Arctic Biodiversity
- NOTOC**
Arctic Biodiversity: Rapid Environmental Change and the Future of Northern Ecosystems
The Arctic supports diverse marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems adapted to some of the most extreme environmental conditions on Earth. Sea ice, tundra, wetlands, glaciers, rivers, fjords and deep-ocean environments provide habitat for microorganisms, plankton, fish, seabirds, marine mammals, terrestrial wildlife and highly specialized plants and invertebrates.
Research increasingly shows that Arctic biodiversity is not simply declining uniformly as the climate warms. Instead, ecosystems are being reorganized. Some species are losing essential habitat, others are expanding northward, food webs are changing, microbial communities are shifting and previously isolated ecosystems are becoming increasingly connected to temperate regions.
Climate change is the dominant large-scale driver, but it interacts with shipping, industrial development, pollution, invasive species, harvesting, fisheries and other human pressures. The resulting ecological changes make long-term monitoring, flexible conservation strategies and cooperation among scientists, governments and Indigenous Peoples increasingly important.
Climate Change Is Reshaping Arctic Ecosystems
The Arctic is experiencing profound changes in sea ice, glaciers, snow cover, permafrost, temperature and precipitation. These physical transformations affect nearly every level of biodiversity.
Loss of sea ice changes both the amount and character of biological habitat. Ice algae and microorganisms living within and beneath sea ice form an important foundation of Arctic marine food webs. Research on sea-ice pressure ridges shows that relatively small portions of the ice can support exceptionally high concentrations of algae and diverse microbial communities.
Melting ice can also transport bacteria, microeukaryotes and organic molecules into surrounding seawater, altering biological dispersal and marine biogeochemical processes.
Glacier retreat is transforming both marine and terrestrial environments. Changing sedimentation and freshwater input influence benthic communities in Arctic fjords, while newly exposed land creates habitat that is gradually colonized by microorganisms, plants and invertebrates.
Increasing iceberg movement may also alter deep-sea biodiversity. Rocks transported by icebergs can create isolated patches of hard substrate on otherwise soft seafloors, producing new habitat for benthic organisms.
Extreme climatic events may be particularly damaging. Winter warming, rain-on-snow events, icing, unusual precipitation and marine heat anomalies can affect survival and reproduction more abruptly than gradual changes in average temperature.
The Arctic is therefore experiencing ecological change through both long-term warming and increasingly disruptive individual events.
Marine Biodiversity and Changing Arctic Food Webs
Arctic marine ecosystems are strongly influenced by sea ice and the seasonal production associated with it. As ice retreats and warmer Atlantic and Pacific waters move farther north, the distributions of plankton, fish and other organisms are changing.
This process is sometimes described as borealization or Atlantification. Warmer-water species can expand into regions previously dominated by cold-adapted Arctic organisms.
Zooplankton communities are already responding to changing water masses. Because zooplankton transfer energy from microscopic primary producers to fish, seabirds and marine mammals, changes at this level can influence entire food webs.
Gelatinous plankton such as salps and related organisms could also become increasingly important in a warmer Arctic. Their rapid feeding and reproduction may affect both food-web structure and the transport of carbon into deeper waters.
Polar cod illustrate the importance of specialized Arctic species. The fish provide a major link between plankton and predators including seabirds and marine mammals. Changes in juvenile growth, hatch timing and overwinter survival could therefore have ecological consequences extending well beyond the species itself.
Marine mammals face multiple simultaneous pressures. Ringed seals depend on snow-covered sea-ice habitat for breeding, while narwhals, belugas and other specialized species may be vulnerable to increasing vessel traffic. Changing prey, contaminants, underwater noise, disease and industrial development can interact with climate change rather than operating independently.
Research also shows that the Central Arctic Ocean remains ecologically distinctive. Surveys have found extremely low fish abundance in some high-latitude pelagic waters, emphasizing that warming does not necessarily mean that productive fisheries will rapidly develop throughout the central Arctic.
Tundra, Wildlife and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Arctic tundra ecosystems are also undergoing substantial change.
Long-term vegetation studies show increasing vascular-plant cover and progressively more closed tundra canopies in some regions. Yet mosses and lichens can persist even as vegetation becomes denser, demonstrating that ecological change is often more complex than simple replacement of one community by another.
Snow is a major ecological factor. Its depth and duration influence plant communities, microorganisms and animals. Specialized microscopic organisms live within seasonal snow itself, making declining snow cover a direct loss of habitat rather than merely a climatic change.
Small mammals such as lemmings occupy a central position in many tundra food webs. Lemming population cycles influence Arctic foxes, snowy owls and other predators. Evidence that voles are expanding in some areas while lemmings decline suggests that climate-driven changes among small mammals may propagate throughout terrestrial ecosystems.
Migratory birds face pressures both within and outside the Arctic. Snowmelt determines breeding schedules for shorebirds, while conditions at distant migration stopovers can influence when birds reach Arctic nesting grounds and how successfully they reproduce.
Caribou can also modify ecosystems as their ranges shift. Grazing, trampling and movement influence vegetation, meaning changes in animal distribution can themselves become drivers of ecological change.
Wildfire represents another emerging factor. Arctic and sub-Arctic fires can transform vegetation, wildlife habitat, soil conditions, carbon storage and permafrost. Some research has found increased habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity following fire, illustrating that ecological responses depend on species, location, fire intensity and recovery period.
Freshwater Ecosystems and Wetlands
Arctic freshwater biodiversity includes fish, phytoplankton, zooplankton, diatoms, invertebrates and microorganisms occupying lakes, rivers, ponds, streams and wetlands.
These ecosystems are strongly affected by temperature, snowmelt, permafrost, vegetation and hydrology.
Circumpolar research shows considerable geographic variation among Arctic freshwater communities. Different groups of organisms respond to different environmental factors, making it difficult to understand ecological change by monitoring only a single indicator species.
Streams supplied by glaciers, snow and groundwater can support distinctly different invertebrate communities and food webs. Continued glacier loss may therefore reorganize freshwater ecosystems by changing the relative abundance of different stream types.
Birds can strongly influence Arctic ponds by transporting nutrients between marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. These nutrient subsidies affect water chemistry, biological productivity and community composition.
Wetlands are especially important because they provide habitat for enormous numbers of migratory birds while also storing carbon and regulating water. Permafrost thaw, changing hydrology, infrastructure development and warming may substantially alter these environments.
Experts studying Arctic freshwater biodiversity emphasize the need for better long-term monitoring, standardized methods, stronger understanding of ecosystem connectivity and greater integration of Indigenous and scientific knowledge.
Microbial Biodiversity and the Hidden Arctic Ecosystem
A large portion of Arctic biodiversity consists of organisms that are invisible without specialized methods.
Bacteria, fungi, protists and other microorganisms regulate decomposition, nutrient cycling, primary production and carbon exchange. They occur in seawater, sea ice, glaciers, tundra soils, permafrost and freshwater environments.
Research shows that Arctic microbial communities can vary greatly across remarkably short distances. Soil moisture, vegetation, temperature, organic matter and disturbance can all strongly influence which organisms occur in a particular location.
This variation means that limited sampling may significantly underestimate biological diversity.
