Environmental Research Letters (Jan 2022)
Growth rings show limited evidence for ungulates’ potential to suppress shrubs across the Arctic
- Katariina E M Vuorinen,
- Gunnar Austrheim,
- Jean-Pierre Tremblay,
- Isla H Myers-Smith,
- Hans I Hortman,
- Peter Frank,
- Isabel C Barrio,
- Fredrik Dalerum,
- Mats P Björkman,
- Robert G Björk,
- Dorothee Ehrich,
- Aleksandr Sokolov,
- Natalya Sokolova,
- Pascale Ropars,
- Stéphane Boudreau,
- Signe Normand,
- Angela L Prendin,
- Niels Martin Schmidt,
- Arturo Pacheco-Solana,
- Eric Post,
- Christian John,
- Jeff Kerby,
- Patrick F Sullivan,
- Mathilde Le Moullec,
- Brage B Hansen,
- Rene van der Wal,
- Åshild Ø Pedersen,
- Lisa Sandal,
- Laura Gough,
- Amanda Young,
- Bingxi Li,
- Rúna Í Magnússon,
- Ute Sass-Klaassen,
- Agata Buchwal,
- Jeffrey Welker,
- Paul Grogan,
- Rhett Andruko,
- Clara Morrissette-Boileau,
- Alexander Volkovitskiy,
- Alexandra Terekhina,
- James D M Speed
Affiliations
- Katariina E M Vuorinen
- ORCiD
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
- Gunnar Austrheim
- ORCiD
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
- Jean-Pierre Tremblay
- Department of Biology, Laval University , 1045, avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada; Center for Forest Research, 8888, Succursale Centre-ville , Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8, Canada; Center for Northern Studies, Laval University , 2405, rue de la Terrasse, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada
- Isla H Myers-Smith
- ORCiD
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
- Hans I Hortman
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
- Peter Frank
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
- Isabel C Barrio
- ORCiD
- Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland , Árleyni 22, Keldnaholt, IS-112 Reykjavík, Iceland
- Fredrik Dalerum
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University , 10691 Stockholm, Sweden; Biodiversity Research Institute (CSIC, UO, PA), Spanish National Research Council , Mieres 33600, Spain; Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield , 0028 Pretoria, South Africa
- Mats P Björkman
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg , PO Box 460, SE-40530 Göteborg, Sweden; Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre , PO Box 461, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Robert G Björk
- ORCiD
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg , PO Box 460, SE-40530 Göteborg, Sweden; Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre , PO Box 461, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Dorothee Ehrich
- ORCiD
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT—The Arctic University of Norway , 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Aleksandr Sokolov
- ORCiD
- Arctic Research Station of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences , 629400, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Labytnangi, Zelenaya Gorka 21, Russia
- Natalya Sokolova
- ORCiD
- Arctic Research Station of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences , 629400, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Labytnangi, Zelenaya Gorka 21, Russia
- Pascale Ropars
- Chaire de recherche du Canada en biodiversité nordique, Université du Québec à Rimouski , 300 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada; Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment, McGill University , 21111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue QC H9X 3V9, Canada
- Stéphane Boudreau
- Department of Biology, Laval University , 1045, avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada; Center for Northern Studies, Laval University , 2405, rue de la Terrasse, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada
- Signe Normand
- ORCiD
- Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World, Department of Biology, Aarhus University , Aarhus 8000, Denmark
- Angela L Prendin
- ORCiD
- Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World, Department of Biology, Aarhus University , Aarhus 8000, Denmark
- Niels Martin Schmidt
- ORCiD
- Arctic Research Centre, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University , Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde 4000, Denmark
- Arturo Pacheco-Solana
- ORCiD
- The Earth Institute Tree-Ring Laboratory Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University 61 Route 9W , Palisades, NY 10964, United States of America
- Eric Post
- ORCiD
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California , Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
- Christian John
- ORCiD
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California , Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
- Jeff Kerby
- ORCiD
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University , Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
- Patrick F Sullivan
- ORCiD
- Environment and Natural Resources Institute, University of Alaska Anchorage , 3211 Providence Dr, Anchorage, AK 99508, United States of America
- Mathilde Le Moullec
- ORCiD
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
- Brage B Hansen
- ORCiD
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway; Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research , NO-7034 Trondheim, Norway
- Rene van der Wal
- ORCiD
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences , Ulls väg 16, 75651 Uppsala, Sweden
- Åshild Ø Pedersen
- Biodiversity Section, Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre , No-9296 Tromsø, Norway
- Lisa Sandal
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
- Laura Gough
- ORCiD
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University , Towson, MD 21252, United States of America
- Amanda Young
- ORCiD
- Toolik Field Station, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks , Fairbanks, AK 99775, United States of America
- Bingxi Li
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University , Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Rúna Í Magnússon
- ORCiD
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University , Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Ute Sass-Klaassen
- Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University , Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Agata Buchwal
- ORCiD
- Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Adam Mickiewicz University , B.Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznan, Poland
- Jeffrey Welker
- ORCiD
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu , Oulu 940014, Finland; Department of Biological Science, University of Alaska Anchorage , Alaska 99508, United States of America; University of the Arctic (UArctic) , Rovaniemi, Finland
- Paul Grogan
- ORCiD
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University , Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
- Rhett Andruko
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University , Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
- Clara Morrissette-Boileau
- Nunavik Parks, Kativik Regional Government , PO Box 9, Kuujjuaq (Quebec) J0M 1C0, Canada
- Alexander Volkovitskiy
- Arctic Research Station of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences , 629400, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Labytnangi, Zelenaya Gorka 21, Russia
- Alexandra Terekhina
- Arctic Research Station of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences , 629400, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Labytnangi, Zelenaya Gorka 21, Russia
- James D M Speed
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac5207
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 17,
no. 3
p. 034013
Abstract
Global warming has pronounced effects on tundra vegetation, and rising mean temperatures increase plant growth potential across the Arctic biome. Herbivores may counteract the warming impacts by reducing plant growth, but the strength of this effect may depend on prevailing regional climatic conditions. To study how ungulates interact with temperature to influence growth of tundra shrubs across the Arctic tundra biome, we assembled dendroecological data from 20 sites, comprising 1153 individual shrubs and 223 63 annual growth rings. Evidence for ungulates suppressing shrub radial growth was only observed at intermediate summer temperatures (6.5 °C–9 °C), and even at these temperatures the effect was not strong. Multiple factors, including forage preferences and landscape use by the ungulates, and favourable climatic conditions enabling effective compensatory growth of shrubs, may weaken the effects of ungulates on shrubs, possibly explaining the weakness of observed ungulate effects. Earlier local studies have shown that ungulates may counteract the impacts of warming on tundra shrub growth, but we demonstrate that ungulates’ potential to suppress shrub radial growth is not always evident, and may be limited to certain climatic conditions.
Keywords
