A multi-year, multi-institutional collaboration called the Evolving Meta-Ecosystems (EVOME) is taking a close look at adaptive evolution in rapidly warming Arctic ecosystems.

Kicking off this year’s field season at the end of May from the Toolik Field Station, the researchers continued their study of how prominent plant and animal species within the closely-knit Arctic upland and river food webs adapt. For this, the team is studying how genetic changes can spark changes throughout coupled ecosystems.

With this holistic approach, the EVOME team including UConn Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology researchers professor Mark Urban, associate professor Jill Wegrzyn, postdoctoral researcher Brandon Lind, research associate Dana Drake, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology professor Rachel O’Neill, and multiple graduate students, is hoping insights gained from the Arctic can inform how other ecosystems across the globe may respond to the climate crisis.

The dramatic changes happening in the Arctic are often far removed from the public eye and the team is working to change this by inviting journalists into the field to learn about and experience the research process alongside the scientists. A recent Guardian article  detailed this impactful collaboration.

Drawing attention to the impacts of the climate crisis in the arctic is an important component of EVOME. Six journalists joined the team in late June to learn about the project so they could spotlight their experiences for the public.

The researchers are also looking at how the Arctic grayling is adapting to changes in the ecosystem that impact how the fish overwinter in bodies of water and migrate in waterways.