Cambridge Bay Soil Invertebrate Biodiversity

Six soil sites near the Canadian High Arctic Research Station were sequenced to provide a first estimate of below-ground invertebrate diversity. General 18S primers were used to identify a broad range of invertebrates such as insects, collembolans and nematodes to characterize the communities present at these 6 sites. Sites were selected to include a range of different vegetation types, including a scale from very mineral barely vegetated soil to soils dominated by tundra-type vegetation such as Carex sp. and mosses.