A golden life: Ecology of breeding waders in low Lapland

Climate change is affecting ecosystems and species all over the world and scientists are on a race to try to discover those effects before is too late. Arctic ecosystems are believed to be extraordinary vulnerable to climate warming, especially as a small increase in temperature is expected to have relatively large impact (coined ‘arctic amplification’). Understanding the ecology of inhabitants of arctic ecosystems and effects of climate change is therefore urgent. I studied the breeding ecology of the Golden Plover in subarctic Lapland, in Sweden. More specifically I looked at the habitats the chicks used, their diet and food availability, as well as their growth and survival. In addition, I looked at the flight feather moult of the adults, and, in order to study the species’ whole annual cycle, also their migration pattern. I conclude that effects of climate change differ between annual cycle stages; it generally seems to negatively impact plovers during the breeding season but might benefit plovers during the winter. My study increased our knowledge of Golden Plovers and other shorebirds breeding in the Subarctic, which helps to predict effects of climate change, and developing conservation measures