Effects of Climate Change on the Canadian Arctic Wildlife€¦ · Catherine Gagnon, Daniel Gallant, Vincent L’Hérault, ... digital pictures, locations of animals, avian distance

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Arctic WildlifeD. Berteaux

ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)

Effects of Climate Change on the Canadian Arctic Wildlife

Project LeaderBerteaux, Dominique (Université du Québec à Rimouski)

Network InvestigatorsAlastair Franke (Canadian Circumpolar Institute); Grant Gilchrist (Carleton University); Joël Bêty (Université du Québec à Rimouski); Gilles Gauthier (Université Laval)

CollaboratorsPaul A. Smith (Carleton University); Sébastien Descamps (Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service - Northern Conservation Division); Mark Mallory (Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service - Prairie and Northern Region); Malik Awan (Government of Nunavut); David Lee (Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated); Guillaume Szor (Université du Québec à Rimouski); Nicolas Lecomte (Université Laval); Oliver Love (University of Windsor); Don Reid (Wildlife Conservation Society Canada)

Postdoctoral FellowsLouise van Oudenhove (Université Laval)

PhD StudentsSam Iverson (Carleton University); Jennifer Provencher (Environment Canada - Science and Technology Branch); Peter Fast, Catherine Gagnon, Daniel Gallant, Vincent L’Hérault, Sandra Lai, Jean-François Lamarre (Université du Québec à Rimouski); Frédéric Bilodeau, Madeleine Doiron, Dominique Fauteux, Audrey Robillard (Université Laval); Barry Robinson (University of Alberta); Dominique Henri (University of Oxford - Linacre College); Holly Hennin (University of Windsor)

MSc StudentsAlexandre Anctil, Elise Bolduc, Émilie Chalifour, Sylvain Christin, Catherine Doucet, Philippe Galipeau, Frankie Jean-Gagnon, Camille Morin, Marie-Jeanne Rioux, Pascal Royer-Boutin, Élisabeth Tremblay (Université du Québec à Rimouski); Vincent Lamarre (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières); Vincent Marmillot (Université Laval); Kristen Peck (University of Alberta)

Undergraduate StudentsCourtenay Van Loo (The King’s University College); Nicolas Trudel (Université du Québec à Rimouski)

Technical StaffCesar Bravo, Zoltan Domahidi, Laurent Nicolaiczuk, Gabrielle Robineau-Charette (Arctic Raptors Inc.); Denis Sarrazin (Centre d’études nordiques); Amie Black, Christie Macdonald (Environment Canada); Michael Janssen (Environment Canada - Science and Technology Branch); Cassandra Cameron, Nicolas Casajus, Émilie D’Astous, Marie-Hélène Truchon (Université du Québec à Rimouski); Marie-Christine Cadieux (Université Laval); Mark Prostor (University of Alberta)

Northern HQPJosiah Nakoolak (Coral Harbour); Andy Aliyak (Government of Nunavut Wildlife Management Division); Matt Fredlund, Mike Qrunut (Hamlet of Igloolik); Northern Research Staff (Hamlet of Igloolik); Tivi Iyaituk, Adammie Mangiuk, Josepie Padlayat (Hamlet of Ivujivik)

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Abstract

Many northern ecosystems are undergoing major shifts related to climate change. An understanding of this transformation and of the significance of its consequences is critical to anticipating ways in which potential negative and positive effects to wildlife populations (and ultimately humans) may be mitigated or used through sound management. Our overall goal is to provide the wildlife-related knowledge necessary to conduct the integrated regional impact studies of the “Eastern Arctic” and “Hudson Bay”, two of the four regions identified by ArcticNet to conduct regional impact studies. We work through 4 specific objectives. First, we identify the main vulnerabilities of Arctic wildlife with regards to climate change. Second, we monitor more than 30 wildlife populations (mostly tundra wildlife and marine birds) at 6 main study sites located in the Eastern Canadian Arctic (from South to North: Belcher Islands, Rankin Inlet, Coats Island, East Bay-Southampton Island, Bylot Island, and St.Helena Island). Third, we use data from our field work and from the literature to analyze past and present responses of wildlife to climatic variability in order to develop Impact Models. Finally, we project some wildlife patterns into the future by forcing these Impact Models with regional climate change scenarios. This project is a collaboration between ArcticNet researchers and a number of partners including the Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment Canada), Parks Canada Agency, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, Baffinland Iron Mine, Department of Environment of Government of Nunavut, Nunavut General Monitoring Program, and many Northern communities, especially members of their Hunting and Trapping Organizations. Our project helps ArcticNet impact studies to provide decision makers in the wildlife sector with a sound basis for working at adaptation strategies in a changing climate.

Key Messages

• A general northward movement of wildlife species is ongoing and should amplify in the next decades. This is mostly detected at the southern margin of the Arctic.

• Consequences of climate warming on wildlife should sometimes be negative and sometimes be positive, depending on the species that is considered. Those species most specialized for Arctic environments (e.g. Peary caribou, polar bear, arctic fox, snowy owl) should be the most negatively affected.

• In the short term, increases in weather variability (rain in winter, heavy wet snowfalls in early spring) might have more negative influences than changes in average temperature or precipitation, although this may change quickly.

• As the abundance of some species will increase while others will decrease, we expect important shifts in wildlife species assemblage and that this will vary longitudinally.

• Species that play a key role in the organization of ecosystems, and thus influence ecosystem services such as provision of food to human communities, will likely change in many parts of the Arctic.

• Monitoring a set of key wildlife species is extremely important to assess ecosystem changes taking place in the Arctic.

• This project monitors more than 30 wildlife populations from the Arctic tundra and marine ecosystems. This provides Canada with an important warning system regarding ecosystem changes in the Arctic. It also feeds important Arctic Council initiatives such as the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment.

• In addition, this project tests important ecological hypotheses through long-term field observations and detailed field experiments, some of them unique at the scale of the circumpolar Arctic. In particular, we generate lots of new knowledge

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about the importance of role of sea ice in wildlife ecology.

• Wildlife exploitation and food diversity of Arctic human communities depend on the composition and health of ecosystems. Therefore, assessing the vulnerabilities of ecosystems and wildlife is important to assessing the vulnerability of human communities.

Objectives

1. to identify the main vulnerabilities of Arctic wild-life with regards to climate change;

2. to pursue and enhance the wildlife monitoring program forming the core of this project;

3. to develop trophic interaction models to better understand key interactions driving the tundra food web;

4. to develop some Impact Models describing se-lected responses of Arctic wildlife to climate change;

5. to force these Impact Models with regional cli-mate change scenarios.

