Overview
Arthropods comprise the majority of the alpine fauna, yet little is known about their diversity or
distribution. Given their critical ecological roles, such a knowledge gap has significant
implications for effective management of alpine ecosystems, and also for our ability to detect
change in the face of environmental threats such as climate change. Our project seeks to establish
a baseline inventory for several key arthropod functional groups (predators, pollinators,
scavengers), using a structured sampling approach across five alpine microhabitats within the
Réserve de Biodiversité Uapishka, a remote, isolated alpine area in central Québec. In addition to
documenting the diversity and habitat associations of species across this landscape, we are
developing and piloting protocols for the rapid assessment of alpine arthropod diversity that may
be used for future monitoring efforts, or for comparative studies with other eastern alpine areas.
In early July, 2014, myself (J. Rykken) and A. Hogeboom initiated sampling on the Uapishka
Plateau. Over the course of one week, we set up pitfall traps (for ground-dwelling predators and
scavengers) and bee bowls (for pollinators) at fifteen sites in the vicinity of Mont Jauffret and
Mont de la Tour Boissinot on the western edge of the plateau. We sampled three replicate sites
for each of these alpine habitats: krummholz, snowbeds, rills and small streams, wetland edges,
and tundra. Despite cool temperatures, high winds, and several days of rain, we collected a
diversity of specimens in all of our target taxa. Species identification is ongoing, but we expect
to find many species whose range is restricted alpine and/or arctic areas, and also a few
northeastern alpine endemics.
|