2022 LTER All Scientists' Meeting

Sentinel taxa represent groups of organisms that regulate or perform critical function(s) in ecosystems. Sentinel taxa often exhibit high sensitivity to environmental disturbance, such that surveillance of these taxa can be used to assess ecosystem health under changing climate or other environmental perturbation. For example, microorganisms have been recognized as excellent potential sentinels or indicator species, owing to their rapid responses to environmental perturbations and their critical roles in carbon and nutrient cycling in all food webs. Multiple examples of sentinel organisms have been described across LTER sites; however, there is a lack of synthesis in cross-site comparisons. This workshop will synthesize work on identification and surveillance of sentinel taxa across LTER sites, with the goal of identifying good candidates for sentinels as cross-site bioindicators of ecosystem health and response to environmental change.

Speakers:
Rachael Morgan-Kiss (organizer, MCM)
Byron Adams (organizer, MCM)

Lightning talk speakers:
Lydia Zeglin (KNZ)
Devon Popson (MCM) - Chlorophytes  in MCM lakes
Sarah Power (MCM) - Cilliates in MCM lakes
Airy Adriana Peralta (NWT) - Pika in NWT
Megan Cimino (PAL) - Seabirds at PAL