Steve Coulson
 Photo:- María Luisa Ávila Jiménez
|
 |
I
joined UNIS in November 2005 but have conducted ecological fieldwork at Ny-Ålesund since 1991. Between 2006 and 2008 I was departmental leader of the Biology Department. Research interests include the terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Svalbard, community structure and the overwintering strategies.
A checklist of the terrestrial invertebrate species can be found here.
This list is compiled from over 500 references and will be updated as new articles appear. The list currently largely describes the fauna of the west coast and few articles detail the invertebrate communities of the more remote and colder west coast.
Current projects
Terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Svalbard.
The aphid (bladlus) Acyrthosiphon svalbardicum on Dryas octapetala, Blomstrandhalvøya, Kongsfjord.
Sites where invertebrate fauna has been studied. The fauna of the east coast, Nordaustlandet and the interior are for the main part unknown.
The current known terrestrial fauna
consists of over 1,200
species. However, the fauna has only been described in detail from the Longyearbyen region and Ny-Ålesund. There have been almost no studies published from the east coast or Nordaustlandet. With very different
wind and current dirrections influencing where immigrating species originate from and a harsher climate it is likely that the invertebrate community of this region is unlike that of the west coast.
The collembolan Onychiurus arcticus under stones. Stuphallet, Kongsfjord.
Apamea maillardi, Fjortendejulibre, Krossfjord.
Dipteran on Dryas octopetala, Sassendalen.
The soil oribatid mite, Ameronothrus lineatus.
Biodiversity and biogeography of the invertebrate fauna of the Arctic.
This forms the basic theme of my research. It also forms the basis of the PhD project of María Luisa Ávila Jiménez. Here we are describing and mapping the current fauna of Svalbard. While there are over 1,100 invertebrate species recognized from Svalbard (Coulson 2007) this fauna is poorly understood. We will also investigate dispersal to Svalbard using a range of genetic techniques in the new UNIS DNA lab. Sub-projects will include wintering ecophysiology, local biogeography and identification and description of new species
Invertebrate colonisation of Svalbard.
It is hypothesized that the invertebrate fauna on the cold east coast of Svalbard will be influenced by immigration pathways from the east and north east with the prevailing winds and ocean currents in contrast to the south and south westerly currents and winds that dominate the mild west coast. There are extremely few records of the invertebrate fauna from the east coast, almost all coming from the vicinity of Longyearbyen, Ny-Ålesund and a few from Hornsund and it is expected that the east coast / Nordaustlandet community will include new species (Fjellberg 1997). This project will aim to detail the invertebrate communities on the east coast, including several localities on Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. Data will be used to propose the source populations for the faunas and better improve our knowledge of the invertebrate fauna of Svalbard. Samples will be preserved for genetic analysis. Collaboration with the botanists investigating similar problems in plant dispersal (Dr. Inger Alsos) will enable the genetic work to proceed.
Kinnvika Station, Nordaustlandet, August '07
Maria Luisa Ávila Jiménez
(Malu) pooting for invertebrates.
Leaving Kinnvika August 21st '07
This project also involves publishing and updating the species records for Svalbard. To this end collaboration has been initiated with various taxonomists in Europe and North America. A manuscript describing a species Collembola previously uinknown from Svalbard has been accepted into Norw. J. Entomol. (Ávila-Jiménez et al. in press).
The invertebrate community infesting seabirds and their nests.
There is little known about the invertebrate fauna of sea bird nests and almost nothing from the Arctic. During July 2007 and an opportunity arose to sample the nests of kittiwakes, glaucous gulls and eiders in Kongsfjord and Krossfjord with Geir Wing Gabrielsen (NPI) and examine adult birds for the tick Ixodes uriae (Fig 11) which, prior to 2007, was not known from Spitsbergen. During this week an UNIS student acted as a field assistant and was involved in all aspects of the work. I returned to work with Gabrielsen and his group in July 2008 and have collected a number of ticks which will be used as the basis for a project to determine winter cold hardiness. In addition, masters projects linked between UNIS and NPI are foreseen investigating the influence of pollutant load on the immune system of the seabirds and the consequent effects on parasite load.
