Assessing the exposure of Arctic terrestrial ecosystems to global changes via animal migration

Every year, millions of migratory birds travel to the Arctic to breed during the summer, then migrate to different parts of the world in autumn to spend the winter. These major seasonal flows of animals transport large quantities of energy, nutrients, contaminants and pathogens, across the globe. It is therefore essential to determine the migratory destinations and the environmental conditions that Arctic migratory species face outside of the Arctic to effectively assess the exposure of Arctic ecosystems to global changes. Our objective is to assess the exposure of an Arctic ecosystem to environmental changes occurring in remote, but connected environments through animal migration. Using a network approach, we identify the migratory connections between an Arctic breeding ground and hundreds of ecological regions of the globe used as non-breeding grounds. Subsequently, we assess the exposure of each species to environmental changes on their non-breeding grounds using global maps. The project is conducted in collaboration with the University of Québec at Rimouski (UQAR) and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). This project aligns with UQAR’s major research focus on northern studies and supports the mission of WSL by improving our understanding of global ecological dynamics.

Faculty Supervisor:

Joël Bêty

Student:

Partner:

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Life Sciences (not health); Sustainability & the Environment

University:

Université du Québec à Rimouski

Program: