Herbivore-shrub interactions influence ecosystem respiration and BVOC composition in the subarctic

Brachmann, Cole G.; Vowles, Tage; Rinnan, Riikka; Björkman, Mats; Ekberg, Anna; Björk, Robert G.

doi:10.5194/bg-2023-14

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 51 publications

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“…This means that we have not considered mitigation and adaptation factors that may be of great importance, such as climate feedbacks on the population size and changes in what land areas the reindeer feed (Bråthen et al, 2017;Speed et al, 2019). Reindeer grazing, browsing and trampling may also cause indirect feedback to the climate by affecting the vegetation and ground properties, which in turn affects snow cover, albedo, carbon cycling and biogenic volatile organic compound emissions (Brachmann et al, 2023;Holmgren et al, 2023). The representation of available reindeer food in the forested winter grazing grounds is challenging.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kilometre-scale simulations over Fennoscandia reveal a large loss of tundra due to climate warming

Lagergren,

Björk,

Andersson

et al. 2024

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. The Fennoscandian boreal and mountain regions harbour a wide range of vegetation types, from boreal forest to high alpine tundra and barren soils. The area is facing a rise in air temperature above the global average and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns. This is expected to alter the Fennoscandian vegetation composition and change the conditions for areal land use such as forestry, tourism and reindeer husbandry. In this study we used a unique high-resolution (3 km) climate scenario with considerable warming resulting from strongly increasing carbon dioxide emissions to investigate how climate change can alter the vegetation composition, biodiversity and availability of suitable reindeer forage. Using a dynamical vegetation model, including a new implementation of potential reindeer grazing, resulted in simulated vegetation maps of unprecedented high resolution for such a long time period and spatial extent. The results were evaluated at the local scale using vegetation inventories and for the whole area against satellite-based vegetation maps. A deeper analysis of vegetation shifts related to statistics of threatened species was performed in six “hotspot” areas containing records of rare and threatened species. In this high-emission scenario, the simulations show dramatic shifts in the vegetation composition, accelerating at the end of the century. Alarmingly, the results suggest the southern mountain alpine region in Sweden will be completely covered by forests at the end of the 21st century, making preservation of many rare and threatened species impossible. In the northern alpine regions, most vegetation types will persist but shift to higher elevations with reduced areal extent, endangering vulnerable species. Simulated potential for reindeer grazing indicates latitudinal differences, with higher potential in the south in the current climate. In the future these differences will diminish, as the potentials will increase in the north, especially for the summer grazing grounds. These combined results suggest significant shifts in vegetation composition over the present century for this scenario, with large implications for nature conservation, reindeer husbandry and forestry.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kilometre-scale simulations over Fennoscandia reveal a large loss of tundra due to climate warming

Lagergren,

Björk,

Andersson

et al. 2024

Biogeosciences

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Herbivore–shrub interactions influence ecosystem respiration and biogenic volatile organic compound composition in the subarctic

Brachmann,

Vowles,

Rinnan

et al. 2023

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. Arctic ecosystems are warming nearly 4 times faster than the global average, which is resulting in plant community shifts and subsequent changes in biogeochemical processes such as gaseous fluxes. Additionally, herbivores shape plant communities and thereby may alter the magnitude and composition of ecosystem respiration and biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions. Here we determine the effect of large mammalian herbivores on ecosystem respiration and BVOC emissions in two southern and two northern sites in Swedish Scandes, encompassing mountain birch (LOMB) and shrub heath (LORI) communities in the south and low-herb meadow (RIGA) and shrub heath (RIRI) communities in the north. Herbivory significantly altered BVOC composition between sites and decreased ecosystem respiration at RIGA. The difference in graminoid cover was found to have a large effect on ecosystem respiration between sites as RIGA, with the highest cover, had 35 % higher emissions than the next highest-emitting site (LOMB). Additionally, LOMB had the highest emissions of terpenes, with the northern sites having significantly lower emissions. Differences between sites were primarily due to differences in exclosure effects and soil temperature and the prevalence of different shrub growth forms. Our results suggest that herbivory has a significant effect on trace gas fluxes in a productive meadow community and that differences between communities may be driven by differences in shrub composition.

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Herbivore-shrub interactions influence ecosystem respiration and BVOC composition in the subarctic

Cited by 2 publications

References 51 publications

Kilometre-scale simulations over Fennoscandia reveal a large loss of tundra due to climate warming

Kilometre-scale simulations over Fennoscandia reveal a large loss of tundra due to climate warming

Herbivore–shrub interactions influence ecosystem respiration and biogenic volatile organic compound composition in the subarctic

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