Nutrient deposition on Arctic fox dens creates atypical tundra plant assemblages at the edge of the Arctic ...

• Main Authors: Markham, John, Fafard, Paul, Roth, Jim
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2019
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada; Arctic Fox; permafrost; Tundra; Vulpes lagopus; Wapusk national park
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8sf7m0ch7; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.8sf7m0ch7

Questions: In most ecosystems, some organisms can be considered ecosystem engineers because they modify their physical environment in a way that can affect many other organisms. Nutrient deposition may be extremely important as an ecosystem engineering activity in nutrient-limited environments, but this mechanism remains understudied. In low-Arctic tundra, a region characterized by continuous permafrost, low-nutrient soils, and slow nutrient turnover, Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) concentrate nutrients on their dens through fecal deposition and feeding their young. This nutrient concentration enhances productivity in patches on the landscape, likely creating a unique habitat for a variety of plants, and could have cascading effects on the distribution and diversity of vegetation on the tundra. Location: Low-Arctic tundra in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada Methods: We quantified differences in vegetation composition between 20 fox dens and adjacent control sites. Results: Plant growth form differed ...