Population dynamics of tundra voles in relation to configuration of willow thickets in southern arctic tundra

Henden, John‐André; Ims, Rolf A.; Yoccoz, Nigel G.; Sørensen, Raymond; Killengreen, Siw Turid

doi:10.1007/s00300-010-0908-7

Cited by 35 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(46 reference statements)

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“…1A) had patches of approximately 80 -240 cm tall shrubs that formed closed canopies surrounded by meadows with short-statured vegetation of non-woody plants (Henden et al, 2011a). Habitats without thickets either had tall willows (2 plots) so severely thinned by reindeer browsing that they no longer formed closed canopies (Fig.…”

Section: Study System and Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collapse of an arctic bird community resulting from ungulate-induced loss of erect shrubs

Ims

Henden

2012

Biological Conservation

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Rapid, but contrasting, changes in the extent of erect thicket-forming shrubs is presently seen in the Arctic, either resulting from a warmer climate (increasing extent) or intensified herbivory (decreasing extent). We investigated the impact of loss of willow shrubs on a bird community in arctic riparian sediment plains in northern Norway subject to varying intensities of reindeer browsing. In riparian habitats where willow thickets had been lost, bird species richness was more than halved compared to habitats where some patches of thickets were still present. As could be expected species previously suggested to use erect woody vegetation as nesting places and/or foraging habitats were most consistently impacted. However, even some open ground habitat specialists appeared to be negatively impacted, possibly due to loss of spatial spill-over effects of insects from willow thickets. To preserve low-arctic avian biodiversity in a warming climate, management should strive to identify levels of ungulate browsing that strike the balance between shrub-encroached and shrub-denuded arctic tundra.

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Section: Study System and Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collapse of an arctic bird community resulting from ungulate-induced loss of erect shrubs

Ims

Henden

2012

Biological Conservation

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“…1) by means of small quadrat trappings in early summer and fall (Killengreen et al 2007) and snow tracking in winter , we have established that there are three functionally important small rodent species on the Varanger Peninsula (Killengren et al 2007;Henden, Ims, Yoccoz, Sørensen et al 2011;Ravolainen al. 2014).…”

Section: Herbivoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic

et al. 2017

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The distribution of traditional breeding dens on the Varanger Peninsula (70-71°N) in northernmost Fennoscandia indicates that this area once harboured a large Arctic fox population. Early 20th century naturalists regarded the coastal tundra of the Fennoscandian Low Arctic to be a stronghold for the species. At the start of our research in 2004, however, the local Arctic fox population was critically small and most neighbouring populations had been extirpated. Here, we synthesize the results of 11 years of research to highlight ecosystem drivers behind the critical state of the Arctic fox in Low-Arctic Fennoscandia. We identify two fundamental drivers: (1) an increasingly climate-driven irregularity of the lemming cycle and (2) a management-and climate-driven increase in the abundance of red fox that is subsidized by more ungulate carrion. Arctic fox reproductive success is low when lemmings are scarce (despite high vole abundance), while red foxes exclude Arctic foxes from high-quality breeding territories in summer and from marine and terrestrial carrion in winter. Red fox culling on Varanger Peninsula may have prevented the extirpation of the Arctic fox population. However, one decade after the onset of this management action the Arctic fox population has failed to increase either because the action has been insufficient or because demographic and environmental stochasticity has precluded a positive response. We discuss options for future research and management of the Arctic fox in the Fennoscandian Low Arctic.

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“…1 In contrast to reindeer, the three small rodent species are present year-round. Among 177 these, the tundra vole is the species normally found in highest densities in riparian tundra 178 herbaceous vegetation (Henden et al 2011;Tast 1966). with presence of reindeer faeces per river catchment per season and year (Fig.…”

Section: System Characteristics: Vegetation and Herbivores 149mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid, landscape scale responses in riparian tundra vegetation to exclusion of small and large mammalian herbivores

Ravolainen

Bråthen

Ims

et al. 2011

Basic and Applied Ecology

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21Productive tundra plant communities composed of a variety of fast growing herbaceous and 22 woody plants are likely to attract mammalian herbivores. Such vegetation is likely to respond 23 to different-sized herbivores more rapidly than currently acknowledged from the tundra. 24Accentuated by currently changing populations of arctic mammals there is a need to 25 understand impacts of different-sized herbivores on the dynamics of productive tundra plant 26 communities. Here we assess the differential effects of ungulate (reindeer) and small rodent 27 herbivores (voles and lemmings) on high productive tundra vegetation. A spatially extensive 28 exclosure experiment was run for three years on river sediment plains along two river 29 catchments in low-arctic Norway. The river catchments were similar in species pools but 30 differed in species abundance composition of both plants and vertebrate herbivores. Biomass 31 of forbs, deciduous shrubs and silica-poor grasses increased by 40-50 % in response to release 32 from herbivory, whereas biomass of silica-rich grasses decreased by 50-75%. Hence both 33 additive and compensatory effects of small rodents and reindeer exclusion caused these 34 significant changes in abundance composition of the plant communities. Changes were also 35 rapid, evident after only one growing season, and are among the fastest and strongest ever 36 documented in Arctic vegetation. The rate of changes indicate a tight link between the 37 dynamics of productive tundra vegetation and both small and large herbivores. Responses 38 were however not spatially consistent, being highly different between the catchments. We 39 conclude that despite similar species pools, variation in plant species abundance and 40 herbivore species dynamics give different prerequisites for change. 41 42

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Population dynamics of tundra voles in relation to configuration of willow thickets in southern arctic tundra

Cited by 35 publications

References 35 publications

Collapse of an arctic bird community resulting from ungulate-induced loss of erect shrubs

Collapse of an arctic bird community resulting from ungulate-induced loss of erect shrubs

Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic

Rapid, landscape scale responses in riparian tundra vegetation to exclusion of small and large mammalian herbivores

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