Introduction

The increase in Arctic surface temperatures over the last decades has generated major concerns about the future of Arctic wildlife, traditional hunting activities, and the integrity of Arctic ecosystems. Effects of climate change on the timing of biological events (phenology of species), the distribution of species, and the food webs (trophic dynamics) of wildlife communities are now apparent. Yet, as Arctic climate continues to warm, our capacity to measure and predict the responses of biological systems and their cascading effects through food webs, and ultimately their effects on humans, remains very limited. We are lacking baseline data on natural systems and are faced with complex interactions between wildlife species

and between ecosystems and humans. The mandate of this project is to better understand the current and anticipated effects of climate change on Arctic wildlife.

Wildlife species are sentinels of environmental change and the first effects of climate change on species can be detected in the timing of biological events (Berteaux et al. 2004). We monitor the phenology of many populations, such as eider ducks and greater snow geese, which are significant to the Inuit and for which extensive data sets already exist. We also monitored phenology of long distance migrants like shorebirds (and of their food species, insects and spiders) as they form an important component of the Arctic biodiversity.

The northward progression of isotherms in the Arctic will have wide-ranging impacts on the distribution of wildlife, with cascading effects on the functioning of ecosystems. Many Arctic species may undergo population declines in response to warming not because they cannot tolerate more benign environmental conditions, but because they will be out-competed in these new environments by southern invaders with less tolerance for harsh conditions but better growth potential under more benign conditions. Invading species come from the southern boundary of the Arctic and can sometimes move fast to more northerly locations. For example red foxes have invaded Baffin Island and are now found in southern Ellesmere Island.

Climate imposes a rough structure to wildlife communities through its effects on plant growth (primary productivity). However, the interactions between plants, herbivores, and predators (the food web dynamics) shape the fine-scale structure of communities (Krebs et al. 2003). We need to know how the relative influences of climate and biotic factors vary geographically, to better anticipate where the effects of climate change on the functioning of the tundra will be greatest. We study the interactions

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between plants, herbivores, and predators at several sites, such as Bylot Island, Rankin Inlet, and Southampton Island to better understand climatic impacts on the food web dynamic. We also investigate how seabirds and several tundra species (e.g., arctic fox) are influenced by sea ice, as this is a poorly known but probably important aspect of their ecology.

Activities

Time frame and study area: Field work was carried out from May-August 2012 at East Bay (Southampton Island), Rankin Inlet, Igloolik, Steensby Inlet, and Bylot Island. Boat-based bird research was carried out in July 2012 along the south coast of Baffin Island, in partnership with the community of Cape Dorset. Data analyses from existing databases (Archives of the Hudson Bay Company, database of the Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Coop, Yukon) was continued. Carcasses of carnivores were collected from hunters in Kivalliq and Kitikmeot, and eider ducks from hunters in Cape Dorset.

Research: Again in 2012, intensive field work was done and detailed analyses of collected data (nest survival, digital pictures, locations of animals, avian distance sampling, small mammal trapping) and samples (tissues from wolf and wolverine carcasses, lemming winter nests, bird of prey food pellets, plant above-ground biomass, insects and spiders, wildlife blood and hairs) were performed. This resulted in the following investigations:

• Monitoring of ca. 100 fox dens on Bylot Island.

• Monitoring of arctic fox (n=30) yearly movements in the eastern High Arctic using Argos satellite transmitters.

• Monitoring of ca. 450 Peregrine Falcon, Gyr Falcon and Rough legged Hawk nest sites at Rankin Inlet, Igloolik and Steensby Inlet.

• Monitoring of peregrine yearly movements

using Argos GPS satellite transmitters and Lotek geolocators (n=50).

• Monitoring of ca. 100 shorebird nests and 137 passerine nests at Bylot Island.

• Monitoring of chick growth rate from ca. 40 passerine nests (ca. 100 chicks) at Bylot Island.

• Monitoring of chick growth rate from 70 raptor nests.

• Monitoring of insect emergence and diversity using pitfall traps (ca. 1000 samples collected over the season).

• Monitoring of reproductive activity of snow geese (375 nests) at Bylot Island.

• Monitoring of small mammal abundance and demography (49 winter nests, 19 lemmings trapped during ca. 3500 trapping-days) at Bylot Island.

• Monitoring of 17 ermine dens at Bylot Island.

• Monitoring of the reproductive activity of birds of prey at various sites (Jaegers: 8 nests; Rough-legged hawk: 70 nests; Peregrine Falcon: 60 nests, Gyrfalcon: 3 nests, Glaucous Gulls: 22 nests) and long-term marking of jaegers (47 individuals) and peregrine falcons (50 individuals).

• Monitoring of plant primary production and goose grazing impact in wetland habitats (n = 24 exclosures).

• Monitoring of lemming grazing impact during winter in mesic tundra (n = 16 exclosures).

• Marking of ca. 50 shorebirds and ca. 150 passerines at Bylot Island.

• Monitoring of the habitat use of eider duck flocks by conducting snowmobile surveys, and comparison of their distribution with previous years (Inuit field workers were trained to continue this work without our direct participation).

• Detailed observation of fox and peregrine behaviour using infrared-triggered cameras and direct observation.

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• Detailed observation of nest predator behaviour using infrared-triggered cameras and direct observation.

• Collection of carcasses of carnivores (ca. 100 arctic wolf and 100 wolverines) from Inuit hunters in Qikiktaaluk (Hall Beach, Igloolik), Kitikmeot (Kugaaruk, Taloyoak, Gjoa Haven, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk) and Kivalliq (Arviat, Whale Cove, Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet, Baker Lake, Repulse Bay).

• Diet of wolverines and wolves determined by analysing stomach contents of animal harvested in Nunavut during hunting seasons of 2001-2003, 2008, 2010, and 2011 (wolverine) and 2011 (wolf).

• Retrieval of climatic data from 4 automated weather stations on Bylot Island, one at Rankin Inlet, and one at Coxe Island (Melville Peninsular).

• Analysis of fox diet from isotope measurements of fox tissue.

• Sample collection for analysis of peregrine diet using isotopes.

• Banding (n = 200) and re-sighting of adult eider ducks on Southampton Island to estimate annual survival of birds in relation to disease, harvest, and weather conditions.

• Blood samples collected from eider ducks (n=200) on Southampton Island to assess links between hormones, body condition, and vulnerability to avian cholera.