Permafrost thaw is particularly important because microorganisms determine how rapidly newly available organic matter is decomposed. Changes in microbial activity can therefore connect biodiversity change with the Arctic carbon cycle.
Vegetation change can also restructure underground ecosystems. Experiments indicate that increased plant litter may sometimes produce stronger microbial responses than warming alone.
Marine microbial communities are similarly sensitive to changing temperature, salinity and water masses. Atlantification is therefore altering not only conspicuous animals such as fish and marine mammals but potentially the microscopic organisms responsible for fundamental ecosystem processes.
Pollution, Shipping and Emerging Human Pressures
Climate change is occurring alongside increasing human access to the Arctic.
Declining sea ice is making some shipping routes increasingly accessible. Vessel traffic can introduce underwater noise, emissions, pollution, collision risk and ecological disturbance into regions where many species evolved with relatively little industrial activity.
Shipping also increases the possibility that non-native organisms will enter Arctic waters.
Warming itself can make biological invasions more likely by creating environmental conditions in which species transported from lower latitudes can survive. Prevention and early detection are especially important in marine environments because eradication may become extremely difficult once invasive species are established.
Chemical pollution remains another significant concern.
Mercury transported over long distances can enter Arctic food webs despite the region's distance from many major sources. Research shows that previously deposited mercury can continue circulating through oceans, the atmosphere and ecosystems long after initial emissions occurred.
Mercury biomagnifies through marine food webs, creating the greatest exposure among predators occupying higher trophic levels.
Microplastics have also been documented in Arctic marine animals, adding another human-generated contaminant to ecosystems already experiencing rapid environmental change.
These pressures often interact. A marine mammal, for example, may simultaneously experience sea-ice loss, changing prey, contaminants, noise and increasing vessel activity. Conservation assessments increasingly need to consider these cumulative effects.
New Technologies Are Transforming Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring
One of the most important developments in Arctic research is the rapid expansion of environmental DNA, or eDNA, monitoring.
Organisms continuously release genetic material into seawater, sediments, soil and other environments. Scientists can collect environmental samples and identify many of the species present without directly capturing or observing them.
Studies around Svalbard and other Arctic regions demonstrate that eDNA metabarcoding can detect fish, marine mammals, plankton, benthic organisms and numerous other species.
The approach can be especially valuable during the polar night or in remote environments where conventional observation is difficult.
Genomic research is also improving Arctic taxonomy. Whole-genome sequencing can reveal whether organisms classified as separate species are genuinely genetically distinct, helping researchers avoid either overestimating or underestimating biodiversity.
Remotely operated vehicles, hyperspectral sensors, aerial surveys, drones and satellite observations provide additional ways to monitor environments that are logistically difficult and expensive to study.
These technologies do not eliminate the need for traditional field observations. Instead, they can complement established monitoring programs and make broader geographic and seasonal coverage possible.
Long-term ecological records remain particularly valuable because natural population cycles can otherwise be confused with directional change caused by climate warming.
Indigenous Knowledge and Circumpolar Monitoring
Scientific research represents only one source of information about Arctic ecosystems.
Indigenous Peoples have accumulated extensive knowledge of wildlife, fish, water conditions, seasonal change, migration and ecological relationships through long-term interaction with northern environments.
Research increasingly recognizes the importance of combining appropriately shared Indigenous knowledge with scientific monitoring while respecting knowledge ownership and Indigenous governance.
This information can be especially valuable in remote regions where scientific observations are limited or intermittent.
Circumpolar cooperation is also essential because Arctic ecosystems extend across national boundaries.
Programs coordinated through the Arctic Council's Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna initiative seek to improve standardized monitoring of species, ecosystems, seabirds, wetlands, wildfire and coastal biodiversity.
Consistent monitoring methods allow observations collected locally to contribute to regional and circumpolar assessments.
Conservation in a Rapidly Changing Arctic
Conservation strategies developed for relatively stable environments may be inadequate in a rapidly changing Arctic.
Species distributions are moving, ecosystems are reorganizing and environmental conditions that historically defined protected areas may shift beyond existing boundaries.
Marine protected areas, fisheries closures and other area-based conservation measures remain important, but management may increasingly need to anticipate future ecological conditions rather than protecting only historical distributions.
Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures could broaden protection beyond formal parks and reserves. Indigenous-managed areas, fisheries measures and other long-lasting arrangements may provide meaningful biodiversity benefits even where conservation is not the sole management objective.
International initiatives are increasingly emphasizing ecosystem monitoring, invasive-species prevention, pollution reduction, Indigenous participation and the integration of biodiversity considerations into economic development.
The Arctic Council's Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025–2035 provides a circumpolar framework for addressing many of these challenges.
Conservation priorities also include maintaining ecological refugia, protecting migration routes and interconnected ecosystems, preserving vulnerable freshwater and marine environments, and improving the ability to detect emerging threats before ecological changes become irreversible.
Conclusion
Arctic biodiversity is entering a period of profound ecological reorganization.
Climate warming and sea-ice decline remain the dominant forces, but their effects interact with pollution, shipping, invasive species, industrial development and other pressures. Marine food webs are changing as warmer-water organisms expand northward. Tundra vegetation, freshwater communities, microbial ecosystems and predator-prey relationships are also responding.
Not every ecological response is a straightforward decline. Some organisms expand their ranges, new habitats emerge and local biodiversity can sometimes increase. Nevertheless, these changes can replace highly specialized Arctic ecological communities with increasingly temperate ones and disrupt relationships that have developed over thousands of years.
Understanding this transition requires more than monitoring iconic species such as polar bears, seals or caribou. Microorganisms, plankton, invertebrates, wetlands, sea-ice communities and freshwater ecosystems are equally important components of Arctic biodiversity.
Environmental DNA, genomics, remote sensing and other technologies are greatly expanding scientists' ability to observe these changes. Long-term field studies and Indigenous knowledge remain indispensable for interpreting what those observations mean.
Protecting Arctic biodiversity will increasingly require adaptive conservation rather than attempts to preserve ecosystems in a fixed historical state. Cooperation across national boundaries, stronger monitoring, protection of ecological refugia and migration pathways, pollution control, invasive-species prevention and meaningful participation by Indigenous Peoples will all be important as the Arctic continues to change.
- TOC**
Conservation, governance and Indigenous knowledge
Securing a Resilient Arctic Ocean
[Arctic Council Arctic Ocean Conservation | Haukås | Arctic Council | 2026-03-03]
Emerging international conservation mechanisms could strengthen protection of Arctic marine biodiversity through protected areas and other area-based measures. Effective implementation will require cooperation among states, scientists, Indigenous Peoples and organizations responsible for fisheries and shipping.
Area-based management in polar oceans for biodiversity conservation and enhanced sustainability of fisheries
[10.3389/focsu.2025.1634989 | Misund, Hop & Quillfeldt | Frontiers in Ocean Sustainability | 2025-10-02]
Marine protected areas, fisheries closures and other spatial tools can help conserve vulnerable polar ecosystems while maintaining sustainable fisheries. Effective management must anticipate shifting species distributions rather than relying exclusively on historical ecological patterns.
Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures in the Arctic Marine Environment
[CAFF/PAME OECM Report | CAFF and PAME | Arctic Council | 2025-05-12]
The report examines how areas outside formal marine protected areas may nevertheless produce durable biodiversity benefits. Recognizing Indigenous-managed areas, fisheries measures and other effective conservation arrangements could expand protection of Arctic marine ecosystems.
Is the Arctic overlooked in freshwater biodiversity protection goals?
[10.1080/15230430.2025.2506876 | Lakka et al. | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research | 2025]
Global freshwater conservation targets can inadequately represent Arctic conditions and the region's unusually rapid environmental change. The authors argue that northern ecosystems require stronger recognition within international biodiversity policy and monitoring frameworks.
Traditional knowledge of Arctic Indigenous Peoples and the establishment of area-based management tools beyond national jurisdiction
[10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106604 | et al. | Marine Policy | 2025]
The study examines how Indigenous knowledge could contribute to conservation measures in Arctic waters outside national jurisdictions. It argues that international marine governance should create meaningful mechanisms for incorporating Indigenous expertise, relationships with species and ecological observations.
Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025–2035
[CAFF Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025–2035 | CAFF | Arctic Council | 2025]
This circumpolar framework establishes priorities for addressing biodiversity loss during the coming decade. Actions include improved monitoring, ecosystem conservation, Indigenous participation, invasive-species management, pollution reduction and incorporation of biodiversity considerations into economic development.
Persistent and emerging threats to Arctic biodiversity and ways to overcome them: a horizon scan
[10.1139/as-2024-0035 | Lemieux et al. | Arctic Science | 2024-10-10]
Arctic experts identified research priorities involving climate change, pollution, invasive species, development and fundamental gaps in biodiversity knowledge. The horizon scan also identifies institutional, logistical and geopolitical barriers that complicate conservation across the circumpolar region.
Systematic review of documented Indigenous Knowledge of freshwater biodiversity in the circumpolar Arctic
[10.1111/fwb.13570 | Knopp et al. | Freshwater Biology | 2020]
Indigenous Knowledge provides observations of fish, water conditions, species distributions and ecosystem relationships across regions where scientific monitoring can be sparse. The review calls for greater recognition of Indigenous knowledge systems while respecting ownership and appropriate knowledge-sharing practices.
Pollution, shipping and invasive species
Drivers and environmental impacts of Arctic shipping
[10.1038/s43017-026-00790-2 | Cai et al. | Nature Reviews Earth & Environment | 2026]
Retreating sea ice is making Arctic shipping routes increasingly accessible. The review examines emissions, underwater noise, pollution, collision risks and ecological disturbance and considers management approaches capable of reducing environmental damage while vessel activity continues to expand.
Spatiotemporal variation in foraging ecology and mercury concentrations in ringed seals and bearded seals across a latitudinal gradient in the eastern Canadian Arctic
[10.1016/j.envres.2025.122437 | et al. | Environmental Research | 2025-11-15]
Mercury concentrations in Arctic seals reflect both contaminant exposure and ecological differences in diet and habitat. Comparing species and regions improves understanding of how climate-driven changes in feeding ecology may influence contaminant accumulation.
Stable isotopes unveil ocean transport of legacy mercury into Arctic food webs
[10.1038/s41467-025-60356-6 | Søndergaard et al. | Nature Communications | 2025-06-12]
Mercury isotope signatures reveal that ocean currents transport previously deposited mercury into Arctic marine ecosystems. The findings show that reductions in present-day emissions may not immediately eliminate exposure because older contamination can continue circulating through the ocean.
Marine Invasive Alien Species in Arctic Waters
[CAFF/PAME Marine Invasive Alien Species Report | CAFF and PAME | Arctic Council | 2025-05-12]
Shipping, aquaculture and warming waters increase opportunities for non-native marine organisms to reach and establish in the Arctic. Prevention and early detection are particularly important because eradication becomes extremely difficult once marine species become widespread.
Do Arctic local sources of pollution influence the exposure of ringed seals analyzed in contaminant monitoring programs?
[10.1039/D4VA00418C | et al. | Environmental Science: Advances | 2025-05-09]
Ringed seals are widely used as indicators of contaminant exposure in Arctic marine food webs. The research evaluates whether nearby communities and industrial sources complicate interpretation of contaminant trends usually attributed primarily to long-range atmospheric and oceanic transport.
Microplastics in spotted seal stomachs from the Bering and Chukchi seas in 2012 and 2020
[10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117770 | Sletten et al. | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 2025-05]
Examination of spotted seals documents exposure to microplastic particles in the Pacific Arctic. Although the ecological consequences remain uncertain, the findings add marine plastics to the growing list of human-generated pollutants reaching Arctic food webs.
Little seasonal variation of mercury concentrations and biomagnification in an Arctic pelagic food web
[10.1016/j.pocean.2024.103381 | et al. | Progress in Oceanography | 2025-02]
Measurements across an Arctic pelagic food web show persistent mercury biomagnification among trophic levels. Seasonal ecological changes did not eliminate the basic pattern, underscoring the long-term exposure risk for high-level predators.
Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems
[10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3 | Huang et al. | Nature Communications | 2025-01-21]
Mercury released from Arctic waters can return to the atmosphere and subsequently reach terrestrial ecosystems. This recycling complicates predictions about contaminant exposure and demonstrates close chemical connections among Arctic ocean, atmosphere and land.
Arctic Invasive Alien Species Strategy and Action Plan
[ARIAS | CAFF and PAME | Arctic Council | 2025]
The circumpolar strategy addresses the growing risk of invasive plants, animals and microorganisms arriving through shipping, tourism, trade and other pathways. Coordinated surveillance and rapid response can reduce ecological damage before new species become firmly established.
Near surface oxidation of elemental mercury leads to mercury exposure in the Arctic Ocean biota
[10.1038/s41467-024-51852-2 | Lim et al. | Nature Communications | 2024-08-31]
Chemical transformation of atmospheric mercury near the ocean surface makes it biologically available to marine organisms. The mechanism helps explain how mercury enters Arctic food webs despite the region's great distance from many major emission sources.
Vulnerability of Arctic marine mammals to vessel traffic in the increasingly ice-free Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route
[10.1073/pnas.1803543115 | Hauser et al. | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | 2018-07-02]
Researchers compared vessel exposure with biological traits to identify marine mammals vulnerable to expanding Arctic shipping. Narwhals, belugas and other specialized species may face particularly high risks as previously ice-covered shipping corridors become more accessible.
Monitoring, eDNA, genomics and research methods
Winter is leaving: an eDNA-based assessment of marine vertebrate diversity in Svalbard coastal waters
[10.1007/s00300-026-03492-z | Haderlé et al. | Polar Biology | 2026-05-12]
Environmental DNA collected through the transition from Arctic winter revealed seasonal changes in fish, marine mammals and other vertebrates around Svalbard. The research provides a method for detecting biological responses to increasingly short winters and declining coastal sea ice.
