Grazing and Fire Impacts on Macrolichen Communities of The Seward Peninsula, Alaska, U.S.A
We sought to assess impacts of fire and grazing by reindeer and caribou on lichen communities in northwestern Alaska. Macrolichen abundance was estimated from 45, 0.38-ha plots. Eighteen of those plots, scattered throughout the southern Seward Peninsula, represented two levels of grazing, heavy and...
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The American Bryological and Lichenological Society
2008
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ftbioone:10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[68:GAFIOM]2.0.CO;2 2023-07-30T04:02:39+02:00 Grazing and Fire Impacts on Macrolichen Communities of The Seward Peninsula, Alaska, U.S.A Emily A. Holt Bruce McCune Peter Neitlich Emily A. Holt Bruce McCune Peter Neitlich world 2008-03-01 text/HTML https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[68:GAFIOM]2.0.CO;2 en eng The American Bryological and Lichenological Society doi:10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[68:GAFIOM]2.0.CO;2 All rights reserved. https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[68:GAFIOM]2.0.CO;2 Text 2008 ftbioone https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[68:GAFIOM]2.0.CO;2 2023-07-09T10:56:58Z We sought to assess impacts of fire and grazing by reindeer and caribou on lichen communities in northwestern Alaska. Macrolichen abundance was estimated from 45, 0.38-ha plots. Eighteen of those plots, scattered throughout the southern Seward Peninsula, represented two levels of grazing, heavy and light. We found lightly grazed areas had taller lichens and greater total lichen cover than heavily grazed sites. Minor yet statistically significant changes in community structure were also observed between heavily and lightly grazed sites. However, lichen species richness did not differ by grazing status. Overall, average lichen height appears to be the best indication of grazing intensity on the Seward Peninsula. Apart from the 18 grazing plots, 8 additional plots were established in previously burned sites to represent reference conditions with a known time since disturbance date. These plots provided a framework of vegetation recovery from severe, recent disturbance towards pre-disturbance conditions. Patterns in lichen, bryophyte and vascular plant characteristics from these fire plots in combination with our findings from the grazing plots were then used to interpret the disturbance history of new plots. These new plots comprise the remaining 19 plots (of the total 45) that were sampled within the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (BELA). We believe the location of BELA, regardless of disturbance history, is more favorable to vascular plants and Sphagnum, and lichens grow taller in response, compared to areas on the Seward Peninsula further south. In addition, lower cover in the Preserve may be attributed to site or climatic differences rather than grazing. Text Bering Land Bridge Seward Peninsula Alaska BioOne Online Journals |
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English |
description |
We sought to assess impacts of fire and grazing by reindeer and caribou on lichen communities in northwestern Alaska. Macrolichen abundance was estimated from 45, 0.38-ha plots. Eighteen of those plots, scattered throughout the southern Seward Peninsula, represented two levels of grazing, heavy and light. We found lightly grazed areas had taller lichens and greater total lichen cover than heavily grazed sites. Minor yet statistically significant changes in community structure were also observed between heavily and lightly grazed sites. However, lichen species richness did not differ by grazing status. Overall, average lichen height appears to be the best indication of grazing intensity on the Seward Peninsula. Apart from the 18 grazing plots, 8 additional plots were established in previously burned sites to represent reference conditions with a known time since disturbance date. These plots provided a framework of vegetation recovery from severe, recent disturbance towards pre-disturbance conditions. Patterns in lichen, bryophyte and vascular plant characteristics from these fire plots in combination with our findings from the grazing plots were then used to interpret the disturbance history of new plots. These new plots comprise the remaining 19 plots (of the total 45) that were sampled within the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (BELA). We believe the location of BELA, regardless of disturbance history, is more favorable to vascular plants and Sphagnum, and lichens grow taller in response, compared to areas on the Seward Peninsula further south. In addition, lower cover in the Preserve may be attributed to site or climatic differences rather than grazing. |
author2 |
Emily A. Holt Bruce McCune Peter Neitlich |
format |
Text |
author |
Emily A. Holt Bruce McCune Peter Neitlich |
spellingShingle |
Emily A. Holt Bruce McCune Peter Neitlich Grazing and Fire Impacts on Macrolichen Communities of The Seward Peninsula, Alaska, U.S.A |
author_facet |
Emily A. Holt Bruce McCune Peter Neitlich |
author_sort |
Emily A. Holt |
title |
Grazing and Fire Impacts on Macrolichen Communities of The Seward Peninsula, Alaska, U.S.A |
title_short |
Grazing and Fire Impacts on Macrolichen Communities of The Seward Peninsula, Alaska, U.S.A |
title_full |
Grazing and Fire Impacts on Macrolichen Communities of The Seward Peninsula, Alaska, U.S.A |
title_fullStr |
Grazing and Fire Impacts on Macrolichen Communities of The Seward Peninsula, Alaska, U.S.A |
title_full_unstemmed |
Grazing and Fire Impacts on Macrolichen Communities of The Seward Peninsula, Alaska, U.S.A |
title_sort |
grazing and fire impacts on macrolichen communities of the seward peninsula, alaska, u.s.a |
publisher |
The American Bryological and Lichenological Society |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[68:GAFIOM]2.0.CO;2 |
op_coverage |
world |
genre |
Bering Land Bridge Seward Peninsula Alaska |
genre_facet |
Bering Land Bridge Seward Peninsula Alaska |
op_source |
https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[68:GAFIOM]2.0.CO;2 |
op_relation |
doi:10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[68:GAFIOM]2.0.CO;2 |
op_rights |
All rights reserved. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[68:GAFIOM]2.0.CO;2 |
_version_ |
1772813474868494336 |