NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: physical sciences, revegetation, climate change, environmental change, arctic ecosystems, biogeochemistry

Objective(s): To determine the biogeochemical and ecological significance of our discovery that mesic tundra plant growth can be co-limited by nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P); and to predict the likely impacts of not just climate change, but also declining caribou and other mammalian herbivory, on tundra deciduous and evergreen shrub abundances; and, to evaluate the biogeochemical significance of the stoichiometric differences among plants, soils, and soil microbes in understanding tundra ecosystem responses to climate change.

Project Description: The objectives of this research project are: 1) to determine the biogeochemical and ecological significance of our discovery that mesic tundra plant growth can be co-limited by nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P); 2) to predict the likely impacts of not just climate change, but also declining caribou and other mammalian herbivory, on tundra deciduous and evergreen shrub abundances; and, 3) to evaluate the biogeochemical significance of the stoichiometric differences among plants, soils, and soil microbes in understanding tundra ecosystem responses to climate change. To achieve the above research, the research team will use the experimental manipulations of fertilisation, snow fences, greenhouse warming, exclosures that the team set up in 5 x 7 m plots (n= 5 replicates) in the area close to Daring Lake research station in 2004, and that the team have maintained annually ever since. All of the experimental manipulations within the gently sloping valley are located within a single area of ~ 4 square kilometers. In all of the sampling to achieve the above objectives, only small samples (< 400 g of fresh leaves, and < 1 litre of soil) will be taken at each time, and so damage to the overall ecosystem should be negligible. The overall impact is very much confined to the 4 square kilometre area outlined above. Once the research program is completed, the Principal Investigator (PI) intend to take down all of the infrastructure and remove it from the site so that there is no longterm impact. The PI will make sure to dispose of the infrastructure in as sustainable a manner as possible (e.g. recycling all plastic waste; contributing the metal posts to other researchers where appropriate) and generally trying to minimize not just the ecological footprint of the whole experiment while it is ongoing, but also conscious of the need and moral imperative to clean it up in an ecologically sensitive way. We will continue to communicate our results through several different mechanisms: 1) media interviews with radio and newspapers; 2) work closely with any local assistants that are recruited and spend time explaining the intricacies of the work and its significance for the North; 3) the research students and Principal Investigator (PI) will continue to present at large annual conferences such as ArcticNet where representatives of the local NWT communities often attend; 4) the team will publish the work in international peer-reviewed science journals so that it is accessible to everyone, including the NWT communities; 5) the team will upload copies of relevant publications, theses and powerpoint talks each year as part of the Aurora Research Permit report process; 6) the team will continue to take advantage of opportunities to give public science talks in Yellowknife; 7) the graduate student has specific plans for communication as follows: During the 2021 field season, the graduate intends to carry out this commitment by leading several talks and activities focussed on the research during the Tundra Science Camp which occurs every summer at Daring Lake. Near the end of the field season, the PI and those working up at the field station will prepare a meal completely from fished and foraged food on the land. The goal is to utilize social media and create presentations on this meal to help others around to experience where their food came from and connect with the land in a new way. Additionally, the PI plans to spend several days in Yellowknife giving presentations to schools and community centers. The goal is to provide young children with a picture of what science looks like in the North, while utilizing time with teenagers to show them different opportunities to get out in the field – whether it be for research or other purposes. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from December 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.