Tracking biodiversity in changing Arctic waters: insights from eDNA metabarcoding in Svalbard
[10.1007/s00300-026-03488-9 | van den Heuvel-Greve et al. | Polar Biology | 2026-04-22]
Environmental DNA metabarcoding provides a relatively non-invasive method for surveying marine biodiversity across remote Arctic waters. Sampling around Svalbard detected diverse biological communities and demonstrates how eDNA could complement traditional monitoring as warming rapidly changes species distributions.
Whole-genome sequencing suggests taxonomic inflation in the Careproctus snailfishes of the northeast Atlantic–Arctic region
[10.1007/s00300-026-03471-4 | Christensen et al. | Polar Biology | 2026-04-07]
Whole-genome comparisons question whether some nominal Arctic snailfish species represent genetically distinct species. The research illustrates how genomic methods can improve inventories of Arctic biodiversity and prevent inaccurate estimates of species richness.
Assessing Arctic under sea-ice light regimes and ice algal bio-optical properties using ROV-based hyperspectral imaging
[10.1007/s00300-026-03462-5 | Summers et al. | Polar Biology | 2026-02-19]
Remotely operated vehicles equipped with hyperspectral sensors mapped light conditions and ice-algal properties beneath Arctic sea ice. The technique could help quantify algae that provide an important early-season food source at the base of the Arctic marine ecosystem.
Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Toolkit
[CAFF CBMP Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Toolkit | CAFF/CBMP | Arctic Council | 2026]
The Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme provides standardized guidance for observing Arctic species and ecosystems. Comparable methods make it easier to combine local monitoring into regional and circumpolar assessments and identify ecological change early.
Arctic Wildland Fire Ecology Mapping and Monitoring Project
[CAFF ArcticFIRE | CAFF | Arctic Council | 2026]
ArcticFIRE develops circumpolar information on wildfire occurrence and ecological effects. Growing fire frequency can transform vegetation, wildlife habitat, carbon storage and permafrost, making coordinated monitoring increasingly important for biodiversity management.
Surveying marine biodiversity using eDNA metabarcoding of seawater and sediment in a high Arctic fjord during the polar night
[10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107443 | Murray et al. | Marine Environmental Research | 2025-10]
Environmental DNA collected in Kongsfjorden during polar night detected a broad range of marine organisms when conventional visual surveys are exceptionally difficult. The method offers a promising way to monitor Arctic biodiversity throughout the entire year.
Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group monitoring framework
[CBird | CAFF | Arctic Council | 2025]
The Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group coordinates monitoring and conservation of Arctic seabirds across international boundaries. Shared data are particularly important for migratory species exposed to changing prey, fisheries, pollution, extreme weather and habitat loss across several countries.
On the terrestrial and freshwater invertebrate diversity of the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard: a revised species inventory and synopsis of the community composition
[10.1139/as-2024-0017 | et al. | Arctic Science | 2024-10-28]
A revised inventory updates knowledge of Svalbard's terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates. Better baseline taxonomy is essential because many small Arctic organisms are poorly monitored despite their major roles in decomposition, pollination, nutrient cycling and aquatic food webs.
DNA metabarcoding reveals high diversity of fish and macrofaunal species in diets of little auks and other Arctic seabird species in Svalbard
[10.1007/s00300-024-03276-3 | de Leeuw et al. | Polar Biology | 2024-07-06]
Genetic analysis of seabird diets detected far more prey diversity than many conventional methods. Such dietary information can reveal how Arctic seabirds respond as warming changes fish and invertebrate communities around Svalbard.
Pixel walking along the boreal forest–Arctic tundra ecotone: large scale ground-truthing of satellite-derived greenness
[10.1111/gcb.17374 | Wong et al. | Global Change Biology | 2024-06-11]
Field observations were compared with satellite vegetation measurements across the forest-tundra transition. The work improves interpretation of Arctic greening signals and helps distinguish actual biological change from limitations inherent in remote sensing.
Investigating pelagic biodiversity and gelatinous zooplankton communities in the rapidly changing European Arctic: an eDNA metabarcoding survey
[10.1002/edn3.569 | Murray et al. | Environmental DNA | 2024-06-01]
Environmental DNA surveys detected diverse pelagic organisms, including gelatinous zooplankton that are difficult to quantify with nets. Monitoring these groups is increasingly important because warming may favor jellyfish and other gelatinous organisms in Arctic seas.
Interaction between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria in Arctic fjords during the glacial melting season as revealed by eDNA metabarcoding
[10.1093/femsec/fiae059 | et al. | FEMS Microbiology Ecology | 2024-04-15]
Glacial melt influences both phytoplankton and bacterial communities in Arctic fjords. The study demonstrates close relationships between primary producers and microbial consumers and illustrates how glacier retreat can restructure biological interactions at the base of marine food webs.
Metabarcoding inventory of an Arctic tundra soil ecosystem reveals highly heterogeneous communities at a small scale
[10.1007/s00300-023-03131-x | Jorna et al. | Polar Biology | 2023-04-15]
DNA metabarcoding found strong differences among soil communities separated by surprisingly small distances. Arctic soil biodiversity is therefore highly patchy, meaning sparse sampling can overlook substantial biological variation within apparently uniform tundra landscapes.
Revealing the diversity of bacteria and fungi in the active layer of permafrost at Spitsbergen Island—combining classical microbiology and metabarcoding
[10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159072 | et al. | Science of the Total Environment | 2023-01-15]
Culturing and DNA methods reveal substantial bacterial and fungal diversity in soils above Svalbard permafrost. As thaw deepens the biologically active layer, microbial communities could strongly influence decomposition and greenhouse-gas production.
Searching for genetic evidence of demographic decline in an Arctic seabird: beware of overlapping generations
[10.1038/s41437-022-00515-3 | Charbonnel et al. | Heredity | 2022-03-05]
Genetic signals of population decline can be difficult to detect in long-lived seabirds because multiple generations coexist. The study highlights methodological challenges involved in using genomic data to identify recent biodiversity loss in Arctic wildlife.
Marine ecosystems, sea ice, glaciers and benthos
First in situ record of Rossia moelleri and egg masses in Northeast Greenland National Park
[10.1007/s00300-026-03518-6 | Maroni et al. | Polar Biology | 2026-07-08]
Underwater observations documented the bobtail squid Rossia moelleri and its egg masses in Northeast Greenland. Direct observations of reproduction add valuable natural-history information for an Arctic cephalopod occurring in a region where marine biodiversity remains incompletely documented.
Living at highest latitudes—the meiofauna of the Langseth Ridge (Arctic Ocean)—taxa composition, distribution, diversity and comparison with other marine regions
[10.1007/s00300-026-03467-0 | George et al. | Polar Biology | 2026-02-25]
Sampling from the central Arctic Ocean documents the tiny animals living within deep-sea sediments at some of Earth's highest latitudes. Meiofaunal diversity illustrates that biologically complex communities exist even in extremely cold and food-limited Arctic environments.
Amplified Arctic iceberg traffic reshapes benthic biodiversity
[10.1038/s41586-026-10630-4 | Purser et al. | Nature | 2026]
Accelerating glacier disintegration is increasing iceberg movement and the delivery of rocks to the deep Arctic seafloor. These dropstones create hard-bottom habitat islands that can substantially change the abundance, patchiness and diversity of benthic organisms.