• Banded and attached geolocators to ca. 10 Black-bellied Plovers, ca. 10 Ruddy Turnstones, and ca. 10 Sabine’s Gulls at East Bay, Southampton Island.

• Implanted 15 Common Eider ducks with satellite transmitters (with Danish Collaborators) to track their migratory movements and marine habitat use in the Canadian Arctic and west Greenland.

• Monitored 72 nests of 6 species of shorebirds, and 15 nests of Sabine’s Gull on Southampton Island.

• Banded 267 adult passerines and 31 chicks. Twenty-six of these were instrumented with geolocators to monitor their migration.

• Monitored the growth rate of 45 known-aged passerine chicks from 11 nests on Southampton Island.

• Surveyed 110 offshore coastal islands in Hudson Strait, Nunavut. 10,337 eider nests were found on these islands, as well as 563 nests of 9 other bird species.

• Processed and dissected 280 eider ducks collected from the Aboriginal harvest in Cape Dorset, in preparation for parasite and heavy metal contaminants analysis.

• Retrieved 7 geolocators from snow buntings from East Bay.

Results

We give below representative examples of the many new results obtained in 2012. These examples deal with the effects of climatic variation on arctic wildlife and ecosystems, with the outcomes of our monitoring or > 30 arctic wildlife populations, and with our exploration of a quickly developing aspect of arctic science, namely the movements of wildlife on land and sea.

Effects of climatic variation on wildlife and ecosystems

Analysing how yearly variations in weather affect wildlife is the most common way to investigate the links between climate and wildlife ecology. We present below some results related to the emergence of arthropods, to the reproduction of snow geese, and to the colonisation of the Eastern Canadian Arctic by red foxes.

Arthropods

Arctic arthropods (insects, spiders, etc.) are essential prey for many vertebrates, including birds, and arthropod populations and phenology are highly

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susceptible to climate change. We modelled the relationship between seasonal changes in arthropod abundance and weather variables, using data from a collaborative pan-Canadian (Southampton, Herschel, Bylot and Ellesmere Islands) study on terrestrial arthropods. Arthropods were captured with passive traps that provided a combined measure of abundance and activity (a proxy for arthropod availability to foraging birds). We found that daily arthropod availability was best explained by mean daily temperature and thaw degree-days. As shown in Figure 1, this allowed us to build predictive models (adjusted R2 of 0.29 to 0.95

with an average among sites and arthropod families of 0.67) of arthropod availability as a function of weather.

Snow geese

Analysis of the potential effects of climate on the survival, recruitment, breeding propensity and dispersal of the greater snow goose population breeding on Bylot Island, Nunavut showed that spring temperature in the Arctic (nesting grounds), winter temperature in the USA (wintering grounds) and temperature during fall migration have a positive effect on recruitment probability. We also examined the effect of climate on fecundity components (clutch size, egg survival, egg hatchability, nesting success and gosling survival) using a large sample of nests monitored annually at the Bylot Island colony. Analysis revealed that nesting success decreased whereas both clutch size and hatchability increased with higher summer temperature on Bylot Island (Figure 2).

Red fox

Red foxes have become a poster boy for climate change effects on arctic biodiversity because they have invaded

Fig. 1. Predicted (grey lines) and observed (dark lines) total daily arthropod availability in wet habitat in four Canadian Arctic sites.

Fig. 2. Spring temperature in the Arctic (nesting grounds), winter temperature in the USA (wintering grounds) and temperature during fall migration all have a positive effect on recruitment probability in the Greater snow goose studied on Bylot Island, Nunavut.

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large parts of the Arctic during the 20th century and are thought to cause declines in arctic fox populations. Whereas the negative effects of red fox on arctic fox is indeed now well established, the attribution of its northern range expansion to climate change remains a hypothesis. We have tested this hypothesis by analysing archives of the Hudson Bay Company (Figure 3), where the numbers of furs traded in the Canadian Arctic were available for many outposts during ther first part of the 20th century.

We first calculated the proportion of red fox/arctic fox furs traded each year at each arctic outpost. We then correlated this proportion to changes in climate and to changes in the number of human settlements. We obtained two new findings. First, we were able to reconstruct the chronology of the invasion of red fox in the Canadian Arctic and we showed that two different invasion events occurred, one through Baffin Island and the other one through mainland Nunavut (Figure 4). Second, we showed that these chronologies were much better correlated to the chronology of human settlement than to changes in climate.

Selected results of monitoring activities

Polar bear activity in bird colonies

At our long term field site at East Bay, Southampton Island, we monitor bear activity on the small island in

relation to sea ice conditions. Prior to 2003, bears were rarely present on the eider duck colony. Since 2003, polar bear activity on the island has been strongly related to the timing of ice break up. More bears are present on the eider duck colony during years with early ice melt (Figures 5a and 5b).

Productivity of tundra habitats for birds of prey

Industrial activities (such as mining operations) have the potential to disturb tundra ecosystems. Ecological knowledge is thus needed to understand and potentially mitigate such effects. We investigated the quality of tundra habitats for birds of prey at our two study sites of Rankin Inlet and Coxe Islands. We first divided our study areas into 9 strata (1: Mostly bare rock, little vegetation; 2: Mostly graminoid dominated verging on wetlands; 3: Bare igneous bedrock, verging on sparse graminoid vegetation; 4: Dominated by productive graminoid vegetation; 5: Mostly bare calcareous gravel, sparse graminoid and dwarf shrub cover; 6: Mostly bare igneous bedrock or calcareous gravel, sparse shrub cover; 7: Mix of productive graminoid, dwarf shrub, and wetlands; 8: Mix of graminoid, dwarf shrub, and wetlands (less productive than 7); 9: Mix of graminoid, dwarf shrub, and wetlands; intermediate productivity). We found that the Rankin Inlet study area is comprised mostly of

Fig. 3. Archives stored by fur trading companies such as the Hudson Bay company provide highly valuable data to reconstruct past changes in distribution of wildlife.

Fig. 4. The chronolgy of red fox expansion in the Canadian Arctic during the first half of the 20th century (map: D. Gallant).

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productive habitat with low ruggedness (strata 7, 8, 9; Figure 6). Conversely, the Coxe Islands study area contains limited amounts of these productive habitats with a larger component of rugged, unproductive areas (strata 1, 3, 6; Figure 7).

To estimate prey density (geese, passerines and shorebirds) at these two study sites, we conducted avian distance sampling at ca. 200 transects located randomly among the 9 strata in the Coxe Islands study area (40 transects in the Rankin Inlet study

area). Our results (details not shown here) show that the habitat at Rankin Inlet is more productive (more prey found) that that found near Igloolik on the Coxe Islands.

