Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station

• Published in: Arctic science Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 108 - 124
• Main Authors: Gauthier, Gilles, Cadieux, Marie-Christine, Berteaux, Dominique, Bêty, Joël, Fauteux, Dominique, Legagneux, Pierre, Lévesque, Esther, Gagnon, Catherine A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press 01.03.2024; Canadian Science Publishing
• Subjects: Aquatic birds; Arctic fox; Biodiversity; Biodiversity hot spots; birds of prey; Camps; Climate change; Climate effects; Ecological monitoring; Ecology; Environmental monitoring; Food; Food chains; Food webs; Habitats; Hot spots; Ice; Information management; Inuit; Knowledge; lemmings; Marine conservation; Predator prey relations; Predator-prey interactions; Predators; Seabirds; shorebirds; snow goose; Taiga & tundra; trophic interactions; Trophic relationships; Tundra; Vertebrates; Waterfowl; Wildfowl; Wildlife; Wildlife management; Canada; Arctic region; Bylot Island; Quebec Canada
• ISSN: 2368-7460; 2368-7460
• DOI: 10.1139/as-2023-0029

We present the history of research activities at the Bylot Island Field Station of the Centre d’études nordiques, a hotspot of biodiversity in the Canadian Arctic. Intensive wildlife studies started at the station in the late 1980s, initially focussing on greater snow goose ecology and its impacts on the tundra vegetation. Since then, studies have expanded to encompass the whole vertebrate food web and have become one of the most comprehensive ecological monitoring programs in the Canadian Arctic. The main vertebrate species monitored include snow geese, lemmings, shorebirds, avian predators, buntings, and Arctic foxes. Over time, we recorded 66 bird and 10 mammal species, including 51 confirmed breeders. Contributions of the program to the field of ecology are numerous, but our demonstration of the dominant role played by predator–prey interactions in the Arctic food web is especially significant for the understanding of direct and indirect trophic interactions. Our studies provided essential information for management decisions taken to control the overabundant greater snow goose population and supported international efforts to assess the state of Arctic biodiversity. Future directions will reflect the need to deepen our understanding of trophic interactions and the effects of climate change using innovative advanced technologies.