| Summary: | Reindeer is an important factor influencing species composition and functions in Arctic ecosystems. However, our understanding of how the importance of reindeer varies among ecosystems is still limited. The aim of this study was to investigate how the vegetation has changed between 1995 and 2015 with and without large herbivores in an area with low herbivory. The study was conducted on Fulufjället in the Swedish mountain region. 16 plots were used, half of which excluded reindeer through fences. The effects of herbivory were generally quite small, which was expected since the density of reindeer is low in the area. However, crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) thrived better in the exclosures than in the grazed controls. In addition to that, the abundance of almost half of the investigated species had changed between 1995 and 2015, regardless of exclusion. Cladonia mitis, Schreber’s big red stem moss (Pleurozium schreberi) and common heather (Calluna vulgaris) were more abundant in 2015, while crowberry was less abundant in 2015. The report concludes that reindeer grazing has small but detectable effects on the vegetation in Fulufjället, and that substantial vegetation changes have occurred during the last 20 years, but that these changes cannot easily be explained by recent climate or land use changes.
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