Coastal Biodiversity Monitoring in the Arctic
[CAFF CBMP Coastal Monitoring | CAFF/CBMP | Arctic Council | 2026]
Arctic coasts connect terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems and contain highly productive habitats used by fish, birds, marine mammals and people. The monitoring initiative seeks consistent indicators for tracking biodiversity changes across these rapidly changing interfaces.
Billefjorden's benthic biodiversity: the impact of glacier retreat on faunal communities in a high Arctic fjord
[10.1007/s00300-025-03390-w | van der Kamp et al. | Polar Biology | 2025-05-19]
Retreating glaciers alter sedimentation, freshwater input and seabed conditions in Arctic fjords. Surveys from Billefjorden show how these gradients structure bottom-dwelling communities and provide insight into ecological changes likely as glaciers continue to recede.
The significance of recent glacial history for the limno-terrestrial microfauna in Trygghamna, Svalbard
[10.1007/s00300-023-03192-y | Lukashanets et al. | Polar Biology | 2023-09-16]
Microscopic animals colonize landscapes exposed as Arctic glaciers retreat. Community composition reflects both present environmental conditions and the amount of time since deglaciation, showing how glacial history continues to structure modern biodiversity.
Seafloor warm water temperature anomalies impact benthic macrofauna communities of a high-Arctic cold-water fjord
[10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106046 | et al. | Marine Environmental Research | 2023-07]
Episodes of unusually warm bottom water altered benthic communities in a High Arctic fjord. The results suggest marine heat anomalies can affect organisms living on the seafloor, not only plankton and species occupying surface waters.
Macrozoobenthos of the Pechora Bay in 2020–2021 indicates a likely change of common bivalve molluscs in the Arctic estuary
[10.1007/s00300-023-03138-4 | et al. | Polar Biology | 2023-04-19]
Seafloor surveys of Pechora Bay found evidence of changing bivalve communities within this large Russian Arctic estuary. Shifts in dominant benthic species may affect sediment processes and animals that depend on bottom-dwelling prey.
Shallow-water benthic communities on soft bottoms of a sub-Arctic fjord along a gradient of ecological factors
[10.3390/d15010084 | et al. | Diversity | 2023-01-08]
Benthic diversity varies with depth, sediment, salinity and other environmental factors within a southern Barents Sea fjord. Such baseline studies are valuable for separating future climate-driven change from natural spatial variation.
Marine biodiversity refugia in a climate-sensitive subarctic shelf
[10.1111/gcb.15632 | Alabia et al. | Global Change Biology | 2021-04-25]
Analyses of marine biodiversity identify areas where environmental conditions may remain comparatively favorable despite climate change. Such refugia could become increasingly important targets for conservation as species redistribute across warming Arctic and sub-Arctic seas.
Fish and marine mammals
Potential synergistic impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activity on Arctic marine mammals
[10.1139/er-2025-0174 | et al. | Environmental Reviews | 2026-07-29]
A systematic review examines how sea-ice decline, underwater noise, contaminants, industrial development, altered prey and disease can interact rather than acting independently. It emphasizes the need for cumulative-stressor approaches when assessing the vulnerability of Arctic whales, seals, walruses and polar bears.
Hatch timing and growth of juvenile polar cod (Boreogadus saida) in a warming Arctic: insights into overwinter survival potential
[10.1007/s00300-026-03516-8 | Stone et al. | Polar Biology | 2026-07-09]
Polar cod are a key link between zooplankton and Arctic seabirds and marine mammals. The study examines how hatch timing and juvenile growth influence overwinter survival, providing evidence about how continued warming could affect recruitment of this ecologically important fish.
Dietary niches of three resident phocid seal species in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norway
[10.1007/s00300-026-03507-9 | Bengtsson et al. | Polar Biology | 2026-06-17]
Researchers compared diets of resident seal species sharing a rapidly warming Svalbard fjord. Differences and overlaps in prey use help reveal how seals may respond as boreal fishes expand northward and traditional Arctic prey communities change.
Barren depths from 82° N to the North Pole reveal scarcity of fish in the Central Arctic Ocean
[10.1038/s43247-026-03381-7 | et al. | Communications Earth & Environment | 2026]
Surveys found abundant fish near Atlantic-influenced shelves but virtually none in sampled pelagic waters north of 82°N. The authors argue that the distinctive, still strongly ice-associated Central Arctic ecosystem merits continued protection from commercial fishing.
Assessing vulnerability of Arctic fish species to climate change
[10.1007/s44289-025-00056-7 | Sora et al. | Discover Oceans | 2025-07-31]
Arctic fishes differ greatly in their exposure and sensitivity to warming, changing salinity, sea-ice loss and food-web disruption. Species-level vulnerability assessments can help identify populations most likely to decline as boreal competitors and predators move northward.
A comparative analysis of life-history features and adaptive strategies of Arctic and subarctic seal species—who will win the climate change challenge?
[10.1139/cjz-2024-0093 | Ferguson et al. | Canadian Journal of Zoology | 2024-12-18]
Comparisons of ringed, bearded, harp and harbour seals reveal different reproductive, dietary and growth strategies. Ice-associated species rely more strongly on ice-derived productivity, while some sub-Arctic seals may possess traits that allow them to exploit increasingly ice-free environments.
Climate warming impacts on ringed seal breeding habitat in Svalbard
[10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110790 | et al. | Ecological Modelling | 2024]
Ringed seals depend on snow-covered sea-ice lairs for giving birth and protecting pups. Modeling indicates that declining ice and changing snow conditions will reduce suitable breeding habitat in Svalbard, potentially affecting one of the Arctic's most ice-dependent mammals.
A systematic review of the trophic ecology of eight ecologically and culturally important fish species in the North American Arctic
[10.1007/s00300-023-03133-9 | Wight et al. | Polar Biology | 2023-04-25]
The review synthesizes diet and food-web information for eight northern fishes important to Arctic ecosystems and communities. Major information gaps remain, limiting predictions about how warming and changing prey distributions will affect fisheries and food security.
Birds and terrestrial wildlife
Arctic post-polynya supports a seabird biodiversity hotspot
[10.1139/as-2025-0079 | Richards et al. | Arctic Science | 2026-08-04]
Drone, aerial and historical surveys identified important seabird concentrations within a Nunatsiavut polynya system. Researchers recorded major seasonal differences and exceptionally high numbers of breeding common eiders, reinforcing the conservation importance of recurrent open-water areas surrounded by sea ice.
Why do predators specialize on lemmings? Insights from long-term monitoring in the Norwegian low Arctic
[10.1139/as-2025-0089 | Ims et al. | Arctic Science | 2026-05-26]
Two decades of monitoring show that snowy owls were strongly dependent on lemmings even when voles were abundant. The findings suggest increasing vole populations may not compensate for climate-related disruption of lemming cycles for specialized Arctic predators.
Mass seabird deaths signal trouble for Arctic ecosystems
[Arctic Council seabird mortality assessment | Cook | Arctic Council | 2026-04-08]
Large seabird die-offs can reveal broader ecological disruption involving prey shortages, marine heatwaves, disease and changing ocean conditions. Because seabirds integrate ecological conditions across large marine areas, mortality events can serve as early warnings of ecosystem stress.
