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Parasitoids indicate major climate‐induced shifts in arctic communities
Author(s) -
Kankaanpää Tuomas,
Vesterinen Eero,
Hardwick Bess,
Schmidt Niels M.,
Andersson Tommi,
Aspholm Paul E.,
Barrio Isabel C.,
Beckers Niklas,
Bêty Joël,
Birkemoe Tone,
DeSiervo Melissa,
Drotos Katherine H. I.,
Ehrich Dorothee,
Gilg Olivier,
Gilg Vladimir,
Hein Nils,
Høye Toke T.,
Jakobsen Kristian M.,
Jodouin Camille,
Jorna Jesse,
Kozlov Mikhail V.,
Kresse JeanClaude,
LeandriBreton DonJean,
Lecomte Nicolas,
Loonen Maarten,
Marr Philipp,
Monckton Spencer K.,
Olsen Maia,
Otis JoséeAnne,
Pyle Michelle,
Roos Ruben E.,
Raundrup Katrine,
Rozhkova Daria,
Sabard Brigitte,
Sokolov Aleksandr,
Sokolova Natalia,
Solecki Anna M.,
Urbanowicz Christine,
Villeneuve Catherine,
Vyguzova Evgenya,
Zverev Vitali,
Roslin Tomas
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.15297
Subject(s) - ecology , herbivore , biology , parasitoid , arctic , climate change , lepidoptera genitalia , overwintering , younger dryas , braconidae , abundance (ecology) , ecosystem , host (biology)
Climatic impacts are especially pronounced in the Arctic, which as a region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe. Here, we investigate how mean climatic conditions and rates of climatic change impact parasitoid insect communities in 16 localities across the Arctic. We focus on parasitoids in a widespread habitat, Dryas heathlands, and describe parasitoid community composition in terms of larval host use (i.e., parasitoid use of herbivorous Lepidoptera vs. pollinating Diptera) and functional groups differing in their closeness of host associations (koinobionts vs. idiobionts). Of the latter, we expect idiobionts—as being less fine‐tuned to host development—to be generally less tolerant to cold temperatures, since they are confined to attacking hosts pupating and overwintering in relatively exposed locations. To further test our findings, we assess whether similar climatic variables are associated with host abundances in a 22 year time series from Northeast Greenland. We find sites which have experienced a temperature rise in summer while retaining cold winters to be dominated by parasitoids of Lepidoptera, with the reverse being true for the parasitoids of Diptera. The rate of summer temperature rise is further associated with higher levels of herbivory, suggesting higher availability of lepidopteran hosts and changes in ecosystem functioning. We also detect a matching signal over time, as higher summer temperatures, coupled with cold early winter soils, are related to high herbivory by lepidopteran larvae, and to declines in the abundance of dipteran pollinators. Collectively, our results suggest that in parts of the warming Arctic, Dryas is being simultaneously exposed to increased herbivory and reduced pollination. Our findings point to potential drastic and rapid consequences of climate change on multitrophic‐level community structure and on ecosystem functioning and highlight the value of collaborative, systematic sampling effort.