The Pyramid of Life in a Dynamic Arctic Seascape

Quantifying the structure and function of ecological communities is a fundamental goal in ecosystem ecology. The distribution of biomass and the dynamics of energy flow are commonly described by trophic pyramids to elucidate the hierarchical structure of animal communities. Trophic pyramids are typically characterized by size-spectra theory through estimations of transfer efficiency (TE) between prey and predators, and predator-prey mass ratios (PPMR) at the community level. Trophic pyramids can undergo a variety of configurations, from the classic bottom-heavy shape to an inverted top-heavy shape, which are influenced by several endogenous (i.e. internal to the local ecological community) and exogenous (i.e. advective sources from outside of the local ecological community) factors. Despite a common application in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine tropical and temperate regions, no study has investigated the trophic dynamics of an Arctic marine ecosystem in a trophic pyramid context. I will combine stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N and δ34S) with abundance/biomass estimates to elucidate the trophic structure of the Southampton Island marine ecosystem. There are several targeted user populations such as: (1) ecosystem-based conservation and management for developing cumulative effects assessments with a changing Arctic for academic and government partners, and (2) The Arviq (Naujaat) and Aiviit (Coral Harbor) Hunters and Trappers Organizations and associated communities who rely on marine resources for subsistence hunting, tourism, local fisheries, and shipping/transportation. This research will provide at least 2-3 high-impact peer-reviewed publications on the trophic structure and dynamics of this marine ecosystem. In addition, results will provide critical baseline information to local, territorial, and federal governments as well as industry to predict vulnerability of these ecosystem services (i.e. human-use of the environment) to climate-driven and anthropogenic pressures