Herbivore diversity effects on Arctic tundra ecosystems: a systematic review

• Published in: Environmental Evidence
• Main Authors: Barbero-Palacios, Laura, Barrio, Isabel C., García Criado, Mariana, Kater, Ilona, Petit Bon, Matteo, Kolari, Tiina H. M., Bjørkås, Ragnhild, Trepel, Jonas, Lundgren, Erick, Björnsdóttir, Katrín, Hwang, Bernice C., Bartra Cabre, Laura, Defourneaux, Mathilde, Ramsay, Jennifer, Lameris, Thomas K., Leffler, A. Joshua, Lock, Janine G., Kuoppamaa, Mari S., Kristensen, Jeppe A., Bjorkman, Anne D., Myers-Smith, Isla, Lecomte, Nicolas, Axmacher, Jan C., Den Herder, Michael, Pagneux, Emmanuel P., Skarin, Anna, Sokolova, Natalia, Windirsch, Torben, Wheeler, Helen Claire, Serrano, Emmanuel, Virtanen, Tarmo, Hik, David S., Kaarlejärvi, Elina, Speed, James David Mervyn, Soininen, Eeva M, Gilg, Olivier
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2024
• Subjects: Arctic; Tundra
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10037/34730; https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-024-00330-9

Background Northern ecosystems are strongly influenced by herbivores that differ in their impacts on the eco‑ system. Yet the role of herbivore diversity in shaping the structure and functioning of tundra ecosystems has been overlooked. With climate and land-use changes causing rapid shifts in Arctic species assemblages, a better under‑ standing of the consequences of herbivore diversity changes for tundra ecosystem functioning is urgently needed. This systematic review synthesizes available evidence on the effects of herbivore diversity on different processes, functions, and properties of tundra ecosystems. Methods Following a published protocol, our systematic review combined primary field studies retrieved from bibliographic databases, search engines and specialist websites that compared tundra ecosystem responses to different levels of vertebrate and invertebrate herbivore diversity. We used the number of functional groups of herbivores (i.e., functional group richness) as a measure of the diversity of the herbivore assemblage. We screened titles, abstracts, and full texts of studies using predefined eligibility criteria. We critically appraised the validity of the studies, tested the influence of different moderators, and conducted sensitivity analyses. Quantitative synthesis (i.e., calculation of effect sizes) was performed for ecosystem responses reported by at least five articles and meta-regressions including the effects of potential modifiers for those reported by at least 10 articles. Review findings The literature searches retrieved 5944 articles. After screening titles, abstracts, and full texts, 201 articles including 3713 studies (i.e., individual comparisons) were deemed relevant for the systematic review, with 2844 of these studies included in quantitative syntheses. The available evidence base on the effects of herbivore diversity on tundra ecosystems is concentrated around well-established research locations and focuses mainly on the impacts of vertebrate herbivores on vegetation. Overall, ...