Arctic temperatures are rising at twice the rate of the global average. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) believes that if emissions go unchecked, temperatures can soar 2.6-4.80C higher by 2080-2100.
Arctic mosquitoes, unlike their temperate counterparts, do not carry diseases known to be dangerous to humans. Arctic mosquito eggs develop in ponds and hatch with the May ice melt. The warm temperature shortens the development period of the unseasonal hatchlings. Since they were most vulnerable to predators during the development time, their chances of surviving until adulthood now increase.
Lauren Culler, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at Dartmouth's Dickey Center Institute of Arctic Studies, said, “Temperature has such a strong effect on almost all biological systems. We don't know as much about the Arctic as other ecosystems. But given the Arctic is changing so rapidly, having a baseline data set is going to be really important for anticipating future changes. We can learn a lot about ecological theories from studying these mosquitoes but we can also begin to anticipate impacts on human systems."
Rising mosquito numbers will likely affect caribou and reindeer herds too. These mammals are one of the main food resources for Arctic communities. The former is known to change its behaviour in response to harassment from the biting insects by abandoning areas for more isolated ones. This leaves the caribou with less time and energy to spend on finding food.
Prof. Pete Convey, a polar terrestrial ecologist at the British Antarctic Survey, elucidates, “It could be quite an important impact in terms of the amount of damage caused to a large mammal - one thing about the Arctic is there is a spectacular amount of biting flies there so they do have an impact on their prey. Although, until we have field data, you can't prove that."
The researchers collected samples from ponds in Western Greenland in 2011 and 2012 and conducted laboratory experiments to measure development in different temperatures. In this way, they could create models to predict future climate change scenarios and its effect. The study predicts that the change could affect species, like migratory birds, that prey on the mosquitoes. If the insects emerge long before chicks hatch, their growth could be inhibited by the drop in available food.
