Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 14:59
Forums
Predatory Spiders in the Arctic Food Web

I realize that this expedition centers around discovering the wolf spider's influence on the environment in the Arctic, but what I don't understand is, once you've figured out their role/importance, how is this information relevant? Does it help to better the Arctic's current condition? Does it give more insight into the reasons/effects of climate change?

Thanks, Krista P.

Tue, 06/12/2012 - 10:53

Nick LaFave

Good question Krista! The study could provide some insight to the effects of a changing climate. We're also just trying to learn more about how changing variables (like wolf spider populations) effects food webs to improve our understanding of Arctic ecosystems. The project is also interesting because we are thinking about how small animals effect important ecosystem functions such as decomposition. What we find here in this ecosystem could potentially help inform above and below ground interactions in other ecosystems too. Thanks for the question!