Reindeer grazing reduces seed and propagule bank in the High Arctic
It is commonly assumed that plant establishment in the High Arctic is limited by severe abiotic conditions and by a paucity of propagules and seeds. Heavy reindeer grazing may reduce plant allocation to reproduction and removes significant proportions of flowers and seeds, thus reducing contribution...
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crcansciencepubl:10.1139/b06-127 2023-12-17T10:25:00+01:00 Reindeer grazing reduces seed and propagule bank in the High Arctic Cooper, Elisabeth J. 2006 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b06-127 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/b06-127 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b06-127 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Botany volume 84, issue 11, page 1740-1752 ISSN 0008-4026 Plant Science journal-article 2006 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/b06-127 2023-11-19T13:38:58Z It is commonly assumed that plant establishment in the High Arctic is limited by severe abiotic conditions and by a paucity of propagules and seeds. Heavy reindeer grazing may reduce plant allocation to reproduction and removes significant proportions of flowers and seeds, thus reducing contributions to seed rain and seed bank. In contrast, foraging and trampling may break up existing mature plants, increasing the vegetative propagules in the soil. To determine the effect of grazing on colonization potential in the High Arctic, two studies were carried out: (i) a comparison of seed bank inside and outside three long-term reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus platyrhnchus (Vrolic)) exclosures and (ii) an investigation of the germinable seed and propagule bank of two neighbouring peninsulas with contrasting reindeer grazing history in northwestern Svalbard (79°N, 12°E). Seed banks inside reindeer exclosures germinated significantly more seedlings (596 seedlings·m –2 ) than those outside (263 seedlings·m –2 ). Species composition and total plant cover was similar on both peninsulas, but forage-plant cover was lower on the heavily grazed peninsula (Brøggerhalvøya) than on the adjacent lightly grazed peninsula (Sarsøyra). Brøggerhalvøya had significantly lower species richness and density of seed and propagule bank (0.21 ± 0.02 germinating species per sample, 0.15 ± 0.02 propagule species per sample, 416 ± 103 seedlings·m –2 , 283 ± 78 propagules·m –2 ) than did Sarsøyra (0.44 ± 0.40 germinating species per sample, 0.35 ± 0.03 propagule species per sample,1016 ± 188 seedlings·m –2 , 782 ± 238 propagules·m –2 ). These results imply that reindeer depleted both the seed and the propagule banks, thus reducing the potential for colonization of disturbed areas. Grazing may, therefore, have a lasting impact on High Arctic plant communities. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Rangifer tarandus Svalbard Canadian Science Publishing (via Crossref) Arctic Svalbard Brøggerhalvøya ENVELOPE(11.736,11.736,78.915,78.915) Sarsøyra ENVELOPE(11.806,11.806,78.760,78.760) Canadian Journal of Botany 84 11 1740 1752 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Canadian Science Publishing (via Crossref) |
op_collection_id |
crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
topic |
Plant Science |
spellingShingle |
Plant Science Cooper, Elisabeth J. Reindeer grazing reduces seed and propagule bank in the High Arctic |
topic_facet |
Plant Science |
description |
It is commonly assumed that plant establishment in the High Arctic is limited by severe abiotic conditions and by a paucity of propagules and seeds. Heavy reindeer grazing may reduce plant allocation to reproduction and removes significant proportions of flowers and seeds, thus reducing contributions to seed rain and seed bank. In contrast, foraging and trampling may break up existing mature plants, increasing the vegetative propagules in the soil. To determine the effect of grazing on colonization potential in the High Arctic, two studies were carried out: (i) a comparison of seed bank inside and outside three long-term reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus platyrhnchus (Vrolic)) exclosures and (ii) an investigation of the germinable seed and propagule bank of two neighbouring peninsulas with contrasting reindeer grazing history in northwestern Svalbard (79°N, 12°E). Seed banks inside reindeer exclosures germinated significantly more seedlings (596 seedlings·m –2 ) than those outside (263 seedlings·m –2 ). Species composition and total plant cover was similar on both peninsulas, but forage-plant cover was lower on the heavily grazed peninsula (Brøggerhalvøya) than on the adjacent lightly grazed peninsula (Sarsøyra). Brøggerhalvøya had significantly lower species richness and density of seed and propagule bank (0.21 ± 0.02 germinating species per sample, 0.15 ± 0.02 propagule species per sample, 416 ± 103 seedlings·m –2 , 283 ± 78 propagules·m –2 ) than did Sarsøyra (0.44 ± 0.40 germinating species per sample, 0.35 ± 0.03 propagule species per sample,1016 ± 188 seedlings·m –2 , 782 ± 238 propagules·m –2 ). These results imply that reindeer depleted both the seed and the propagule banks, thus reducing the potential for colonization of disturbed areas. Grazing may, therefore, have a lasting impact on High Arctic plant communities. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cooper, Elisabeth J. |
author_facet |
Cooper, Elisabeth J. |
author_sort |
Cooper, Elisabeth J. |
title |
Reindeer grazing reduces seed and propagule bank in the High Arctic |
title_short |
Reindeer grazing reduces seed and propagule bank in the High Arctic |
title_full |
Reindeer grazing reduces seed and propagule bank in the High Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Reindeer grazing reduces seed and propagule bank in the High Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Reindeer grazing reduces seed and propagule bank in the High Arctic |
title_sort |
reindeer grazing reduces seed and propagule bank in the high arctic |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b06-127 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/b06-127 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b06-127 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(11.736,11.736,78.915,78.915) ENVELOPE(11.806,11.806,78.760,78.760) |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard Brøggerhalvøya Sarsøyra |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard Brøggerhalvøya Sarsøyra |
genre |
Arctic Rangifer tarandus Svalbard |
genre_facet |
Arctic Rangifer tarandus Svalbard |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Botany volume 84, issue 11, page 1740-1752 ISSN 0008-4026 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/b06-127 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Botany |
container_volume |
84 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
1740 |
op_container_end_page |
1752 |
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1785572227454861312 |