The triangulation between Arctic birds, Arctic foxes and Arctic lemmings
[10.3389/fevo.2025.1595890 | Angerbjörn, Tannerfeldt & Svensson | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution | 2026-01-02]
Arctic foxes, lemmings and migratory birds form an interconnected predator-prey system. Changes in rodent population cycles can alter fox reproduction and predation pressure on bird nests, producing ecosystem-wide effects that may intensify under warming climates.
Evaluating environmental drivers and synchrony of Arctic shorebird demographic rates to inform conservation management
[10.1002/eap.70049 | Davis et al. | Ecological Applications | 2025-06-22]
Researchers compared reproductive and demographic patterns among Arctic shorebird populations. Understanding whether populations fluctuate synchronously and which environmental factors drive those changes can help distinguish regional ecological problems from broader circumpolar pressures.
Snowmelt and laying date impact the parental care strategy of a high-Arctic shorebird
[10.1038/s41598-025-02318-y | Etchart et al. | Scientific Reports | 2025-06-05]
Timing of snowmelt influences breeding schedules and parental behavior in Arctic shorebirds. Increasingly early and variable springs could consequently change reproduction even when suitable nesting habitat remains physically available.
Temperature and stopover duration carry-over to affect Arctic arrival timing and breeding success in the cackling goose
[10.3389/fevo.2025.1497949 | Bani Assadi et al. | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution | 2025]
Conditions encountered during migration affect when cackling geese reach Arctic nesting areas and their subsequent reproductive success. The work demonstrates that biodiversity conservation for migratory Arctic species must encompass habitats far beyond the Arctic itself.
Assessing ecological effects of storm surges on Arctic bird populations in the outer Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories
[10.1139/as-2023-0064 | et al. | Arctic Science | 2024-06-21]
Storm surges can flood coastal nesting and feeding habitats used by Arctic birds. Rising seas and reduced protective sea ice could increase exposure to such events, creating another pathway through which climate change affects coastal biodiversity.
Unexpected sources of uncertainty in projecting habitat shifts for Arctic shorebirds under climate change
[10.1111/ddi.13829 | Anderson et al. | Diversity and Distributions | 2024-04-15]
Models projecting future shorebird distributions vary considerably depending on assumptions, climate data and ecological variables. The research warns conservation planners against treating a single range projection as a precise forecast of future Arctic bird habitat.
Taking the beat of the Arctic: are lemming population cycles changing due to winter climate?
[10.1098/rspb.2023.2361 | Gauthier et al. | Proceedings of the Royal Society B | 2024-02-14]
Circumpolar data were used to evaluate whether lemming cycles are becoming weaker or less regular. Because lemming peaks support many foxes, owls, jaegers and other predators, changes in these cycles could reverberate across entire tundra food webs.
Expansion of voles and retraction of lemmings over 60 years along a latitudinal gradient on Yamal Peninsula
[10.1111/gcb.17161 | Sokolova et al. | Global Change Biology | 2024-01-29]
Six decades of records indicate that voles have expanded while lemmings have declined along parts of the Yamal Peninsula. The shift could substantially alter tundra food webs because many Arctic predators depend disproportionately on cyclic lemming populations.
Keystone seabird may face thermoregulatory challenges in a warming Arctic
[10.1038/s41598-023-43650-5 | Grunst et al. | Scientific Reports | 2023-10-04]
Arctic seabirds adapted to cold conditions can experience heat stress during unusually warm weather. The study highlights direct physiological effects of climate warming in addition to indirect impacts mediated through sea ice and prey availability.
Abundance, habitat use and food consumption of seabirds in the high-Arctic fjord ecosystem
[10.1007/s00300-021-02833-4 | Stempniewicz et al. | Polar Biology | 2021-03-04]
Seabirds can consume large quantities of marine prey and transport nutrients onto land around breeding colonies. Quantifying their abundance and feeding ecology helps reveal their role as major ecological connectors in High Arctic fjords.
Plankton, microbes and food webs
Small-scale variability in Arctic zooplankton around Southampton Island, Nunavut
[10.1007/s00300-026-03538-2 | Niemi et al. | Polar Biology | 2026-08-31]
Zooplankton communities varied substantially over relatively short distances around Southampton Island. The results demonstrate that local hydrography and water masses must be considered when evaluating Arctic plankton biodiversity and detecting long-term ecological change.
From barrier to gateway: Climate-facilitated expansion of thaliaceans in the Arctic Ocean
[10.1002/lno.70370 | Lüskow et al. | Limnology and Oceanography | 2026-04-18]
The paper considers whether salps, pyrosomes and related gelatinous plankton could establish populations in a warmer, less ice-covered Arctic. Their arrival could alter pelagic food webs and carbon export because of their exceptionally rapid filtration and reproduction.
Microbial and chemical signatures of melting sea-ice: export of bacteria, microeukaryotes, and molecules
[10.1016/j.dsr2.2026.105607 | et al. | Deep Sea Research Part II | 2026-04]
Experiments with Fram Strait ice and seawater show that melting sea ice transfers identifiable bacterial and microeukaryotic communities into surrounding waters. Continued ice loss therefore changes not only habitat area but also microbial dispersal and biogeochemical pathways.
Synthesis of spatiotemporal variability in western Arctic zooplankton communities from summer to fall during 2008–2021
[10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103634 | et al. | Progress in Oceanography | 2026-01]
Long-term observations show strong seasonal and regional changes in western Arctic zooplankton. Pacific water inflow allows some warmer-water species to penetrate northward, although many communities remain highly dependent on local environmental conditions.
Arctic sea-ice ridges are biomass hotspots harboring diverse microbial communities
[10.1038/s43247-026-03364-8 | et al. | Communications Earth & Environment | 2026]
Pressure ridges create intricate internal habitats that support highly diverse microorganisms and unusually large concentrations of ice algae. The study suggests ridges may contain a disproportionately large share of sea-ice biological production despite occupying a relatively small fraction of ice area.
Multi-year assessment of coastal sea-ice algae and phytoplankton in an Arctic port ecosystem, Nunavut, Canada
[10.1139/as-2025-0034 | Schiffrine et al. | Arctic Science | 2026]
Sampling around Iqaluit documented more than 500 algal and phytoplankton taxa across sea-ice, under-ice and open-water habitats. The work establishes an important biodiversity baseline for detecting future climate-driven or industrial changes around an expanding Arctic port.
Biogeographic gradients of picoplankton diversity indicate increasing dominance of prokaryotes in warmer Arctic fjords
[10.1038/s42003-024-05946-8 | Hörstmann et al. | Communications Biology | 2024-03-02]
Comparisons among Arctic fjords show shifts in microscopic plankton communities along temperature gradients. Warmer conditions favored prokaryotic organisms, suggesting continued warming could change the microbial foundation of coastal food webs.
Atlantification influences zooplankton communities seasonally in the northern Barents Sea and Arctic Ocean
[10.1016/j.pocean.2023.103133 | et al. | Progress in Oceanography | 2023-12]
Increasing Atlantic-water influence changes zooplankton composition in the northern Barents Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean. Because zooplankton transfer energy to fish, seabirds and marine mammals, Atlantification can restructure food webs far beyond the plankton community itself.