Wildlife movements on land and sea

Migration of eider ducks

Common eider ducks were implanted with satellite transmitters to track their migratory movements and marine habitat use. Most eiders ventured into Hudson Strait where they remained for several

Fig. 6. Distribution of 9 strata used to conduct avian distance sampling at Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

Fig. 7. Distribution of 9 strata used to conduct avian distance sampling at Igloolik (Coxe Islands), Nunavut.

Fig. 5a and 5b. Relationship between the number of days bears are present on eider duck colonies in relation to sea ice concentration in late June (2003-2011) at East Bay, Southampton Island (5a). There are more bears present on eider duck colonies during years with early ice melt (5b).

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weeks to molt their feathers (September and early October). Subsequent to this, most migrated to south west Greenland, reaching their coastal destinations in Greenland within 3 days (Figure 8). This research emphasizes the use of Hudson Strait in the fall for molting locations for this population, and the west coast of Greenland as wintering sites.

Migration of snow buntings

We attached geolocators (lightweight, electronic archival devices that periodically record ambient light level to determine location) to snow buntings to track their migration, stop over sites, and identify their wintering locations. They staged along the west coast of Hudson Bay for several weeks during their spring migration (Figure 9a and 9b). Our combination of multiple tracking techniques provided new insights into the migratory patterns of nearctic snow bunting populations throughout their breeding and wintering ranges, and represents the first time a migratory passerine has been tracked throughout the full North American annual cycle.

Discussion

Effects of climatic variation on wildlife and ecosystems

Arthropods

Population growth rates and development of many arthropod species is linked to temperature (Huey and Berrigan 2001; Frazier et al. 2006) so they are highly sensitive to climate variation (Danks 1981; Hodkinson et al. 1998; Bale et al. 2002). Based on data collected at four arctic sites that varied in terms of climate and arthropod communities, we found

Fig. 9a and 9b. Annual distribution of a Canadian breeding snow bunting population tracked with geolocators (n=13) from East Bay, Nunavut.

Fig. 8. Fall migration tracks of 14 common eider ducks originally implanted with satellite transmitters at East Bay, Southampton Island in June.

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that part of the variation in arthropod availability depended on climatic variables measured daily (e.g., precipitation and wind). However, most of the variation was explained by daily temperature and a larger time scale measure of weather, thaw degree-days. Our results complement work conducted in other Arctic regions such as the Taymir Peninsula in Siberia, where cumulative degree-days were a better predictor of the number of arthropods caught than the combination of date and temperature (Schekkerman et al. 2004). Together with our results, this highlights the importance of including temperature and cumulative temperature in studies aimed at forecasting arthropod abundance, rather than focusing mostly on daily temperature variation as is often the case (Deutsch et al. 2008). This better understanding of the determinants of arthropod abundance will now form the basis for studies on factors linking climate variation to shorebird ecology.

Snow geese

In a global warming context, a major challenge is to understand how changes in climate might affect the population dynamic of living organisms. This is especially true of long-distant migrants that can be exposed to different climatic regimes throughout their annual cycle. The greater snow goose is an arctic-nesting species that is hunted during winter in eastern USA and during migration in southern Québec, Canada. While the spring hunt, introduced to control this overabundant population, has been shown to negatively affect both survival and recruitment in this population (Juillet et al. 2012), it seems that future climate changes may act as an opponent to these management measures because climate warming is favorable to geese populations. This information will be useful to develop a population model in order to better predict the future growth of this population under various scenarios of climate warming and hunting pressure.

Red fox

The expansion of the red fox throughout Baffin Island from the 1920’s to the 1950’s had been described a

long time ago in the scientific literature (Macpherson 1964) and was also well known to Inuit trappers (Gagnon and Berteaux 2009). We have now shown that a similar expansion had occurred in mainland Nunavut at about the same time. This finding is important because it provided us with two independent events from which to investigate the respective roles of climate warming and human settlements in red fox expansion. When we correlated these range expansions with the chronology of the two factors most likely to explain them (climate warming and human settlements), we found that human settlements were by far the best explanatory factor. This contradicts the widely held view of Hersteinsson and Macdonald (1992) but supports the most recent view of Killengreen et al. (2011). Human settlements provide food subsidies (through dumps, etc.) that benefit the red fox. Additional work is now needed to investigate whether the respective roles of global warming and human influence may have changed in the last two decades, when warming has been the most dramatic.

Selected results of monitoring activities

Polar bear activity in bird colonies

Concern is growing that early ice break up in the eastern Canadian Arctic will negatively influence the ability of polar bear to access their preferred prey, the ringed-seal in May and June (Derocher et al. 2004). Recently, several studies have reported that polar bears are coming to land several weeks earlier than previously, and that they are now predating ground nesting birds (e.g. particularly geese; Rockwell and Gormezano 2009, Smith et al. 2010, Figure 10). We present the first findings that relate the activity of bears on land to regional ice conditions, demonstrating a strong relationship between early ice break up and high polar bear encounters on coastal islands.

Productivity of tundra habitats for birds of prey

We found that the habitat at Rankin Inlet is more productive to birds of prey than that found near Igloolik on the Coxe Islands. This may be one of the factors responsible for the much lower density of

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nesting raptors in the Coxe Islands when compared to Rankin Inlet, particularly when combined with changes in precipitation regime. Frequent summer storms can indeed significantly reduce the availability of juvenile avifauna (Schekkerman et al. 2003), or preclude foraging behavior in adults, and may result in starvation of raptor species that rely on this resource. Our work could be replicated at other sites to assess habitat quality to birds of prey. This is one wildlife monitoring component that could prove very valuable to environmental assessments such as those needed when new mining developments are projected.

Wildlife movements on land and sea

Migration of eider ducks and snow buntings

The conservation of migratory species such as birds requires that their habitats and migration routes be considered throughout the year (Webster et al. 2002). Historically, information regarding the migration of small birds was generated almost entirely from banding studies. Recently, we initiated a migration study of an arctic passerine, the snow bunting, using three techniques. The most advanced was the deployment of geolocators which confirmed that snow buntings that breed on Southampton Island winter in

the prairies of North America, and that coastal habitats of western Hudson Bay are important staging areas during both fall and spring migration (Macdonald et al. 2012). These results show very well how the combination of advanced technologies and long-term field monitoring of populations yields new knowledge of very high value to our understanding of wildlife and ecosystems.

