Effects of Grazing on the Vegetation Structure and Carbon Dioxide Exchange of a Fennoscandian Fell Ecosystem

Susiluoto, Sanna; Rasilo, Terhi; Pumpanen, Jukka; Berninger, Frank

doi:10.1657/1523-0430(07-035)[susiluoto]2.0.co;2

Cited by 36 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Removal of aboveground part of plants, resulting in substantially less litter biomass accumulation in our plots (see Spence et al, 2014), is likely to have caused the decrease in ecosystem respiration in grazed plots. Similarly, other studies have shown that grazing reduced ecosystem respiration (Owensby et al, 2006; Susiluoto et al, 2008). While grazing typically reduces aboveground plant biomass, it can also increase belowground biomass (Sjögersten et al, 2012) or carbon allocation to roots (Hafner et al, 2012), and thus increase labile carbon input into soil (Gao et al, 2009; Hafner et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Soil and ecosystem respiration responses to grazing, watering and experimental warming chamber treatments across topographical gradients in northern Mongolia

et al. 2016

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Globally, soil respiration is one of the largest fluxes of carbon to the atmosphere and is known to be sensitive to climate change, representing a potential positive feedback. We conducted a number of field experiments to study independent and combined impacts of topography, watering, grazing and climate manipulations on bare soil and vegetated soil (i.e., ecosystem) respiration in northern Mongolia, an area known to be highly vulnerable to climate change and overgrazing. Our results indicated that soil moisture is the most important driving factor for carbon fluxes in this semi-arid ecosystem, based on smaller carbon fluxes under drier conditions. Warmer conditions did not result in increased respiration. Although the system has local topographical gradients in terms of nutrient, moisture availability and plant species, soil respiration responses to OTC treatments were similar on the upper and lower slopes, implying that local heterogeneity may not be important for scaling up the results. In contrast, ecosystem respiration responses to OTCs differed between the upper and the lower slopes, implying that the response of vegetation to climate change may override microbial responses. Our results also showed that light grazing may actually enhance soil respiration while decreasing ecosystem respiration, and grazing impact may not depend on climate change. Overall, our results indicate that soil and ecosystem respiration in this semi-arid steppe are more sensitive to precipitation fluctuation and grazing pressure than to temperature change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Soil and ecosystem respiration responses to grazing, watering and experimental warming chamber treatments across topographical gradients in northern Mongolia

et al. 2016

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“…The differences between individual studies may be due to different experiment and study designs and spatial scales. As far as we know, our estimate of the difference between the lichen biomass in the ungrazed and grazed sites is the largest observed among different studies to date (Väre et al 1996;Susiluoto et al 2008;Olofsson et al 2010;Köster et al 2013). The second highest difference was observed by Väre et al (1996) who reported that the lichen biomass in the ungrazed sites was nine-fold compared with the estimate in the grazed sites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Effects of reindeer grazing and forestry on ground lichens in Finnish Lapland

Akujärvi¹,

Hallikainen²,

Hyppönen³

et al. 2014

Silva Fenn.

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Akujärvi A., Hallikainen V., Hyppönen M., Mattila E., Mikkola K., Rautio P. (2014). Effects of reindeer grazing and forestry on ground lichens in Finnish Lapland. Silva Fennica vol. 48 no. 3 article id 1153. 18 p. Highlights• Both reindeer grazing and forestry affect the cover and biomass of reindeer lichens.• Reindeer grazing has bigger impact than forestry.• The lichen cover was about five-fold and the biomass about fifteen-fold in the ungrazed (fenced) sites than in the grazed ones.• The decrease of not only the biomass, but also the cover of lichens, is alarming. AbstractReindeer husbandry and forestry are practiced in the same areas in northern Fennoscandia. Reindeer pastures have largely deteriorated. We aimed to quantify the separate and combined effects of reindeer grazing and forestry on the amount of ground lichens. To do this, we mapped and inventoried all larger enclosures (49) in Finnish Lapland where forest management practices were similar in both sides of the fence. The average time since fencing was 43 years. We recorded the cover and estimated dry biomass of ground lichens, as well as parameters describing forest stand characteristics. The effect of reindeer grazing on both the cover and estimated dry biomass of lichens was clear: in the ungrazed (fenced) sites, the lichen cover (35.8%) was on average 5.3-fold and the dry biomass (1929 kg ha -1 ) 14.8-fold compared with the corresponding estimates in the grazed sites (6.8% and 130 kg ha -1 ). The effect of forestry on lichens was smaller. In the grazed stands the cover and biomass of lichens were higher in the mature stands compared to the younger stand development classes, whereas in the ungrazed stands there were no significant differences between the development classes. Both reindeer grazing and forestry affect the cover and biomass of ground lichens. The influence of reindeer grazing is, however, much heavier than that of forestry. The decrease of not only the biomass, but also the lichen cover, is alarming. The decrease of lichen cover may hinder the recovery of reindeer pastures, which in the long run endangers the sustainability of reindeer husbandry.

