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Long-term abundance time-series of the High Arctic terrestrial vertebrate community of Bylot Island, Nunavut

Moisan, Louis1; Bideault, Azenor2; Gauthier, Gilles2; Duchesne, Éliane1; Fauteux, Dominique3; Berteaux, Dominique1; Legagneux, Pierre2; Cadieux, Marie-Christine2; Bêty, Joël1

Published Nov 19, 2024 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.44j0zpcnt

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Nov 19, 2024 version files 16.06 KB

Abstract

Arctic ecosystems present unique opportunities for community-wide monitoring, in part due to their relatively low species richness. However, conducting research in these remote environments poses significant logistical challenges, resulting in long-term monitoring being exceedingly rare. Here, we focus on the long-term, intensive ecological monitoring efforts conducted on the south plain of Bylot Island (almost 400 km2 , Nunavut, Canada), which has generated a remarkable dataset spanning up to 30 years, a rarity in tundra ecosystems. Our goal is to synthesize this dataset and upscale vertebrate abundance data at the landscape level, a prerequisite to conduct community-level analyses. We have standardized data obtained with different field methods to provide readily usable long-term time series of abundance for 35 vertebrate species (30 birds and 5 mammals) present in the study system. Monitoring data includes intensive capture-mark-recapture density estimates of lemmings on trapping grids, systematic or opportunistic nest monitoring conducted across the entire study area or within specific plots for all bird species, transects of vertebrate counts distributed throughout the study area, daily incidental observations of vertebrates and satellite tracking of fox movements. Annual abundance of species was estimated at the landscape level, accounting for spatial variations. Furthermore, we provide body masses for each species, derived from empirical onsite measurements for 18 species and from the literature for the remaining species. Body mass is essential to convert species abundance into biomass for studies of trophic fluxes and ecosystem processes. Our dataset provides a unique opportunity for holistic empirical studies of ecological communities, allowing a deeper understanding of community structure and dynamics. Considering that the study site is a pristine and protected area that has experienced minimal anthropogenic impact, it can also provide an ideal baseline for investigating the impacts of global changes on high-latitude terrestrial ecosystems.