Spatiotemporal distribution of Arctic herbivores in spring: Potential for competition?
Biotic interactions are important to the structure and dynamics of food webs and may affect the spatial and temporal distribution of species. In the Arctic, spring snow-cover limits food availability at a critical time for herbivores, potentially leading to resource competition. This study investiga...
Published in: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02521 https://doaj.org/article/c1a1796163f849baaa5f89a32dbd7f7d |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:c1a1796163f849baaa5f89a32dbd7f7d 2023-06-18T03:36:05+02:00 Spatiotemporal distribution of Arctic herbivores in spring: Potential for competition? Anna Caroline Grimsby Åshild Ønvik Pedersen Dorothee Ehrich Jesper Bruun Mosbacher Ingrid Marie Garfelt Paulsen Frida Kristine Brockmann Virve Ravolainen 2023-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02521 https://doaj.org/article/c1a1796163f849baaa5f89a32dbd7f7d EN eng Elsevier http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423001567 https://doaj.org/toc/2351-9894 2351-9894 doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02521 https://doaj.org/article/c1a1796163f849baaa5f89a32dbd7f7d Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 45, Iss , Pp e02521- (2023) Behaviour Barnacle goose Camera-traps Co-occurrence Pink-footed goose Snow-cover Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02521 2023-06-04T00:40:11Z Biotic interactions are important to the structure and dynamics of food webs and may affect the spatial and temporal distribution of species. In the Arctic, spring snow-cover limits food availability at a critical time for herbivores, potentially leading to resource competition. This study investigates the potential for competition over forage resources during spring in a high-Arctic herbivore community comprising the resident, endemic Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) and Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea), and the migratory pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) and barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis). First, we investigated herbivore behaviour that could indicate the potential for competition by conducting a field study, and second, we quantified the effects of snow-cover extent, vegetation type and presence of potential herbivore competitors on the spatiotemporal distributions of herbivores using camera-traps in one early and one late snow melt year. Only reindeer and geese appeared with sufficient sample sizes for analysis. The field study revealed that reindeer and geese foraged in the same areas, particularly moss tundra habitats. Although geese were regularly alerted by reindeer, no direct aggressive interactions were observed. The camera-trap study showed that neither of the herbivores significantly affected the spatiotemporal distribution of its potential competitor, but reindeer and goose distribution was instead driven by snow-cover extent and vegetation type. However, the shared space use by these species may lead to different types of interactions, such as facilitation or exploitative competition, which require further assessment, including dietary overlap studies, particularly in the context of climate change-induced shifts in snow melt timing and herbivore abundances. Article in Journal/Newspaper Anser brachyrhynchus Arctic Barnacle goose Branta leucopsis Climate change Lagopus muta Lagopus muta hyperborea Pink-footed Goose Rangifer tarandus Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus rock ptarmigan Svalbard svalbard reindeer Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan Tundra Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Svalbard Global Ecology and Conservation 45 e02521 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Behaviour Barnacle goose Camera-traps Co-occurrence Pink-footed goose Snow-cover Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
Behaviour Barnacle goose Camera-traps Co-occurrence Pink-footed goose Snow-cover Ecology QH540-549.5 Anna Caroline Grimsby Åshild Ønvik Pedersen Dorothee Ehrich Jesper Bruun Mosbacher Ingrid Marie Garfelt Paulsen Frida Kristine Brockmann Virve Ravolainen Spatiotemporal distribution of Arctic herbivores in spring: Potential for competition? |
topic_facet |
Behaviour Barnacle goose Camera-traps Co-occurrence Pink-footed goose Snow-cover Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Biotic interactions are important to the structure and dynamics of food webs and may affect the spatial and temporal distribution of species. In the Arctic, spring snow-cover limits food availability at a critical time for herbivores, potentially leading to resource competition. This study investigates the potential for competition over forage resources during spring in a high-Arctic herbivore community comprising the resident, endemic Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) and Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea), and the migratory pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) and barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis). First, we investigated herbivore behaviour that could indicate the potential for competition by conducting a field study, and second, we quantified the effects of snow-cover extent, vegetation type and presence of potential herbivore competitors on the spatiotemporal distributions of herbivores using camera-traps in one early and one late snow melt year. Only reindeer and geese appeared with sufficient sample sizes for analysis. The field study revealed that reindeer and geese foraged in the same areas, particularly moss tundra habitats. Although geese were regularly alerted by reindeer, no direct aggressive interactions were observed. The camera-trap study showed that neither of the herbivores significantly affected the spatiotemporal distribution of its potential competitor, but reindeer and goose distribution was instead driven by snow-cover extent and vegetation type. However, the shared space use by these species may lead to different types of interactions, such as facilitation or exploitative competition, which require further assessment, including dietary overlap studies, particularly in the context of climate change-induced shifts in snow melt timing and herbivore abundances. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Anna Caroline Grimsby Åshild Ønvik Pedersen Dorothee Ehrich Jesper Bruun Mosbacher Ingrid Marie Garfelt Paulsen Frida Kristine Brockmann Virve Ravolainen |
author_facet |
Anna Caroline Grimsby Åshild Ønvik Pedersen Dorothee Ehrich Jesper Bruun Mosbacher Ingrid Marie Garfelt Paulsen Frida Kristine Brockmann Virve Ravolainen |
author_sort |
Anna Caroline Grimsby |
title |
Spatiotemporal distribution of Arctic herbivores in spring: Potential for competition? |
title_short |
Spatiotemporal distribution of Arctic herbivores in spring: Potential for competition? |
title_full |
Spatiotemporal distribution of Arctic herbivores in spring: Potential for competition? |
title_fullStr |
Spatiotemporal distribution of Arctic herbivores in spring: Potential for competition? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spatiotemporal distribution of Arctic herbivores in spring: Potential for competition? |
title_sort |
spatiotemporal distribution of arctic herbivores in spring: potential for competition? |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02521 https://doaj.org/article/c1a1796163f849baaa5f89a32dbd7f7d |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard |
genre |
Anser brachyrhynchus Arctic Barnacle goose Branta leucopsis Climate change Lagopus muta Lagopus muta hyperborea Pink-footed Goose Rangifer tarandus Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus rock ptarmigan Svalbard svalbard reindeer Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan Tundra |
genre_facet |
Anser brachyrhynchus Arctic Barnacle goose Branta leucopsis Climate change Lagopus muta Lagopus muta hyperborea Pink-footed Goose Rangifer tarandus Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus rock ptarmigan Svalbard svalbard reindeer Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan Tundra |
op_source |
Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 45, Iss , Pp e02521- (2023) |
op_relation |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423001567 https://doaj.org/toc/2351-9894 2351-9894 doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02521 https://doaj.org/article/c1a1796163f849baaa5f89a32dbd7f7d |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02521 |
container_title |
Global Ecology and Conservation |
container_volume |
45 |
container_start_page |
e02521 |
_version_ |
1769004745924542464 |