Conclusion

The Inuit population, the international scientific community, and the public in general are concerned about the future of the Arctic wildlife. One of these sources of concern is the effects of climate change, as will be highlighted in 2013 through the publication of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA), a 600-page report endorsed by the Arctic Council in 2006 to provide policy makers and conservation managers with a synthesis of the best available scientific and TEK information (the leader of this project is also a lead author of the ABA whereas several of this project’s NIs are contributing authors).

Therefore, it is important to continue supplying monitoring information on wildlife populations of the Arctic, and on the functioning of arctic ecosystems. It is also important to research the mechanisms that link ecosystems to climate, and to attempt to predict the future state of biodiversity in a warmer climate. Moreover, research is critical to identify the best ways to manage wildlife populations and protected areas at a time of changing environmental conditions.

The data and knowledge generated by this project provide needed baseline information on more than 30 wildlife populations spread over a gradient ranging from the Low to the High Eastern Canadian Arctic. They also produce critical information on the functioning of ecosystems and their links with climatic variation. Our results are obtained in collaboration and are transmitted to most governmental and non-governmental organizations active in the field of wildlife and ecosystem research and management

Fig. 10. A polar bear has found a gull nest that was monitored with an automatic camera.

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in the Canadian Arctic. Again in 2012, numerous northerners took part in our research activities and, in some cases, were trained to take the lead in future wildlife monitoring.

Acknowledgements

We thank Andy Aliyak, Poisey Alogut, Mike Qrunnut, Barry Robinson, Mark Prostor, Alex Anctil, Hilde Johansen, Philippe Galipeau, Laurent Nicolaiczuk, Josiah Nakoolak, Noah Nakoolak, Adamie Nuna, Annie Suvega, Gabrielle Robineau-Charette, Zoltan Domahidi, Cesar Bravo and other collaborators for their contribution to fieldwork, Marie-Christine Cadieux for coordinating field activities on Bylot Island and managing our database, and Mark Bradley, Tom Duncan, Robin Johnstone, Dave Abernethy, and other collaborators who contributed data used in the project. We also thank Nik Clyde, Rian Dickson, Frankie Jean-Gagnon, Holly Hennin, Chris Baird, Pierre Legagneaux, Brett Elkin, Emilie Bouchard, Megan McCloskey, Kara-Anne Ward, Alannah Kataluk-Primeau, Naomi Man in ‘t Veld, Deborah Kramer, Jon Brown, Paul Smith, Christian Sonne, Steen Andersen, Jeff Werner, Kerry Woo, Joanna Panipak, Lasa Kotak, Tommy Augiak Jr., David Kokkinerk, Samwillie Annahatak, Saima Mark, Johnny Luuku, Terry Noah, Qubaroak Qatsiya, Nume Ottokie, Kooyoo Buuku Pudlat, Mosha Ragee, Tutuya Qatsiya, Loasie Anilnilaq, Nancy Anilnilaq, Manon Simard, Cedric Paitre and Amie Black for providing field assistance, as well as community and logistical support. We are extremely grateful for the help and support that we received from personnel of the Department of Environment (Government of Nunavut), especially Guillaume Szor, Malik Awan, Chris Hotson, Peter Hale, Nicolas Lecomte, Mitch Campbell, Raymond Mercer, David Oolooyuk, Darren Conroy, Johanne Coutu-autut, and Peter Kattegatsiak. In addition, we appreciate the assistance of Sui-Ling Han and Mark Mallory (Environment Canada, Iqaluit). We thank the Kangiqliniq and other Hunters and Trappers Organizations for their approval and on-going support for this research. We are also very

grateful to Mike Shouldice and Dorothy Tootoo from the Nunavut Arctic College, and the people of Rankin Inlet, Coral Harbour, Cape Dorset, Aupaluu, Kangiqsujuaq, Kangirsuk, and other communities. Part of this project was funded by NSERC Discovery, NSERC Special Research Opportunity, NSERC Strategic Grant, Canada Foundation and Innovation, and Canada Research Chairs Program grants. We also thank the Canadian Circumpolar Institute, Centre d’études nordiques, Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada - Science and Technology, Fonds québécois de recherche sur la nature et les technologies, Government of Nunavut, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada – Northern Scientific Training Program, Indian and Northern Affairs – International Polar Year, Natural Resources Canada − Polar Continental Shelf Project, Nunavut Arctic College, Nunavut General Monitoring Program, Nunavut Wildlife Research Trust, Parks Canada – Nunavut Field Unit, The Kenneth M Molson Foundation, The Peregrine Fund, Baffinland Iron Mine, Canadian Wildlife Federation, Alberta Ingenuity Fund, and Université du Québec à Rimouski for their support and collaborative partnerships. Finally, thanks to Elise Bolduc who helped us to prepare this report.

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Derocher, A.E., Lunn, N.J. and Stirling, I. 2004, Polar bears in a warming climate, Integrative and Comparative Biology 44:163-176.

Deutsch, C.A., Tewksbury, J.J., Huey, R.B., Sheldon, K.S., Ghalambor, C.K., Haak, D.C. and Martin, P.R. 2008, Impacts of climate warming on terrestrial ectotherms across latitude, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(18):6668-6672.

Frazier, M.R., Huey, R.B. and Berrigan, D. 2006, Thermodynamics constrains the evolution of insect population growth rates: “Warmer is better”, American Naturalist 168(4):512-520.

Gagnon, C. A. and Berteaux, D. 2009, Integrating traditional ecological knowledge and ecological science: a question of scale, ecology and society 14: e-article#19.

Hersteinsson, P. and Macdonald, D.W. 1982, Some comparisons between red and arctic foxes, Vulpes vulpes and Alopex lagopus, as revealed by radio tracking, Symposia of the Zoological Society of London 49:259-289.

Hodkinson, I.D., Webb, N.R., Bale, J.S., Block, W., Coulson, S.J. and Strathdee, A.T. 1998, Global change and Arctic ecosystems: conclusions and predictions from experiments with terrestrial invertebrates on Spitsbergen, Arctic and Alpine Research 30(3):306-313.

Huey, R.B. and Berrigan, D. 2001, Temperature, demography, and ectotherm fitness, The American Naturalist 158(2):204-210.

Juillet, C., Choquet, R., Gauthier, G. and Pradel, R. 2012, Carry-over effects of spring hunt and climate on recruitment to the natal colony in a migratory species, Journal of Applied Ecology, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02199.x.

