The current ecological
studies on Bylot Island started in 1988 as a joint collaboration
between Université
Laval (Centre
d’études nordiques) and the Canadian
Wildlife Service (Québec region). Before that,
several other biologists had visited the island to conduct
some ecological research, especially on the rich bird life
of the island. This includes the pioneering work of J. VanTyne,
W.H. Drury, L. Lemieux and L.M. Tuck in the 1950s, and more
recently the work of J.D. Heyland and H. Boyd in the early
1970s. However, the current project is the longest and most
intensive scientific investigation ever conducted on the
island.
The large colony of Greater Snow Geese
breeding on the island was the incentive to start the project.
Because the population was growing rapidly during the 1980s,
there was fear that this could negatively impact the Arctic
tundra. |
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The initial goals of
the study were to initiate a demographic study of the population
through a long-term marking program, and to assess the impact
of goose grazing on the tundra vegetation. However, over the
years, the research program has broadened considerably and now includes
many other components of the terrestrial ecosystem. A central
theme of the project is now to study the trophic interactions
(interactions between plant, herbivores and predators) in the
context of global change. Thus, in addition to geese, foxes,
lemmings, other bird species and the vegetation are now part of our
investigations.
We are also interested in understanding how anticipated climate
change may impact the animal and plant communities of the tundra.
The present web site presents an overview of the ecological studies
and monitoring conducted on Bylot Island by the Centre
d’études nordiques and its collaborators over
the last 19 years. We present in simple language general information
on the ecosystem as well as more detailed results coming from
our long-term investigation. We also assess the temporal and spatial
variability in the climate of North Baffin Island in order to
detect changes that may have occurred in recent decades. We further
examine for the presence of long-term trends in our ecological
data and evaluate how these could be related to climate change.
Over the years, the Bylot Island research project has grown into
one of the largest and longest ecological studies in Nunavut.
The site is also part of several national and international research
network including EMAN
(Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network), EMAN-North,
the International
Tundra Experiment (ITEX), and ArcticNet
and ArcticWOLVES.

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