HEBERT, P. D. N.; University of Guelph: Life in Polar Waters

Despite its status as a precipitation desert, Canada’s north is awash in freshwater. Like other arctic life, the organisms in these environments have been regarded as recent immigrants from glacial refugia in the south or west. Following a brief examination of the biogeographic patterning of life in polar waters, this presentation considers the novel insights that have been gained through recent studies in molecular evolution. Aside from new details concerning dispersal corridors, these analyses have revealed both the surprising complexity of polar life and the persistence of many species in regions remote from major glacial refugia. These results have important implications as we move to mitigate and evaluate the biological impacts of climate change.