Discovering new biomarkers to track treeline movement
We are developing new biomarker discovery techniques to map how treeline has shifted and migrated over thousands of years.
The global climate influences all aspects of our integrated ecosystems. A recent report by the IPCC in 2017 showed the extent that climate change is affecting global ecosystems and its effects are being felt especially in polar regions. Rising temperatures are a concern as they herald the beginning of large shifts in ecosystem function and services that could cost the Canadian economy billions of tax dollars every year.
One way to better understand future climate change scenarios is to look at how climate has changed in the past. Lake sediments have been documenting the effects of climate change for thousands of years because sediments accumulate slowly over time, recording the details of climate change in chemical and biological records. Our challenge is to learn how to read these natural records, much like archeologists in past centuries learned to read the ancient hieroglyphs so they could decipher the ancient papyrus documents in Egypt. In order to reconstruct past climate change, we need to know how to read what is written in chemical and biological signatures recorded in these lake sediment deposits.
In the Blais lab, we are developing new ways to read lake sediment records using new technologies and statistical techniques. Our method is being pioneered by Madison Bell, a PhD candidate who is exploring a ‘non-targeted’ analytical approach that allows us to determine what lake sediment markers are found commonly and exclusively in certain environments, such as above or below treeline. To do this, we are collaborating with phytochemists and soil experts who have been developing phytochemical libraries and biomarker discovery approaches to assist in identifying biomarkers in lake sediments.
Landscape north of Inuvik, NWT, Canada, immediately above tree line. Photo: Linda Kimpe
The treeline is an important Arctic feature that could be used to reconstruct how ecosystems have changed over time in relation to climatic changes. Recently, the treeline has been moving northward due to rising temperatures, and tundra ecosystems have been losing ground against this invading front.
These new methods will help us better understand how treelines have shifted in relation to past changes in climate. Ultimately, a better understanding of the factors that affect treeline will help us anticipate future changes in Canada’s northern landscapes.
