The Arctic Ocean is characterized by pronounced seasonality in the quantity and quality of organic matter exported from the surface ocean. While it is well established that changes in food availability can alter the abundance, biomass and function of benthic organisms, the impact on food web structure is not well studied. We used bulk carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis to assess the quantity ...

Methods and devices specifically created for remote animal surveys and monitoring are becoming increasingly popular and effective. However, remote devices are also widely used in our societies for different, not scientific, goals. Ski resorts in the European Alps, for instance, use webcams to share panoramic views and promote themselves in the industry of winter recreational activities. We tested ...

Background: Changes in the diversity of herbivore communities can strongly infuence the functioning of northern ecosystems. Diferent herbivores have diferent impacts on ecosystems because of diferences in their diets, behaviour and energy requirements. The combined efects of diferent herbivores can in some cases compensate each other but lead to stronger directional changes elsewhere. However, ...

Background: The reindeer (or caribou, Rangifer tarandus L.) has a natural range extending over much of Eurasia’s and North America’s arctic, alpine and boreal zones, yet its impact on vegetation is still unclear. This lack of a common understanding hampers both the management of wild and semi-domesticated reindeer populations and the preservation of biodiversity. To achieve a common platform, we ...

Protected area (PA) coverage is used as an indicator of biodiversity protection worldwide. The effectiveness of using PAs as indicators has been questioned due to the diversity of categories encompassed by such designations, especially in PAs established for purposes other than biodiversity protection. Although international standards have been developed by the International Union for Conservation ...

David Lloyd George Noakes (1942–2020) is best known for his insatiable curiosity, his quick wit and dry sense of humor, his scientific contributions to the field of animal behaviour, and his ability to form and maintain long-lasting connections. His research interests were vast but remained grounded in early life history, behaviour, social behaviour, the evolution of behaviour, behavioural genetics, ...

During the productive polar day, zooplankton and sea-ice amphipods fulfill a critical role in energy transfer from primary producers to higher trophic-level species in Arctic marine ecosystems. Recent polar night studies on zooplankton and sea-ice amphipods suggest higher levels of biological activity than previously assumed. However, it is unknown if these invertebrates maintain polar night activity ...

The flowering phenology of early-blooming plants is largely determined by snowmelt timing in high-latitude and high-altitude ecosystems. When the synchrony of flowering and pollinator emergence is disturbed by climate change, seed production may be restricted due to insufficient pollination success. We revealed the mechanism of phenological mismatch between a spring ephemeral (<i>Corydalis ambigua</i>) ...

Supporting and training the next generation of researchers is crucial to continuous knowledge and leadership in Arctic research. An increasing number of Arctic organizations have developed initiatives to provide travel support for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to participate in workshops, conferences and meetings and to network with internationally renowned scientific leaders. However, there has ...

Whirly proteins belong to a small family of proteins with a characteristic secondary structure and a conserved DNA binding domain that is found mainly in angiosperms. At least one member of the Whirly protein family, Whirly1, is dually targeted to the nucleus and to the chloroplasts and it was shown that apart from its initially described function as a transcriptional regulator of nuclear disease ...