Environmental drivers of eukaryotic plankton and fish biodiversity in an Arctic fjord
[10.1007/s00300-023-03187-9 | Marques et al. | Polar Biology | 2023-08-05]
Environmental DNA reveals relationships among temperature, salinity, water masses, plankton and fish diversity within an Arctic fjord. The research demonstrates how changing oceanographic conditions can influence biodiversity simultaneously across multiple trophic levels.
Tracing carbon flow and trophic structure of a coastal Arctic marine food web using highly branched isoprenoids and stable isotopes
[10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.109938 | et al. | Ecological Indicators | 2023-03]
Chemical tracers distinguish carbon originating from sea-ice algae and open-water phytoplankton as it moves through consumers. The method helps quantify the ecological importance of ice-associated production as seasonal sea ice declines.
Revisiting the footprints of climate change in Arctic marine food webs: an assessment of knowledge gained since 2010
[10.3389/fmars.2023.1096222 | Brandt et al. | Frontiers in Marine Science | 2023]
This synthesis reviews evidence for climate-driven changes across Arctic marine food webs. Major themes include borealization, shifting productivity, sea-ice loss and changing trophic relationships, while significant geographic and taxonomic monitoring gaps remain.
Contrasting sea ice conditions shape microbial food webs in Hudson Bay
[10.1038/s43705-022-00192-7 | Jacquemot et al. | ISME Communications | 2022-10-23]
Microbial communities differed between areas experiencing contrasting ice conditions in Hudson Bay. Sea-ice loss can therefore influence interactions among bacteria, protists and microscopic primary producers that collectively form the foundation of marine food webs.
Diversity and selection of surface marine microbiomes in the Atlantic-influenced Arctic
[10.3389/fmicb.2022.892634 | Aalto et al. | Frontiers in Microbiology | 2022-07-14]
Microbial communities across Atlantic-influenced Arctic waters are shaped by temperature, salinity and water-mass history. Increasing Atlantification is likely to change not merely large animals but also the microscopic organisms controlling nutrient cycling.
Looking back to the future—micro- and nanoplankton diversity in the Greenland Sea
[10.1007/s12526-021-01204-w | Olofsson & Wulff | Marine Biodiversity | 2021-06-28]
Historical plankton observations provide a baseline for interpreting modern changes in the Greenland Sea. Long-term taxonomic records are especially valuable where Atlantification and declining sea ice are rapidly transforming marine communities.
Freshwater biodiversity, wetlands and inland waters
Climate warming is shifting northern aquatic ecotones
[10.1038/s41598-026-37392-3 | Alibert, Pienitz & Antoniades | Scientific Reports | 2026-01-30]
Freshwater ecosystems at Arctic ecological boundaries are responding strongly to warming. Changes in temperature, catchment vegetation and soils are shifting the environmental limits that historically controlled the distributions of northern aquatic organisms.
Freshwater biodiversity in a rapidly changing Arctic: An expert horizon scan of key research questions
[10.1007/s13280-025-02331-5 | Lento et al. | Ambio | 2026]
Arctic freshwater experts identified major unanswered questions about lakes, rivers, wetlands and their organisms. Priorities include harmonized long-term monitoring, climate interactions, species distributions, ecosystem connectivity and stronger integration of Indigenous and scientific knowledge.
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands
[CAFF RAW | CAFF | Arctic Council | 2026]
Arctic wetlands provide habitat for enormous numbers of migratory birds while storing carbon and regulating water. The initiative seeks approaches that maintain wetland resilience as permafrost thaw, infrastructure, hydrological changes and warming transform northern landscapes.
Bird impacts on ecological structure, composition and function in Arctic ponds
[10.1007/s00300-025-03426-1 | Jensen et al. | Polar Biology | 2025-10-23]
Nesting and feeding birds transport nutrients from marine and terrestrial environments into Arctic ponds. These subsidies can strongly influence productivity, water chemistry and aquatic community composition, demonstrating how mobile animals connect otherwise distinct Arctic ecosystems.
Contrasting benthic communities and food webs in different stream types on high Arctic Svalbard
[10.1007/s00300-025-03424-3 | Füreder & Brittain | Polar Biology | 2025-09-13]
Streams fed by glaciers, snow and groundwater support different invertebrate communities and food webs. Continued loss of glaciers may therefore reorganize freshwater biodiversity by changing the relative abundance of different Arctic stream types.
Microbial communities of peaty permafrost tundra soils along the gradient of environmental conditions and anthropogenic disturbance in Pechora River Delta
[10.3390/d15020251 | Kravchenko et al. | Diversity | 2023-02-10]
Soil microbial communities differed with vegetation, moisture, permafrost conditions and human disturbance in the European Russian Arctic. The research demonstrates that local development pressures can interact with climate-driven environmental change.
Arctic freshwater biodiversity: establishing baselines, trends, and drivers of ecological change
[10.1111/fwb.13831 | Culp et al. | Freshwater Biology | 2022]
Circumpolar monitoring reveals substantial variation among Arctic lakes and rivers while documenting emerging ecological change. Establishing common sampling methods and long-term baselines is critical because many freshwater regions remain poorly monitored.
First circumpolar assessment of Arctic freshwater phytoplankton and zooplankton diversity: spatial patterns and environmental factors
[10.1111/fwb.13783 | Schartau et al. | Freshwater Biology | 2022]
A large-scale synthesis maps plankton biodiversity across Arctic freshwaters. Temperature, geography and water chemistry help explain community differences, providing a baseline against which northward species movement and changing productivity can be measured.
Diversity of diatoms, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish varies in response to different environmental correlates in Arctic rivers across North America
[10.1111/fwb.13600 | Lento et al. | Freshwater Biology | 2020-08-13]
Different biological groups in Arctic rivers respond to different environmental drivers. The findings show that monitoring a single group cannot adequately describe freshwater biodiversity and support ecosystem-based approaches using multiple indicators.
Arctic biodiversity of stream macroinvertebrates declines in response to latitudinal change in the abiotic template
[10.1086/704887 | Culp et al. | Freshwater Science | 2019-07-23]
Stream-invertebrate richness decreases toward higher Arctic latitudes in association with increasingly severe environmental conditions. Warming could permit northward expansion of some organisms, potentially increasing local richness while changing historically distinctive communities.
Tundra, soils, vegetation, permafrost and fire
Snow microinvertebrates from lowlands, high mountains and the Arctic—implications for conservation efforts
[10.1007/s10531-026-03415-8 | Zawierucha et al. | Biodiversity and Conservation | 2026-08-22]
Snow contains specialized communities of microscopic invertebrates that are easily overlooked in biodiversity assessments. Shrinking and shorter-lived snowpacks threaten these organisms and highlight the need to recognize seasonal snow itself as biological habitat.
Shifting and expanding ranges of a sub-Arctic caribou herd and associated changes in vegetation
[10.1002/eap.70038 | Orndahl et al. | Ecological Applications | 2025-06-18]
Long-term movement records reveal changes in caribou range use alongside vegetation change. Because caribou influence plants through grazing and trampling, altered migration and distribution can themselves reshape tundra ecological processes.
