Arctic Science (Sep 2017)
The Beringian Coevolution Project: holistic collections of mammals and associated parasites reveal novel perspectives on evolutionary and environmental change in the North
- Joseph A. Cook,
- Kurt E. Galbreath,
- Kayce C. Bell,
- Mariel L. Campbell,
- Suzanne Carrière,
- Jocelyn P. Colella,
- Natalie G. Dawson,
- Jonathan L. Dunnum,
- Ralph P. Eckerlin,
- Vadim Fedorov,
- Stephen E. Greiman,
- Genevieve M.S. Haas,
- Voitto Haukisalmi,
- Heikki Henttonen,
- Andrew G. Hope,
- Donavan Jackson,
- Thomas S. Jung,
- Anson V. Koehler,
- John M. Kinsella,
- Dianna Krejsa,
- Susan J. Kutz,
- Schuyler Liphardt,
- S. O. MacDonald,
- Jason L. Malaney,
- Arseny Makarikov,
- Jon Martin,
- Bryan S. McLean,
- Robert Mulders,
- Batsaikhan Nyamsuren,
- Sandra L. Talbot,
- Vasyl V. Tkach,
- Albina Tsvetkova,
- Heather M. Toman,
- Eric C. Waltari,
- Jackson S. Whitman,
- Eric P. Hoberg
Affiliations
- Joseph A. Cook
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Kurt E. Galbreath
- Biology Department, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
- Kayce C. Bell
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Mariel L. Campbell
- Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Suzanne Carrière
- Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
- Jocelyn P. Colella
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Natalie G. Dawson
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- Jonathan L. Dunnum
- Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Ralph P. Eckerlin
- Mathematics, Science and Engineering Division, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, VA, USA
- Vadim Fedorov
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
- Stephen E. Greiman
- Biology Department, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
- Genevieve M.S. Haas
- Biology Department, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
- Voitto Haukisalmi
- Tampere, Finland
- Heikki Henttonen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
- Andrew G. Hope
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
- Donavan Jackson
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Thomas S. Jung
- Yukon Department of Environment, Whitehorse, YT, Canada
- Anson V. Koehler
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- John M. Kinsella
- HelmWest Laboratory, Missoula, MT, USA
- Dianna Krejsa
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Susan J. Kutz
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Schuyler Liphardt
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- S. O. MacDonald
- Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Jason L. Malaney
- Department of Biology, Austin Peay State University, TN, USA
- Arseny Makarikov
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
- Jon Martin
- University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka, AK, USA
- Bryan S. McLean
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Robert Mulders
- Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
- Batsaikhan Nyamsuren
- Department of Biology, National University of Mongolia, Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia
- Sandra L. Talbot
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK, USA
- Vasyl V. Tkach
- Biology Department, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
- Albina Tsvetkova
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution A.N. Severtsov RAS, Saratov, Russia
- Heather M. Toman
- Biology Department, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
- Eric C. Waltari
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, NY, USA
- Jackson S. Whitman
- Tendoy, ID, USA
- Eric P. Hoberg
- Animal Parasitic Disease Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2016-0042
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 3,
no. 3
pp. 585 – 617
Abstract
The Beringian Coevolution Project (BCP), a field program underway in the high northern latitudes since 1999, has focused on building key scientific infrastructure for integrated specimen-based studies on mammals and their associated parasites. BCP has contributed new insights across temporal and spatial scales into how ancient climate and environmental change have shaped faunas, emphasizing processes of assembly, persistence, and diversification across the vast Beringian region. BCP collections also represent baseline records of biotic diversity from across the northern high latitudes at a time of accelerated environmental change. These specimens and associated data form an unmatched resource for identifying hidden diversity, interpreting past responses to climate oscillations, documenting contemporary conditions, and anticipating outcomes for complex biological systems in a regime of ecological perturbation. Because of its dual focus on hosts and parasites, the BCP record also provides a foundation for comparative analyses that can document the effects of dynamic change on the geographic distribution, transmission dynamics, and emergence of pathogens. By using specific examples from carnivores, eulipotyphlans, lagomorphs, rodents, ungulates, and their associated parasites, we demonstrate how broad, integrated field collections provide permanent infrastructure that informs policy decisions regarding human impact and the effect of climate change on natural populations.
Keywords
- arctic
- beringia
- bioinformatics
- climate change
- ecological perturbation
- geographic and host colonization
- museum specimen archives