Sampling kittiwake nests in Kongsfjord, July '07 
Gry Gasbjerg and Geir Wing Gabrielsen examine a kittiwake for invertebrates. July '07
The microbial diversity of Svalbard
ARCFAC V group on steps of the NERC station in Ny-Ålesund, August ’07. Right to left: Prof Bill Sloan University of Glasgow; Prof Jessica Green University of California Merced, Dr. Steve Coulson UNIS, Prof Tom Curtis University ofN ewcastle,Dr Lise Øvreås University of Bergen.
Sampling in Krossfjord, August 2007
Sampling in Kongsfjord, August 2007.
Visualising the microbes, Marine Lab, Ny-Ålesund.
The diversity and formation of microbial communities is largely unexplored. There is evidence that polar soils in general, and Ny-Ålesund soils in particular, could be some of the most diverse microbial communities on the planet. The study aims to describe this diversity and unpick the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, in particular the role of: growth, death, evolution and immigration. |
| |
Survival through the Arctic winter: How gastrointestinal nematodes influence fitness in Svalbard reindeer
Kongsfjord, August 2007
Two research themes are addressed to the reindeer.
a) The mating system of Svalbard reindeer. Two masters students are working on two related projects; i) Effects of female age and reproductive history on their choice of males, harem size, spatial movements, mating period and behaviour and ii) Effects of male age and antler size on harem size, behaviour during the rutting season and reproductive effort. A wide range of mating systems is found among wild ungulates. Much of the observed variation has been suggested to be due to variation in the distribution of resources causing different patterns in the density and spatial distribution of females available for the males The mating system of Svalbard reindeer has not been described previously, and since females do not form large herds nor are migratory, the mating system may very well differ from both what described for semi-domesticated reindeer and barren-ground caribou. The objectives of the two master projects at UNIS will be to characterise the mating system of this (sub-) species.
b) Survival through the Arctic winter: How gastrointestinal nematodes influence fitness in Svalbard reindeer. Parasites have the potential to regulate the size of their host’s population. However, few field studies have demonstrated population regulation by macroparasites. One possible exception to this is a long-term field study of the reindeer and their nematode parasites on Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago, Norway (78°N),. This PhD will study the interaction between the nematode parasite, Marshallagia marshalli, and its reindeer host, focussing on the impact of the parasite on reindeer survival and reproduction. Anja Carlsson who has been appointed on this project will be based at the University of Lancaster but with extensive field work at UNIS.
SPIDER
(Svalbard Pictographic Invertebrate Database and Educational Resource)
Link to SPIDER homepage
This will be web site presenting a description, with photographs, of the Svalbard invertebrate fauna. The main objectives of this initiative are two fold:-
1) Provide an important information and educational resource to inform the local population about the invertebrate fauna of Svalbard, including Longyearbyen Skole, the local tourist organizations and Sysselmannen
2) Map and document this fauna.
The webpage will provide a focus for the information gathering on the distribution and communities of invertebrates on Svalbard extending the checklist.
During summer 2008 the picture gallery was commenced. The contract with the web designer has been agreed and they have started to construct the web page. It is planned to launch the initial page during the Kunstpause to link in with Pål Hermansen’s exhibition and role out the completed pages during 2009.
An undescribed aphid on Svalbard: Pemphigus sp.
Unknown Pemphigus species on roots of Poa. 
Currently only two species of aphid are known to be resident on Svalbard. Both are endemics. Recently, viviparae of a third resident species were collected. However, it is not possible to determine the species without the alate morph. Aphids were collected during 2008 with the aim of a) describing the lifecycle, b) obtaining alates by which to identify the species. Genetic approaches will also be employed comparing this species to likely candidate from Greenland, Pemphigus groenlandicus.
Gut flora of Arctic Collembola.
The collembolan Onychiurus arcticus (Megaphorura artica) is common under the birdcliffs on Svalbard.
Little is known about the gut flora of Collembola, one reason being the small size. However, at 3 mm in length this species is large enough to enable gut studies to be performed. Animals have been obtained from seven different birdcliffs on the west coast of Svalbard. In collaboration with Dr. David Pearce at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, UK, we will investigate the microbial flora of this arthropod. The results will be assessed with consideration of the ecology of the animal, including population isolation.
Nunatak fauna of West Spitsbergen
Samples have been taken from the summit of c. 50 nunataks in West Spitsbergen (Fig 15) in collaboration with the Norwegian Polar Institute. These will be analyzed to determine community composition. Genetic analysis techniques will be employed to determine the degree of isolation of these peaks and the age of the local populations.