Killengreen, S.T., Lecomte, N., Ehrich, D., Schott, T., Yoccoz, N.G. and Ims, R.A. 2011, The importance of marine vs. human-induced subsidies in the maintenance of an expanding mesocarnivore in the arctic tundra, Journal of Animal Ecology 80:1049–1060.

Krebs, C.J., Danell, K., Angerbjorn, A., Agrell, J., Berteaux, D., Brathen, K.A., Danell, O., Erlinge, S., Fedorov, V., Fredga, K., Hjalten, J., Hogstedt, G., Jonsdottir, I.S., Kenney, A.J., Kjellen, N., Nordin, T., Roininen, H., Svensson, M., Tannerfeldt, M. and Wiklund, C. 2003, Terrestrial trophic dynamics in the Canadian Arctic, Canadian Journal of Zoology 81:827-843.

Macdonald, C.A., Fraser, K.A., Gilchrist, H.G., Kyser, T.K., Fox, J.W. and Love, O.P. 2012, Strong migratory connectivity in a declinging Arctic passerine, Animal Migration 1:23-30.

Macpherson, A.H. 1964, A northward range extension of the red fox in the eastern Canadian Arctic, Journal of Mammalogy 45:138-140.

Parks, E.K., Derocher, A.E. and Lunn, N.J. 2006, Seasonal and annual movement patterns of polar bears on the sea ice of Hudson Bay, Canadian Journal of Zoology 84:1281-1294.

Rockwell, R.F. and Gormezano, L.J. 2009, The early bear gets the goose: climate change, polar bears and lesser snow geese in western Hudson Bay, Polar Biology 32:539-547.

Schekkerman, H., Tulp, I., Calf, K.M. and de Leeuw, J.J. 2004, Studies on breeding shorebirds at Medusa Bay, Taimyr, in summer 2002. In Alterra report 922, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Schekkerman, H., Tulp, I., Piersma, T. and Visser, G.H. 2003, Mechanisms promoting higher growth rate in arctic than in temperate shorebirds, Oecologia 134:332-342.

Smith, P.A., Elliott, K.H., Gaston, A.J. and Gilchrist, H.G. 2010, Has early ice clearance increased predation on breeding birds by polar bears? Polar Biology 33:1149-1153.

Webster, M.S., Marra, P., Haig, S., Bensch, S. and Holmes, R. 2002, Links between worlds: unraveling migratory connectivity, Trends in Ecology and Evolution 17:76-83.

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Publications

(All ArcticNet refereed publications are available on the ASTIS website (http://www.aina.ucalgary.ca/arcticnet/).

Anctil, A., 2012, Effets des précipitations estivales sur les faucons pèlerins (Falco peregrinus) nichant dans l’Arctique, Mémoire de maîtrise, Université du Québec à Rimouski.

Baldo, S., 2012, Song as an Honest Indicator of Oxidative Damage and Anti-oxidant Capacity: Exploring the Relationships between Signal Quality, Oxidative Status, and Reproduction in the Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax Nivalis), M. Sc. Thesis, University of Windsor, July 2012.

Baldo, S., Guindre-Parker, S., Gilchrist, H.G., Mennill, D.J. and Love, O.P., 2012, Snow Bunting Song: What Might Females Learn From It?, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference, Montreal, QC.

Berteaux, D., 2012, Icebound investigations, International Innovations, 42-44.

Berteaux, D. and Chevallier, C., 2012, Population Study of Actic and Red Fox on Bylot Island (Nunavut), Sirmilik National Park, Summary report, 9.

Berteaux, D., Gauthier, G., Bêty, J., Franke, A. and Gilchrist, H.G., 2012, Effects of Climate Change on the Canadian Arctic Wildlife, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference.

Bilodeau, F., Gauthier, G. and Berteaux, D., 2012, The Effect of Snow Cover on Lemming Population Cycles in the Canadian High Arctic, Oecologia.

Bilodeau, F., Gauthier, G. and Berteaux, D., 2012, Are Tundra Lemming Populations Controlled from the Bottom-up or the Top-Down?, ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting.

Bilodeau, F., Kenney, A.J., Gilbert, B.S., Hofer, E., Gauthier, G., Reid, D., Berteaux, D. and Krebs, C.J., 2013, Evaluation of a Technique to Trap Lemmings under the Snow, Arctic.

Bilodeau, F., Reid, D.G., Gauthier, G., Krebs, C.J., Berteaux, D. and Kenney, A.J., 2012, Demographic

Response of Tundra Small Mammals to a Snow Fencing Experiment, Oikos.

Black, A., Gilchrist, H.G., Allard, K. and Mallory, M.L., 2012, Birds of the Hell Gate polynya, Nunavut, Canada, Arctic 65, 145-154.

Bolduc, E., 2013, Abondance et phénologie des arthropodes terrestres de l’Arctique canadien: Modélisation de la disponibilité des ressources alimentaires pour les oiseaux insectivores, Mémoire de maîtrise, Université du Québec à Rimouski.

Bolduc, E., Casajus, N., Legagneux, P., McKinnon L., Gilchrist, H.G., Leung, M., Morrison R.I.G., Reid D., Smith P.A., Buddle C.M. and Bêty, J., 2012, Terrestrial Arthropod Abundance and Phenology in the Canadian Arctic: Modeling Resource Availability for Arctic-Nesting Insectivorous Birds, Canadian Entomologist.

Chalifour, E., 2012, Écologie de la mue chez la Grande Oie des neiges (Chen caerulescens atlantica), Mémoire de maîtrise, Université du Québec à Rimouski.

Doiron, M., Legagneux, P., Gauthier, G. and Lévesque, E., 2012, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) Predicts Timing of Nitrogen Peak in Arctic Tundra Vegetation, Applied Vegetation Science.

Doucet, C., Bêty, J. and Gauthier, G., 2012, Un temps pour naître: Synchronie entre la phénologie de la reproduction et l’abondance des ressources chez un insectivore nichant dans L’Arctique, 37e congrès annuel de la Société Québecoise pour l’étude biologique du comportement (SQEBC).

Doucet, C., Gauthier, G. and Bêty, J., 2012, Synchrony between Breeding Phenology of an Arctic-Nesting Insectivore and Its Food Resources: Investigating the Effect of Mismatch on Juvenile Growth Rate, ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting.

Edwards, D.B., Burness, G., Schulte-Hostedde, A.I. and Gilchrist, H.G., 2012, Swapping Roles: A Hormonal and Immunological View of Sex-Role Reversal in a Polyandrous Bird, 1st Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology.

