Permafrost thaw and intense thermokarst activity decreases abundance of stream benthic macroinvertebrates

被引:66
作者
Chin, Krista S. [1 ]
Lento, Jennifer [2 ,3 ]
Culp, Joseph M. [3 ,4 ]
Lacelle, Denis [5 ]
Kokelj, Steven V. [6 ]
机构
[1] Govt Northwest Terr, Cumulat Impact Monitoring Program, Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9, Canada
[2] Univ New Brunswick, Canadian Rivers Inst, 10 Bailey Dr,POB 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
[3] Univ New Brunswick, Dept Biol, 10 Bailey Dr,POB 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
[4] Univ New Brunswick, Environm & Climate Change Canada, Canadian Rivers Inst, 10 Bailey Dr,POB 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
[5] Univ Ottawa, Dept Geog, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
[6] Govt Northwest Terr, Northwest Terr Geol Survey, Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9, Canada
基金
加拿大自然科学与工程研究理事会;
关键词
arctic streams; benthic macroinvertebrate; permafrost degradation; sedimentation; thaw slump; thermokarst; total suspended solids; FINE SEDIMENT; RICHARDSON MOUNTAINS; BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES; SUSPENDED-SOLIDS; SLUMPS; ICE; NWT; COMMUNITIES; THRESHOLDS; PLATEAU;
D O I
10.1111/gcb.13225
中图分类号
X176 [生物多样性保护];
学科分类号
090705 ;
摘要
Intensification of permafrost thaw has increased the frequency and magnitude of large permafrost slope disturbances (mega slumps) in glaciated terrain of northwestern Canada. Individual thermokarst disturbances up to 40ha in area have made large volumes of previously frozen sediments available for leaching and transport to adjacent streams, significantly increasing sediment and solute loads in these systems. To test the effects of this climate-sensitive disturbance regime on the ecology of Arctic streams, we explored the relationship between physical and chemical variables and benthic macroinvertebrate communities in disturbed and undisturbed stream reaches in the Peel Plateau, Northwest Territories, Canada. Highly disturbed and undisturbed stream reaches differed with respect to taxonomic composition and invertebrate abundance. Minimally disturbed reaches were not differentiated by these variables but rather were distributed along a disturbance gradient between highly disturbed and undisturbed sites. In particular, there was evidence of a strong negative relationship between macroinvertebrate abundance and total suspended solids, and a positive relationship between abundance and the distance from the disturbance. Increases in both sediments and nutrients appear to be the proximate cause of community differences in highly disturbed streams. Declines in macroinvertebrate abundance in response to slump activity have implications for the food webs of these systems, potentially leading to negative impacts on higher trophic levels, such as fish. Furthermore, the disturbance impacts on stream health can be expected to intensify as climate change increases the frequency and magnitude of thermokarst.
引用
收藏
页码:2715 / 2728
页数:14
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