Arctic Insects as Indicators of Environmental Change

Abstract

The great diversity of terrestrial arthropods in the Arctic suggests that these organisms are especially useful to monitor environmental change there, where warming as a result of climatic change is expected to be especially pronounced and where current conditions are limiting for many organisms. Based on existing information about arctic faunas and how they differ from temperate ones, this paper suggests several elements, including ratios and other quantitative indexes, that can be used for long-term evaluations of change. These elements include composition indexes, range limits, marker species, interspecific ratios, relationship shifts, phenological and physiological indicators, and key sites. Using such elements in a planned way would exploit the diversity of arctic insects and emphasize their importance in arctic systems.

Key words: arctic arthropods, arctic insects, arctic fauna, climatic change, environmental changem, onitoring, indicator species, long-term research