15



Fast, P.L.F., Doiron, M., Gauthier, G., Schmutz, J.A., Douglas, D.C., Madsen, J., Takekawa, J.Y., Yee, J. and Bêty, J., 2012, Linking Animal Migration, Spring Weather and Timing of Breeding in an Arctic Herbivore, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference.

Fauchald, P., Ehrich, D., Schmidt, J., Klokov, K., Chapin, F.S. III, Berteaux, D. and Hausner, V., 2012, The importance, management and status of harvested animals in the Arctic tundra ecosystems, 4th International Conference EcoSummit 2012: Ecological Sustainability - Restoring the Planet’s Ecosystem Services.

Fauteux, D., Gauthier, G., Boonstra, R. and Berteaux, D., 2012, Direct and Indirect Effects of Predation on Lemmings in the High Arctic, 37e congrès annuel de la Société Québecoise pour l’étude biologique du comportement (SQEBC).

Fauteux, D., Gauthier, G., Boonstra, R. and Berteaux, D., 2012, Direct and Indirect Effects of Predation on Lemmings in the High Arctic, ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting.

Ferguson, S., Berteaux, D., Gaston, A., Higdon, J., Lecomte, N., Lunn, N., Mallory, M., Reist, J., Russell, D., Yoccoz, N. and Zhu, X., 2012, Time Series Data for Canadian Arctic Vertebrates: Ipy Contributions to Science, Management, and Policy, Climatic change, v.115, no.1, 235.

Gallant, D., Slough, B., Reid, D. and Berteaux, D., 2012, Arctic Fox Versus Red Fox in the Warming Arctic: Four Decades of Den Surveys in North Yukon, Polar Biology, v.35, no.9, 1421-1431.

Gaston, A., Smith, P. and Provencher, J.F., 2012, Discontinuous Change in Ice Cover in Hudson Bay in the 1990s and Some Consequences for Marine Birds and their Prey, ICES Journal of Marine Science, v.69, no.7, 1218-1225.

Gaston, A.J. and Provencher, J.F., 2012, A Specimen of the High Arctic Sub-Species of Atlantic Puffin Fratercula Arctica Naumanni in Canada, Canadian Field Naturalist, v.126, no.1, 50-54.

Gauthier, G., Berteaux, D., Legagneux, P., Reid, D.G., Krebs, C.J. and Bêty, J., 2012, The role of predators in controlling the tundra food web: New evidence from the ArcticWOLVES project, International Polar Year Conference, From Knowledge to Action.

Giroux, M.-A., Berteaux, D., Lecomte, N., Gauthier, G., Szor, G. and Bêty, J., 2012, Benefiting from a Migratory Prey: Spatio-Temporal Patterns in Allochthonous Subsidization of an Arctic Predator, Journal of Animal Ecology, v.81, no.3, 533-542.

Guindre-Parker, S., 2012, Multiple Achromatic Plumage Signals of Male Quality in the Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax Nivalis), M. Sc. Thesis, University of Windsor, 2012.

Guindre-Parker, S., Gilchrist, H.G., Baldo, S. and Love, O.P, 2013, Alula Size Signals Male Condition and Predicts Reproductive Performance in an Arctic-Breeding Passerine, Journal of Avian Biology.

Guindre-Parker, S., Gilchrist, H.G., Baldo, S., Doucet, S.M. and Love, O.P., 2013, Complex Signaling with Simple Plumage: Multiple Ornaments in an Achromatic Species, Behavioural Ecology.

Guindre-Parker, S., Gilchrist, H.G., Doucet, S.M. and Love, O.P, 2012, Alula Size in Snow Buntings: A Rare Signal of Male Condition Predicts Reproductive Performance, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference, Montreal, QC.

Harms, N.J., 2012, Exploring Health and Disease in Northern Common Eiders in the Canadian Arctic, Arctic, v.65, 495-499.

Heath, J.P., Gilchrist, H.G. and Arragutain, L., 2012, Winter Ecology of Polynya and Floe Edge Habitats in Eastern Hudson Bay: Impacts of Climate and Hydroelectric Developments on Sea Ice Ecosystems, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference, Montreal, QC.

Hennin, H.L., Bêty, J., Gilchrist, H.G. and Love, O.P., 2012, Do state-mediated hormones predict reproductive decisions in Arctic-nesting common eiders?, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference, Montreal, QC.

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Hennin, H.L., Descamps, S., Forbes, M., Gilchrist, H.G., Bêty, J., Soos, C. and Love, O.P., 2013, The Survival Cost of Reproductive Investment: Higher Fattening Rates Lead to Increased Risk of Mortality to a Novel Disease, Society for Comparative and Integrative Biology (SICB) 2013 Annual General Meeting, San Francisco, USA.

Henri, D. and Gilchrist, H.G., 2012, Combining Inuit Ecological Knowledge and Western Science to Understand the Frequency and Distribution of Avian Cholera Outbreaks among Common Eiders Nesting in the Eastern Canadian Arctic, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference, Montreal, QC.

Henri, D., Peacock, E. and Gilchrist, H.G., 2012, Evaluating the Use of Inuit Ecological Knowledge and Western Science in Polar Bear Co-management in the Nunavut Territory, Canada, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference, Montreal, QC.

Iverson, S.A., 2012, Wildlife Disease and Subsistence Harvest, Carleton University Centre for Research on Health. Aboriginal Health, Science, Technology and Policy Forum.

Iverson, S.A. and Gilchrist, H.G., 2012, Eider Conservation in Nunavik, Nunavik Marine Wildlife Management Board. Annual General Meeting.

Iverson, S.A., Gilchrist, H.G. and Smith, P.A., 2012, Cascading Ecological Impacts of Climate Change: are Polar Bears Shifting their Diets?, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference.

Lai, S., Berteaux, D. and Bêty, J., 2012, Movement Tactics and Habitat Selection of Overwintering Arctic Foxes in the Canadian High Arctic, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference.

Lai, S., Bêty, J. and Berteaux, D., 2012, Festin Sur La Banquise : La Télémétrie Satellitaire Révèle Les Capacités De Détection Des Renards Arctiques, 37e congrès annuel de la Société Québecoise pour l’étude biologique du comportement (SQEBC).

Lamarre, J.-F., Bêty, J. and Gauthier, G., 2012, Shorebird Predation Risk in the High-Arctic, Do Geese

Have a Role to Play?, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference.

