Tag Archives: arctic

Open spaces: A new species of fly from the Yukon

Posted on February 5, 2016 by terry wheeler

There’s a little genus of small, rare flies that live in bird nests. They’re called Neossos, and a few years ago one of my former undergraduate students, Gregor Gilbert, pulled together what was known about the taxonomy and ecology of … Continue reading →

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Lines on a map. Dots on a map.

Posted on July 11, 2015 by terry wheeler

I’m crossing some lines in the Yukon. I’m searching for dots. Several lines drawn on maps define the Yukon for me. There’s a straight line across the bottom of the Territory that marks 60° north latitude. To many Canadians, “north” … Continue reading →

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Why the Yukon? My love of northern entomology

Posted on June 28, 2015 by terry wheeler

I’m north of 60° again. Back in Whitehorse, Yukon for the fourth time in five years, and getting ready to head north. Beyond Dawson City, beyond the trees, up the Dempster Highway to the tundra. I’m going to collect insects. … Continue reading →

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High fliers: a new paper on some new arctic flies

Posted on February 27, 2015 by terry wheeler

Many people see the arctic as a pretty barren place, with not much biological diversity. In fact, one of the most well-known patterns in ecology — the latitudinal diversity gradient — incorporates that idea. As you leave the tropics and … Continue reading →

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Spiders with an identity crisis: a new taxonomy paper

Posted on November 12, 2014 by terry wheeler

Two wolf spiders, whose names are Pardosa lapponica and Pardosa concinna, run across open ground all over northern Canada. Here’s the problem: these two species of spiders live in a lot of the same places, and they look very similar. Katie … Continue reading →

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Twin Lakes: random thoughts on Yukon fieldwork

Posted on July 25, 2013 by terry wheeler

23 July, late at night: My three week field trip to the Yukon Territory is drawing to a close and we’re back at Twin Lakes Campground, on the Klondike Highway between Whitehorse and Carmacks. By the end of this trip … Continue reading →

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Yukon Ho! The quest for northern flies continues

Posted on July 22, 2013 by terry wheeler

Since 2009 I’ve been part of the Northern Biodiversity Program, a collaborative project with some excellent colleagues and a whole team of fantastic students. We collected a arthropods at 12 sites in northern Canada so we could start addressing some … Continue reading →

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“Mastering” northern flies: another student crosses the finish line

Posted on June 8, 2013 by terry wheeler

I’ve written previously about our work on the flies from the Northern Biodiversity Program (the joys of collecting them, and the challenge of processing them). Three years, tons of travel, a mind-boggling number of hours in the lab, and more … Continue reading →

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Summarizing your research, with a catch

Posted on February 25, 2013 by terry wheeler

It’s important for scientists to be able to explain what we do to a broad audience, not just other scientists. After all, depending on the research we do and how we do it, those non-scientists are the people who pay … Continue reading →

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Two new papers: insects in harsh places

Posted on January 28, 2013 by terry wheeler

Two new papers on insect ecology from the Lyman group appeared this week: one in print, and one new paper in press. Amélie Grégoire Taillefer’s new paper in Restoration Ecology (see Grégoire Taillefer & Wheeler 2013 in Publications) is a … Continue reading →

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