Discovery Evening - Foxy Food Webs at the Arctic’s Edge

Dr. Jim Roth is a professor at the University of Manitoba. His research focuses on species interactions and population dynamics, with an emphasis on northern environments. Members of his lab investigate direct and indirect interactions among species within food webs using a combination of field methods (e.g., mark-recapture, surveys, behavioral observation) and lab techniques (e.g., stable isotope analysis).

Population cycles of Arctic foxes and lemmings illustrate the strong link between predators and their prey, and dramatically impact many other tundra species. Yet changing snow and ice conditions, and the simultaneous encroachment of southern species onto the tundra, may substantially alter these species interactions.

This talk will examine these direct and indirect interactions among species at the taiga-tundra transition zone in northern Manitoba, where the impacts of climate change are particularly strong. We will also discuss the hotspots of productivity created by foxes fertilizing den sites, which stimulates plant growth and attracts wildlife.

Photo credit: Chloe Warret Rodrigues