Can an entire Arctic ecosystem evolve to adapt to the climate crisis? — SkimNews
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- Evome project – A $15 million, six-year National Science Foundation effort called the Evolving Meta-Ecosystems Institute involves 50 scientists studying five species—white-crowned sparrow, feltleaf willow, Arctic grayling, mayfly, and ground beetle—across 15 field sites along roughly 190 miles of the Dalton Highway.
- Arctic grayling – The 'crown jewel' of the study connect watersheds by shuttling nutrients between streams and lakes, but are exceptionally vulnerable to earlier snowmelt, drier summers that strand migrating fish in isolated pools, and a strict need for cold water to develop.
- Shrubification – Willow shrubs expanding along Arctic rivers are reshaping stream habitats; Woodwell researcher Andie Norton explains that shadier streams produce less algae to feed mayflies and caddisflies, though leaf-shredding stoneflies might benefit from more willow foliage.
- Pilot experiment – University of Alaska Fairbanks students Matthew Zimmerman and Roberto Ponce Velez collected fertilized grayling eggs from two sites whose spawning temperatures differed by 6°C (Brooks Range versus Chena River), then placed them in tanks ranging 4°C–20°C; more than half the eggs perished on the rough Dalton Highway transit.
- Adaptive evolution findings – Evolutionary biologist Mark Urban of the University of Connecticut said 'across hundreds of experiments, we have seen this happening' and called evolution's buffer ability 'incredible,' though lead scientist Linda Deegan of Woodwell cautioned the optimistic ecosystem outcome is 'only a best guess.'
Why it matters: This first-of-its-kind project will determine whether evolution can preserve whole ecosystems through species interconnections rather than individual survival alone. With the Arctic warming faster than anywhere on Earth, Linda Deegan says the six-year findings will inform how ecosystems worldwide 'might be able to withstand the climate crisis.'
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