Gamasid mite fauna of Svalbard
Zercon sp. (Gamasida: Zerconidae) The Gamasidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) are a poorly known but diverse group of mites. Several species are endemic to Svalbard, for example Zercon forslundi and Arctoseius laterincisus. A. laterincisus is the type species for the genus. Few taxonomist specialize in this group. However, I have started to work Dr. D. Gwiazdowicz (August Cieszkowski Agricultural University, Poznań) who has written keys to this group. We have instigated several small studies to better understand the gamasid mite fauna of Svalbard.
The effect of multiple freeze thaw-cycles on the survival of an overwintering freeze tolerance insect
We are also commencing a winter survival experiment on three species of invertebrate in collaboration with Dr. M.R. Worland (British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK). During the summer Malu and I collected large numbers of three species of invertebrates. These will be subjected to a range of experimental regimes as well as field trials during the winter 2008/09. Samples will be taken at various points throughout the winter to determine cryoprotectant content. These samples will be taken to B.A.S. in 2009 and cryoprotectant levels measured under the supervision of Dr. Worland. During the same visit there will be an additional project with Dr. David Pearce investigating the gut microbiology of Collembola from Svalbard and Antarctica. Permission has also been obtained to import this species from the UK. Arrangements have been made with the Scottish National Heritage to sample from their Cairngorm Estate in the summer 2009. This will enable a comparison of the cold tolerance of a UK population and that from the High Arctic.
The influence of date of snow clearance on the local distribution of the aphid Acyrthosiphon svalbardicum
This aphid feeds on mountain avens (Dryas octopetula). However, the aphid is more restricted locally and is not found occupying all Dryas patches.
 Presence or absence of aphids on the Dryas patches, Kongsfjord. Green indicates patches with aphids, red patches with no aphids. After Strathdee and Bale 1995. Strathdee and Bale (1995) suggested that it was the date of snow clearance that was the determing factor. Where snow is deep the snow melts so late in the summer that the aphid does not have time to hatch from the egg, mature and lay new overwintering eggs. Only where the snow is thin and melts early is the summer of guaranteed duration for the aphid to persist.
To test this, a project was begun in April 2009 (supported by ARCFAC funding) to investigate any relationship between winter snow depth (proxy for date of clearance) and presence of the aphid on Dryas. Snow depthe was measured in April 2009 along the ridges originally surveyed by Strathdee and Bale.
Looking west along the Gluudneset ridge towards Ny-Ålesund. April 2009.
María Luisa Ávila Jiménez
using a differential GPS and avalance probe to map snow depths. Note the small Dryas leave poking out above the thin snow close to GPS pole.
 Only a few metres from the first picture and the 2.5m long avalance probe only just reaches the ground
In August 2009 the distribution of the aphid will be assessed and compared to the snow depths. This will be repeated in subsequent years to better determine if the duration of the summer period is the controlling factor for the local distribution of the aphid and what the possible consequences of climate change may be.
The Invertebrate Fauna of Edgeøya and Hopen.
Little is known about the invertebrate fauna of Hopen and nothing from Edgeøya. Current fieldwork supported by funding from the Arctic Stipend and Svalbard Environmental Fund will aim at describing these regions for the first time.
Svalbard showing the location of Edgeøya and Hopen.
The invertebrate fauna of Svalbard is only known from the west coast. This is the milder coast of Svalbard due to the influence a branch of the North Atlantic Drift. The east coast, including Edgeøya and Hopen is influenced by southerly flowing Arctic waters originating from the Siberian coast. It is therefore of importance to assess the fauna of this cold extreme region which may have significant differences to the ecology of the west coast.
The team sampling on Edgeøya, July 2009.
