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Status and trends of terrestrial arthropod abundance and diversity in the North Atlantic region of the Arctic

  • Terrestrial Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing Arctic
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Abstract

The Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme (CBMP) provides an opportunity to improve our knowledge of Arctic arthropod diversity, but initial baseline studies are required to summarise the status and trends of planned target groups of species known as Focal Ecosystem Components (FECs). We begin this process by collating available data for a relatively well-studied region in the Arctic, the North Atlantic region, summarising the diversity of key terrestrial arthropod FECs, and compiling trends for some representative species. We found the FEC classification system to be challenging to implement, but identified some key groups to target in the initial phases of the programme. Long-term data are scarce and exhibit high levels of spatial and temporal variability. Nevertheless, we found that a number of species and groups are in decline, mirroring patterns in other regions of the world. We emphasise that terrestrial arthropods require higher priority within future Arctic monitoring programmes.

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Figures prepared from data available at http://data.g-e-m.dk/

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Acknowledgements

We thank Jukka Salmela for invaluable work during the initial phases of this study, Erling Ólafsson and The Icelandic Institute of Natural History for the use of the Iceland moth data, Chris Buddle for early contributions to the CBMPs Invertebrate Expert Committee and the guest editor and reviewers for valuable comments on an earlier draft. We also thank Olga Makarova, Anatoly Babenko, Laura Gough and Ashley Asmus for valuable comments. Thanks also to Hólmgrímur Helgason for preparation of Fig. 1. P. Convey is supported by NERC core funding to the BAS ‘Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptation’ Team.

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Author notes

  1. Joseph J. Bowden

    Present address: Canadian Forest Service – Atlantic Forestry Centre, 26 University Drive, PO Box 960, Corner Brook, NL, A2H 6J3, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal Campus, 6851, Sogndal, Norway

    Mark A. K. Gillespie

  2. The Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Urridaholtsstraeti 6–8, 212, Gardabaer, Iceland

    Matthias Alfredsson

  3. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Árleyni 22, Keldnaholt, 112, Reykjavík, Iceland

    Isabel C. Barrio

  4. Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 101, Reykjavík, Iceland

    Isabel C. Barrio

  5. Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, bldg. 1540, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Joseph J. Bowden, Paul Henning Krogh & Toke T. Høye

  6. British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    Peter Convey

  7. Environmental Studies Program, Dartmouth College, 113 Steele Hall, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA

    Lauren E. Culler

  8. Institute of Arctic Studies, Dartmouth College, 6214 Haldeman Center, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA

    Lauren E. Culler

  9. Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    Stephen J. Coulson & Jonas P. Sandström

  10. Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, P.O. Box 314, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    Paul Henning Krogh

  11. Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    Amanda M. Koltz

  12. Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland

    Seppo Koponen

  13. Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada

    Sarah Loboda

  14. Institute for Biological Problems of the North RAS, Portovaya Str. 18, Magadan, Russia, 685000

    Yuri Marusik

  15. Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa

    Yuri Marusik

  16. University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-6960, USA

    Derek S. Sikes

  17. Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Grenåvej 14, 8410, Rønde, Denmark

    Toke T. Høye

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  1. Mark A. K. Gillespie
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  2. Matthias Alfredsson
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  3. Isabel C. Barrio
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  4. Joseph J. Bowden
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Correspondence to Mark A. K. Gillespie.

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Gillespie, M.A.K., Alfredsson, M., Barrio, I.C. et al. Status and trends of terrestrial arthropod abundance and diversity in the North Atlantic region of the Arctic. Ambio 49, 718–731 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01162-5

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