Data from: Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra
1. Large herbivores can control plant community composition and, under certain conditions, even induce vegetation shifts to alternative ecosystem states. As different plant assemblages maintain contrasting carbon (C) cycling patterns, herbivores have the potential to alter C sequestration at regiona...
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10255/dryad.164128 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bb49h |
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ftdryad:oai:v1.datadryad.org:10255/dryad.164128 2023-05-15T15:19:25+02:00 Data from: Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra Ylänne, Henni Olofsson, Johan Oksanen, Lauri Stark, Sari Subarctic heaths in northern Norway (Troms and Finnmark fylke) 2017-12-11T16:34:43Z http://hdl.handle.net/10255/dryad.164128 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bb49h unknown doi:10.5061/dryad.bb49h/1 doi:10.1111/1365-2435.13029 doi:10.5061/dryad.bb49h Ylänne H, Olofsson J, Oksanen L, Stark S (2018) Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra. Functional Ecology 32(4): 1091-1102. http://hdl.handle.net/10255/dryad.164128 Grazing Reindeer Plant–soil interactions Carbon stocks Herbivory Soil carbon Plant functional types Article 2017 ftdryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bb49h https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bb49h/1 https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13029 2020-01-01T16:00:48Z 1. Large herbivores can control plant community composition and, under certain conditions, even induce vegetation shifts to alternative ecosystem states. As different plant assemblages maintain contrasting carbon (C) cycling patterns, herbivores have the potential to alter C sequestration at regional scales. Their influence is of particular interest in the Arctic tundra, where a large share of the world’s soil C reservoir is stored. 2. We analysed how grazing mammals influence tundra vegetation and how grazer-induced vegetation shifts affect tundra C stocks, by resampling two sites located along pasture rotation fences in northern Norway. These fences have separated lightly grazed areas from heavily grazed areas (in close proximity to the fences) and moderately grazed areas (further away from the fences) for the past 50 years. 14 years earlier, the lightly and moderately grazed areas were dominated by dwarf shrubs, whereas heavy grazing had promoted the establishment of graminoid-dominated vegetation. Since then, both reindeer densities and temperatures have increased, and more time has passed for transient dynamics to be expressed. We expected that the vegetation and C stocks would have changed under all grazing intensities, but not necessarily in the same way. 3. At the site where relative reindeer numbers and trampling intensity had increased the most, graminoid-dominated vegetation was now also found in the moderately grazed area. At the other site, the dominant vegetation types under all grazing intensities were the same as 14 years earlier. 4. We show that the heavily grazed, graminoid-dominated, areas stored less C aboveground than the lightly grazed, shrub-dominated, areas. Yet, the belowground consequences of grazing-induced grassification varied between the sites: Grazing did not alter organic soil C stocks at the site where both evergreen and deciduous shrubs were abundant in the lightly grazed area, whereas heavy grazing increased organic soil C stocks at the site where the deciduous shrub Betula nana was dominant. 5. Our results indicate that despite the negative impacts of grazers on aboveground C storage, their impact on belowground C may even be positive. We suggest that the site-specific responses of organic soil C stocks to grazing could be explained by the differences in vegetation under light grazing. This would imply that the replacement of deciduous shrubs by graminoids, as a consequence of grazing, could be beneficial for C sequestration in tundra soils. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Betula nana Finnmark Northern Norway Subarctic Tundra Finnmark Troms Dryad Digital Repository (Duke University) Arctic Finnmark Fylke ENVELOPE(29.736,29.736,70.082,70.082) Norway |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Dryad Digital Repository (Duke University) |
op_collection_id |
ftdryad |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Grazing Reindeer Plant–soil interactions Carbon stocks Herbivory Soil carbon Plant functional types |
spellingShingle |
Grazing Reindeer Plant–soil interactions Carbon stocks Herbivory Soil carbon Plant functional types Ylänne, Henni Olofsson, Johan Oksanen, Lauri Stark, Sari Data from: Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra |
topic_facet |
Grazing Reindeer Plant–soil interactions Carbon stocks Herbivory Soil carbon Plant functional types |
description |
1. Large herbivores can control plant community composition and, under certain conditions, even induce vegetation shifts to alternative ecosystem states. As different plant assemblages maintain contrasting carbon (C) cycling patterns, herbivores have the potential to alter C sequestration at regional scales. Their influence is of particular interest in the Arctic tundra, where a large share of the world’s soil C reservoir is stored. 2. We analysed how grazing mammals influence tundra vegetation and how grazer-induced vegetation shifts affect tundra C stocks, by resampling two sites located along pasture rotation fences in northern Norway. These fences have separated lightly grazed areas from heavily grazed areas (in close proximity to the fences) and moderately grazed areas (further away from the fences) for the past 50 years. 14 years earlier, the lightly and moderately grazed areas were dominated by dwarf shrubs, whereas heavy grazing had promoted the establishment of graminoid-dominated vegetation. Since then, both reindeer densities and temperatures have increased, and more time has passed for transient dynamics to be expressed. We expected that the vegetation and C stocks would have changed under all grazing intensities, but not necessarily in the same way. 3. At the site where relative reindeer numbers and trampling intensity had increased the most, graminoid-dominated vegetation was now also found in the moderately grazed area. At the other site, the dominant vegetation types under all grazing intensities were the same as 14 years earlier. 4. We show that the heavily grazed, graminoid-dominated, areas stored less C aboveground than the lightly grazed, shrub-dominated, areas. Yet, the belowground consequences of grazing-induced grassification varied between the sites: Grazing did not alter organic soil C stocks at the site where both evergreen and deciduous shrubs were abundant in the lightly grazed area, whereas heavy grazing increased organic soil C stocks at the site where the deciduous shrub Betula nana was dominant. 5. Our results indicate that despite the negative impacts of grazers on aboveground C storage, their impact on belowground C may even be positive. We suggest that the site-specific responses of organic soil C stocks to grazing could be explained by the differences in vegetation under light grazing. This would imply that the replacement of deciduous shrubs by graminoids, as a consequence of grazing, could be beneficial for C sequestration in tundra soils. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ylänne, Henni Olofsson, Johan Oksanen, Lauri Stark, Sari |
author_facet |
Ylänne, Henni Olofsson, Johan Oksanen, Lauri Stark, Sari |
author_sort |
Ylänne, Henni |
title |
Data from: Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra |
title_short |
Data from: Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra |
title_full |
Data from: Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra |
title_fullStr |
Data from: Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra |
title_full_unstemmed |
Data from: Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra |
title_sort |
data from: consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10255/dryad.164128 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bb49h |
op_coverage |
Subarctic heaths in northern Norway (Troms and Finnmark fylke) |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(29.736,29.736,70.082,70.082) |
geographic |
Arctic Finnmark Fylke Norway |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Finnmark Fylke Norway |
genre |
Arctic Betula nana Finnmark Northern Norway Subarctic Tundra Finnmark Troms |
genre_facet |
Arctic Betula nana Finnmark Northern Norway Subarctic Tundra Finnmark Troms |
op_relation |
doi:10.5061/dryad.bb49h/1 doi:10.1111/1365-2435.13029 doi:10.5061/dryad.bb49h Ylänne H, Olofsson J, Oksanen L, Stark S (2018) Consequences of grazer-induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra. Functional Ecology 32(4): 1091-1102. http://hdl.handle.net/10255/dryad.164128 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bb49h https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bb49h/1 https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13029 |
_version_ |
1766349608319975424 |