. Control sites were surrounded by similar habitat and were within similar climate areas to the ARPA. We developed nonlinear trend models for both the ARPA and control sites and compared long-term trends from the 2 areas. We found little difference between the ARPA and control sites trends over time. This research demonstrated an approach for control site selection across large landscapes and can be used as a template for similar impact-monitoring studies. It is important to note that identification of changes in population parameters between control and treatment sites is only the first step in understanding the mechanisms that underlie those changes. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

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Time series data for Canadian arctic vertebrates: IPY contributions to science, management, and policy

Abstract: Long-term data are critically important to science, management, and policy formation. Here we describe a number of data collections from arctic Canada that monitor vertebrate population trends of freshwater and marine fish, marine birds, marine and Climatic Change

Cited by 14 publications

References 103 publications

Fatty acids and stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) reveal temporal changes in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet linked to migration patterns

Fatty acids and stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) reveal temporal changes in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet linked to migration patterns

Comparing temporal patterns in body condition of ringed seals living within their core geographic range with those living at the edge

Large-scale control site selection for population monitoring: An example assessing sage-grouse trends

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Time series data for Canadian arctic vertebrates: IPY contributions to science, management, and policy

Abstract: Long-term data are critically important to science, management, and policy formation. Here we describe a number of data collections from arctic Canada that monitor vertebrate population trends of freshwater and marine fish, marine birds, marine and Climatic Change

Cited by 14 publications

References 103 publications

Fatty acids and stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) reveal temporal changes in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet linked to migration patterns

Fatty acids and stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) reveal temporal changes in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet linked to migration patterns

Comparing temporal patterns in body condition of ringed seals living within their core geographic range with those living at the edge

Large-scale control site selection for population monitoring: An example assessing sage-grouse trends

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Product

Resources

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Fatty acids and stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) reveal temporal changes in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet linked to migration patterns

Fatty acids and stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) reveal temporal changes in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet linked to migration patterns