AVIFauna (Avian Vectors of Invertebrate Faunas)(Nor-Russ NFR funded)
The history of invertebrate colonization of the Arctic following the last glacial maxima is unclear. It is likely that few, if any, invertebrate species survived the glaciation in situ but that all re-invaded the Arctic during the recent Holocene, that is, the past 10,000 years. In the Svalbard archipelago today the total number of terrestrial and freshwater invertebrate species numbers some 1,100 (Coulson 2007). However, since this list is only representative of two locations on the west coast the total number of species present is likely to be significantly greater. Of these 1,100 species, there are around 60 species of Collembola and 85 species of oribatid mite. Several routes by which the fauna could have arrived in Svalbard have been proposed, for example rafting, aerial plankton, with human traffic and birds (Coulson et al. 2002a,b). Human traffic which has a not inconsiderable role to play in plant colonization in the Arctic (Inger Greve Alsos pers. comm.), has clear significance in invertebrate colonization events in the maritime Antarctic (Frenot et al. 2005) and may also be important in the spread of invertebrates in the Arctic. The remaining methods include two which are random, wind and ocean, and one which is directed, bird migration.
PROBLEM AND HYPOTHESES.
This project aims to describe and quantify the role of avian phoresy in the dispersal and colonization of high latitudes by soil invertebrates which are not normally considered to be phoretic, primarily oribatid mites and Collembola (Norton 1980, Krantz and Walter 2009, Hopkin 1997). It is widely accepted that that these soil dwelling creatures may accidentally attach themselves to birds and so may be spread to new localities during foraging of their inadvertent host or, perhaps more importantly, during bird migration events. It was hence generally assumed however that the incidence of these miocroarthropods on birds was low since the soil animals would try and leave the ‘host’ at the first opportunity and return to their ‘normal’ habitat. However, new work published during the last four years has indicated that these invertebrates are often very common on the birds (Krivolutsky and Lebedeva 2004, Lebedeva et al. 2006). Indeed, there is evidence that they may complete whole lifecycles on the birds. While remaining controversial, this theory does have some substance. Conditions under the feathers and close to the skin would seem to be ideal for these soil organisms being warm, protected and with a ample food supply in the form of dead organic matter (sloughed skin flakes) and fungal hyphae, both of which form the natural food types for these microarthropods in the soil. Nonetheless, to date there has been no concerted effort to determine the importance of this dispersal to the creation of Arctic soil microarthropod diversity.
One problematical area is determining the origin of the soil animals recovered from the birds. To solve this, soil animals found on the birds will be compared genetically to those collected in ornithogenic soils on Svalbard and to populations sampled from areas with less avian influence. These samples will resolve whether the animals on the birds come from the local population or from an unknown source population. In addition, it will also be possible to determine if the ornithogenic soils provide a favourable microhabitat for colonizing species as has been suggested (Coulson et al. 2009).
This project addresses three key hypotheses concerning dispersal to and colonization of Svalbard by the soil microarthropod community. The data gathered will have an importance to island biogeography theory not only in polar areas. This is especially important in an era of environmental change.
Collaborating institutions:-Organisations involved are the Southern Science Centre (Rostov-on-Don, Natalia Lebedeva and Dmitry Vodolazhsky), Institute of Biology Komi Science Center (IB KSC UD RAS, Elena Melekhina and Anastasia Taskaeva) , Norwegian Polar Institute (Geir W. Gabrielsen), University Centre on Svalbard (Stephen J. Coulson) University of Bergen (Torstein Solhøy) and University of Groningen, Arctic Centre (AC RuG, Maarten J.J.E. Loonen). This group therefore contains researchers drawn from six institutions (plus Arne Fjellberg)
Terrestrial Invertebrate Fauna of Svalbard Workshop - tentative schedule 2010 (Nor-Rus NFR funded)
Aim of Workshop
The aim of the workshop is to gather invertebrate specialists working on Svalbard in one room to discuss current research, review current knowledge and discuss future projects including resolving the current taxonomic problems. It is expected that the Workshop will consist of no more than 20 participants.
The Workshop will provide the opportunity for researchers from Norway and Russia to meet and discuss current and future projects on Svalbard. Visits to the Russian research station in Barentsburg and a full briefing on facilities in Ny-Ålesund will enable workers to have an overview of research possibilities. The recent Ny-Ålesund Terrestrial Ecosystems Flagship workshop in Oslo highlighted the need for better baseline knowledge and manipulative projects. This workshop will aim to develop this theme with concrete collaborative efforts.
Sticky trap monitoring of aerial activity of flightless invertebrates: the meteorological conditions determining take-off
A sticky trap system is to be established close to a weather station in Adventdalen. This will be used to trap aerial invertebrates during the summer 2010. By comparing trap catch with local meteorological conditions it will be possible to dteremine the boundary layer conditions required for these animals to becoome flighted.
|