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“…Depending on the ecosystem and grazing pressure, herbivory may either lead to an increase in net primary production (NPP) (Cargill and Jefferies 1984;Olofsson et al 2001Olofsson et al , 2004 or a decrease in NPP (e.g., Bagchi and Ritchie 2010;Beaulieu et al 1996;Cahoon et al 2012;Ouellet et al 1994;Sjögersten et al 2011;Susiluoto et al 2008; Van der Wal et al 2007). In nutrient poor high arctic areas a number of studies have shown an increase in NPP as a result of increased herbivory (Olofsson et al 2004; Van der Wal et al 2004) as nutrient addition by animal excrement can increase the labile nutrient level Van der Wal et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, studies of grazing in the high arctic have demonstrated that herbivory can result in a shift in vegetation composition-towards being more herb and graminoid dominated (Cahoon et al 2012;Olofsson et al 2009;Ouellet et al 1994;Post and Pedersen 2008;Sjögersten et al 2008;Susiluoto et al 2008;Van der Wal 2006). Grazing has also been shown to change nutrient allocation patterns, as vegetation uses carbon and nutrients reserves for regrowth of new plant shoots instead of building reserves below-ground (Beaulieu et al 1996;Chapin 1980;Green and Detling 2000;Mulder 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of simulated increased grazing on carbon allocation patterns in a high arctic mire

2014

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Herbivory is an important part of most ecosystems, and grazing alone can have a considerable impact on the ecosystems carbon balance with both direct and indirect effects. Removal of above-ground biomass by consumption of herbivores will change the below-ground carbon stock; the reduction of litter that goes into the ground will influence the total ecosystem carbon content. Little is however known about how plant-herbivory interactions effect the carbon balance, in particular methane emissions, of high arctic mires. We hypothesized that increased grazing pressure will change carbon allocation patterns resulting in decreased net ecosystem uptake of carbon and subsequently in lower methane emissions. An in-situ field experiment was conducted over 3 years in a high arctic mire at Zackenberg in NE Greenland. The experiment consisted of three treatments, with five replicates of each (1) control, (2) vascular plants were removed (NV), (3) clipped twice each growing season in order to simulate increased muskox grazing. Immediately after the initiation of the experiment net ecosystem uptake of CO 2 decreased in clipped plots (mean total decrease for the three following years was 35 %). One year into the experiment a significantly lower CH 4 emission was observed in these plots, the total mean reduction for the following 2 years was 26 %. Three years into the experiment significantly lower substrate (acetic acid) availability for CH 4 production was observed (27 % reduction). NV plots had a mean decrease in CO 2 uptake of 113 %, a 62 % decrease in ecosystem respiration and an 84 % decrease in CH 4 emission (mean of all 3 years). Our study shows that increased grazing pressure in a high arctic mire can lead to significant changes in the carbon balance, with lower CO 2 uptake leading to lower production of substrate for CH 4 formation and in lower CH 4 emission.

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Effects of Grazing on the Vegetation Structure and Carbon Dioxide Exchange of a Fennoscandian Fell Ecosystem

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 36 publications

References 28 publications

Soil and ecosystem respiration responses to grazing, watering and experimental warming chamber treatments across topographical gradients in northern Mongolia

Soil and ecosystem respiration responses to grazing, watering and experimental warming chamber treatments across topographical gradients in northern Mongolia

Effects of reindeer grazing and forestry on ground lichens in Finnish Lapland

Effects of simulated increased grazing on carbon allocation patterns in a high arctic mire

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