Community-based monitoring reveals responses of aquatic bacterial communities to environmental change around Fort Good Hope and Ts’ude Niline Tuyeta, NT

Climate change and associated landscape-level changes are placing severe pressures on northern aquatic resources. In particular, accelerated degradation of permafrost, has led to the drainage or expansion of permafrost lakes and ponds that vary in their nature and characteristics. In parallel, wildfire frequency has increased causing additional pressure on water resources. Across the Sahtú Settlement Area, effects of permafrost thaw and wildfire on aquatic resources are already being observed. It remains unclear, however, how aquatic ecosystems will respond to these environmental changes. As part of a community-based initiative, we performed sampling with the K'ahsho Got'ine Foundation Guardians within Ts'ude Niline Tu'eyeta, a relatively pristine landscape, protected from direct human impacts in the vicinity of Fort Good Hope, NT. We sampled lakes that vary in their geomorphic setting, permafrost conditions and exposure to perturbation in order to validate whether they would also differ on their chemical and biological characteristics. Specifically, we characterized bacterial communities by Illumina sequencing, the dissolved organic matter by its optical characteristics as well as water chemistry. Preliminary results showed that distinct bacterial assemblages were identified among the different lakes, reflecting the local environmental conditions. This project is directly addressing concerns about changes in aquatic ecosystems expressed by community members in Fort Good Hope and will help ensure the capacity of the Guardians to conduct long-term monitoring.

Primary Presenter: Jérôme Comte, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (jerome.comte@inrs.ca)

Authors:

Jérôme Comte, Institut national de la recherche scientifique  (jerome.comte@inrs.ca)

Danny Masuzumi, K'ahsho Got'ine Foundation  (danny.masuzumi@kg-f.ca)

Christophe Langevin, Institut national de la recherche scientifique  (christophe.langevin@inrs.ca)

Thomas Deschênes, Institut national de la recherche scientifique  (thomas.deschenes@inrs.ca)

Nigel Rossouw, Aurora research institute  (nrossouw@auroracollege.nt.ca)

Steven Kokelj, Northwest Territories geological survey  (steve_kokelj@gov.nt.ca)

Mike Palmer, Aurora research institute  (mpalmer@auroracollege.nt.ca)

Kirsty Gurney, Environment Climate Change Canada  (kirsty.gurney@ec.gc.ca)