Tundra plant canopies gradually close over three decades while cryptogams persist
[10.1111/gcb.70155 | Betway-May et al. | Global Change Biology | 2025]
Long-term vegetation plots show increasing vascular-plant cover and progressively more closed tundra canopies. Mosses and lichens nevertheless persisted at many sites, indicating that shrubification and greening do not inevitably produce immediate disappearance of cryptogam communities.
Goose grubbing and warming suppress summer net ecosystem CO2 uptake differentially across high-Arctic tundra habitats
[10.1002/ecy.4498 | Petit Bon et al. | Ecology | 2024-12-09]
Intensive feeding by geese removes vegetation and disturbs tundra soils, while warming alters plant growth and respiration. Their combined effects vary among habitats and illustrate how wildlife populations can interact with climate change to modify ecosystem functioning.
Distinct taxonomic and functional profiles of high Arctic and alpine permafrost-affected soil microbiomes
[10.1186/s40793-023-00509-6 | Sannino et al. | Environmental Microbiome | 2023-06-16]
Comparisons of Arctic and alpine permafrost soils reveal microbial communities with distinct taxonomic and functional characteristics. The findings caution against assuming that all cold-region microbiomes will react to warming in the same way.
Soil moisture drives differences in the diversity and trophic complexity of high Arctic tundra soils
[10.1093/femsec/fiad050 | Almela et al. | FEMS Microbiology Ecology | 2023-05-17]
Wetter High Arctic soils supported greater biological diversity and more complex microscopic food webs than drier soils. Changes in precipitation and soil moisture may therefore reorganize belowground biodiversity and pathways of carbon and energy transfer.
Vegetation as a key driver of the distribution of microbial generalists that in turn shapes the overall microbial community structure in the low Arctic tundra
[10.1186/s40793-023-00498-6 | Wong et al. | Environmental Microbiome | 2023-05-10]
Plant communities help determine which microorganisms dominate tundra soils. Continued shifts in shrubs and other vegetation can consequently reorganize belowground biodiversity even where soil temperature and chemistry remain relatively similar.
Distinct growth responses of tundra soil bacteria to short-term and long-term warming
[10.1128/aem.01543-22 | Propster et al. | Applied and Environmental Microbiology | 2023-02-27]
Experimental warming shows that bacterial responses depend on how long higher temperatures persist. Short-term experiments may therefore fail to predict the microbial communities that eventually emerge under sustained Arctic warming.
Carbon emission and biodiversity of Arctic soil microbial communities of the Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land archipelagos
[10.3390/microorganisms11020482 | Namsaraev et al. | Microorganisms | 2023-02-15]
Microbial communities from remote Russian Arctic soils vary in diversity and metabolic activity. Their responses to warming are important because microorganisms regulate decomposition and determine how rapidly previously stored soil carbon can return to the atmosphere.
Long-term study of the tundra food web at a hotspot of Arctic biodiversity, the Bylot Island Field Station
[10.1139/as-2023-0029 | et al. | Arctic Science | 2023]
Decades of ecological monitoring on Bylot Island have tracked plants, lemmings, geese, foxes, snowy owls and other predators. Such long-term food-web records are essential for distinguishing population cycles from directional changes associated with warming.
Biodiversity and structure of microbial community in glacial melts and soil in the High Arctic Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard
[10.3390/microorganisms10101941 | Zhang et al. | Microorganisms | 2022-09-29]
Glacial meltwater and nearby soils contain distinct microbial assemblages. As Svalbard glaciers retreat, newly exposed landscapes and changing meltwater pathways will create ecological opportunities while altering existing microbial habitats.
Biocrusts from Iceland and Svalbard: does microbial community composition differ substantially?
[10.3389/fmicb.2022.1048522 | et al. | Frontiers in Microbiology | 2022]
Biological soil crusts contain complex communities of cyanobacteria, fungi and other microorganisms. Comparisons between Iceland and Svalbard provide information about how geography and climate shape these important but frequently overlooked terrestrial communities.
Fire disturbance promotes biodiversity of plants, lichens and birds in the Siberian subarctic tundra
[10.1111/gcb.15963 | Heim et al. | Global Change Biology | 2021-10-27]
Tundra wildfire increased habitat heterogeneity and, in this study system, promoted diversity among plants, lichens and birds. The findings show that ecological effects of increasing Arctic fire are complex and may vary with taxon, fire severity and recovery time.
Tundra type drives distinct trajectories of Arctic fungal communities in response to long-term experimental warming and increased snow depth
[10.3389/fmicb.2021.628746 | Geml et al. | Frontiers in Microbiology | 2021]
Fungal responses to experimental climate change differed among tundra vegetation types. Local ecological context therefore strongly influences how warming and increased winter snow will affect fungal diversity and belowground ecosystem processes.
Strong shifts in microbial community structure are associated with increased litter input rather than temperature in High Arctic soils
[10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.108054 | et al. | Soil Biology and Biochemistry | 2020-12]
Added plant litter produced stronger microbial changes than warming alone in High Arctic soil experiments. Vegetation expansion may consequently affect soil biodiversity indirectly by increasing the quantity and quality of organic material entering the ground.
Snow is an important control of plant community functional composition in oroarctic tundra
[10.1007/s00442-019-04508-8 | Happonen et al. | Oecologia | 2019-09-14]
Snow depth and persistence strongly influence which plant growth forms occupy tundra landscapes. Climate-driven shifts in snow can therefore reorganize vegetation even independently of direct summer-temperature effects.
The terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Edgeøya, Svalbard: Arctic landscape community composition reflects biogeography patterns
[10.1007/s00300-019-02471-x | Ávila-Jiménez et al. | Polar Biology | 2019-03-27]
Surveys on Edgeøya document mites, springtails, insects and other terrestrial invertebrates across High Arctic habitats. Distribution patterns reflect dispersal history and environmental conditions and provide valuable baseline data from an otherwise sparsely sampled island.
Climate adaptation is not enough: warming does not facilitate success of southern tundra plant populations in the high Arctic
[10.1111/gcb.13417 | Bjorkman et al. | Global Change Biology | 2017]
Experiments transferring tundra plants northward show that warmer conditions do not necessarily allow southern populations to thrive in High Arctic ecosystems. Soil, photoperiod, local adaptation and species interactions can continue limiting range expansion despite climatic warming.
Climate change and broad Arctic ecosystem change
Increases in Arctic extreme climatic events are linked to negative fitness effects on the local biota
[10.1111/gcb.70157 | Lemaire et al. | Global Change Biology | 2025-04-01]
Extreme weather can affect Arctic organisms more severely than gradual changes in average climate. Events such as winter warming, icing and unusual precipitation reduce survival or reproduction in some populations and may become increasingly important drivers of biodiversity change.
Response of Arctic biodiversity and ecosystem to environmental changes: findings from the ArCS project
[10.1016/j.polar.2020.100533 | Hirawake et al. | Polar Science | 2021-03]
The Japanese Arctic Challenge for Sustainability project combined marine and terrestrial studies to examine ecosystem responses to rapid environmental change. Findings span plankton, fish, seabirds, terrestrial organisms and changing physical conditions across multiple Arctic regions.