Lamarre, J.-F., Doucet, C., Bolduc, E., Bêty, J. and Gauthier, G., 2012, Reproductive and Migratory Ecology of Insectivores (Shorebirds and Songbirds) and the Effect of Climate Change on Insectivore-Insect Interactions on Bylot Island, Sirmilik National Park, Summary report, 5.

Legagneux P., Simard, A.-A., Gauthier G. and Bêty J., 2012, Neck Collar Affects Spring Body Condition in a Long-Distant Migrant, Journal Field Ornithology.

Legagneux, P., Gauthier, G., Berteaux, D., Bêty, J., Cadieux, M.-C., Bilodeau, F., Bolduc, E., McKinnon, L., Tarroux, A., Therrien, J.-F., Morissette, L. and Krebs, C.J., 2012, Disentangling Trophic Relationships in a High Arctic Tundra Ecosystem through Food Web mModeling, Ecology, v.93, no.7, 1707-1716.

L’Hérault, V., Szor, G., Awan, M., Lecomte, N. and Berteaux, D., 2012, Large-Scale Ecological Monitoring of Top Carnivores in the Tundra Ecosystem of Nunavut, ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting.

Macdonald C.A., Fraser, K.C., Gilchrist, H.G. and Love O.P., 2012, Geographic Variation of Wintering Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax Nivalis), 2012 North American Ornithological Conference.

Macdonald C.A., Fraser, K.C., Gilchrist, H.G., Kyser, T.K. and Love, O.P., 2012, Range-Wide Patterns of Migratory Connectivity in an Arctic-Breeding Passerine, the Snow Bunting, Revealed Using Geolocators, Band Recoveries and Stable-iIotope Analysis, 2012 North American Ornithological Conference.

Macdonald C.A., Fraser, K.C., Gilchrist, H.G., Kyser, T.K., Fox, J.W. and Love, O.P., 2012, Investigating Migratory Connectivity in an Arctic-Breeding Passerine Using Geolocators and Stable Isotope Analysis, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference.

17



Macdonald, C.A., 2012, Annual Patterns of Movement and Distribution of the Arctic Breeding Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax Nivalis), M. Sc. Thesis, University of Windsor, 2012.

Macdonald, C.A., Fraser, K.C., Gilchrist, H.G., Kyser, T.K., Fox, J.W. and Love, O.P., 2012, Strong Migratory Connectivity in a Declining Arctic Passerine, Animal Migration, v.1, 23-30.

McKinnon, L., Berteaux, D., Gauthier, G. and Bêty, J., 2012, Predator-Mediated Interactions between Preferred, Alternative and Incidental Prey in the Arctic Tundra, Oikos.

McKinnon, L., Corkery, C.A., Bolduc, E., Juillet, C., Bêty, J. and Nol, E., 2012, Assessing the Vulnerability of Arctic-Nesting Shorebirds to Climate Induced Changes in Food Resource Peaks, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference.

McKinnon, L., Picotin, M., Bolduc, E., Juillet, C. and Bêty, J., 2012, Timing of Breeding, Peak Food Availability, and Effects of Mismatch on Chick Growth in Birds Nesting in the High Arctic, Canadian Journal of Zoology, v. 90, no.8, 961-971.

McLennan, D.S., Bell, T., Berteaux, D., Chen, W., Copland, L., Fraser, R., Gallant, D., Gauthier, G., Hik, D., Krebs, C.J., Myers-Smith, I.H., Olthof, I., Reid, D., Sladen, W., Tarnocai, C., Vincent W.F. and Zhang, Y., 2012, Recent Climate-Related Terrestrial Biodiversity Research in Canada’s Arctic National Parks: Review, Summary, and Management Implications, Biodiversity, V.13, no.3-4.

Provencher, J., Gaston, A.J., Mallory, M., O’Hara, P. and Gilchrist, H.G., 2012, Plastic Pollution Studies in Marine Birds During and Beyond IPY, International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference, Montreal, Canada.

Provencher, J.F. and Gilchrist, H.G., 2012, What We Do When You Drop Us Off, 2012 Polar Continental Shelf Project (PCSP) Open House Science Night, Resolute, Canada.

Provencher, J.F., Elliot, K., Gaston, A. and Braune, B., 2013, Patterns of Prey Specialization in an Arctic Monomorphic Seabird, Journal of Avian Biology.

Provencher, J.F., Gaston, A.J., O’Hara, P. and Gilchrist, G., 2012, Seabird Diet Indicates Changing Arctic Marine Communities in Eastern Canada, Marine Ecology Progress Series, v.454, 171-182.

Provencher, J.F., McEwan, M., Carpenter, J., Gilchrist, H.G., Mallory, M., Harms, J., Savard, G. and Braune, B., 2012, Using Wildlife Monitoring to Engage Inuit Students in Questions of Ecosystem Health and Human Health, 2012 Inuit Studies Conference, Washington, DC.

Provencher, J.F., McEwan, M., Mallory, M.L., Braune, B.M., Carpenter, J., Harms, N.J., Savard, G. and Gilchrist, H.G., 2013, How Wildlife Research Can Be Used to Promote Wider Community Participation in the North, Arctic.

Reid, D., Bilodeau, F., Krebs, C.J., Gauthier, G., Kenney, A.J., Gilbert, B.S., Leung, M.C.Y., Duchesne, D. and Hofer, E., 2012, Lemming Winter Habitat Choice: a Snow-Fencing Experiment, Oecologia, v.168, no.4, 935-946.

Soos, C., Harms, N.J., Gilchrist, H.G., Iverson, S., Foster, J., Legagneux, P., Hill, J., Bortolotti, G.R. and Forbes, M., 2012, Emergence of Avian Cholera in the Eastern Canadian Arctic: Investigating Origins, Reservoirs, Spread, Impacts, and Risk Factors, 2012 North American Ornithological Conference.

Tarroux, A., Bêty, J., Gauthier, G. and Berteaux, D., 2012, The Marine Side of a Terrestrial Carnivore: Intra-Population Variation in Use of Allochthonous Resources by Arctic Foxes, PLoS ONE, v.7, no.8, 1-12.

Therrien, J.-F., Gauthier, G. and Bêty, J., 2012, Survival and Reproduction of Adult Snowy Owls Tracked by Satellite, The Journal of Wildlife Management, v.76, no.8, 1562-1567.

Documents

Effects of Climate Change on the Canadian Arctic Wildlife€¦ · Catherine Gagnon, Daniel Gallant, Vincent L’Hérault, ... digital pictures, locations of animals, avian distance