(Table 1) Species richness and diversity of tundra plants in herbivore exclosure and control plots near Barrow, Alaska

To determine the role lemmings play in structuring plant communities and their contribution to the 'greening of the Arctic', we measured plant cover and biomass in 50 + year old lemming exclosures and control plots in the coastal tundra near Barrow, Alaska. The response of plant functional...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Johnson, David R, Lara, Mark J, Shaver, Gauis R, Batzli, Go, Shaw, J D, Tweedie, Craig E
Format: Dataset
Language:English
Published: PANGAEA 2010
Subjects:
Barrow_plain
Barrow
Alaska
USA
Biological sample
BIOS
DATE/TIME
Environment
Experimental treatment
International Polar Year (2007-2008)
IPY
Shannon Diversity Index
Species richness
Standard error
Arctic
International Polar Year
Tundra
Online Access:https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.811753
https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.811753
Description
Summary:To determine the role lemmings play in structuring plant communities and their contribution to the 'greening of the Arctic', we measured plant cover and biomass in 50 + year old lemming exclosures and control plots in the coastal tundra near Barrow, Alaska. The response of plant functional types to herbivore exclusion varied among land cover types. In general, the abundance of lichens and bryophytes increased with the exclusion of lemmings, whereas graminoids decreased, although the magnitude of these responses varied among land cover types. These results suggest that sustained lemming activity promotes a higher biomass of vascular plant functional types than would be expected without their presence and highlights the importance of considering herbivory when interpreting patterns of greening in the Arctic. In light of the rapid environmental change ongoing in the Arctic and the potential regional to global implications of this change, further exploration regarding the long-term influence of arvicoline rodents on ecosystem function (e.g. carbon and energy balance) should be considered a research priority.

Similar Items