The ecosystem effects of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in northern Fennoscandia: Past, present and future

Stark, Sari; Horstkotte, Tim; Kumpula, Jouko; Olofsson, Johan; Tømmervik, Hans; Turunen, Minna

doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2022.125716

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 151 publications

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“…Previous work in both terrestrial ecosystems (Berzaghi et al 2023;Stark et al 2023;Treby & Carnell 2023) and salt marshes (Elschot et al 2015;Mueller et al 2017;Persico et al 2017;Harvey et al 2019;Graversen et al 2022) found that large consumers had a net neutral or positive effect on carbon stocks. In contrast, we found that the small consumer, Sesarma , negatively impacts carbon stocks (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A keystone grazer drives saltmarsh carbon storage and recovery

Wittyngham¹,

Johnson

Chen

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Ecogeomorphic theory predicts that plant-sediment feedbacks regulate carbon storage in coastal vegetated ecosystems. Yet, grazers, which remove plant biomass and alter sediment properties, remain an understudied driver of carbon cycling. We used field-derived and remote sensing data to examine how consumer fronts of the keystone grazer, Sesarma reticulatum, mediate carbon storage, flux, and recovery in salt marshes. We observed accelerating rates of Sesarma front migration that led to a decrease in carbon stocks by 40-70%. Despite latitudinal differences, front migration rate had no effect on carbon stocks, flux, or replacement time. Lastly, when we included Sesarma disturbance in carbon flux calculations, we found that it may take 5-100 years for marshes to replace lost carbon, if at all. Combined, we show that small grazers cause a net loss in carbon stocks as they move through the landscape, and irrespective of migration rate, these grazer-driven impacts persist for decades.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A keystone grazer drives saltmarsh carbon storage and recovery

Wittyngham¹,

Johnson

Chen

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…The study area is inside the area of reindeer management in Finland, where reindeer graze freely over the landscape. Contrasting with many other countries with reindeer husbandry, seasonal pasture rotation in Finland is not always practiced (Stark et al 2023 ). Outakka fell is located in the Näkkälä reindeer herding co-operative, which has a total area of 3,557 km 2 , and is grazed both during winter and summer (TOKAT data, Finnish Reindeer Herders Association).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

N-fertilization and disturbance exert long-lasting complex legacies on subarctic ecosystems

Manninen,

Myrsky,

Tolvanen

et al. 2024

Oecologia

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Subarctic ecosystems are subjected to increasing nitrogen (N) enrichment and disturbances that induce particularly strong effects on plant communities when occurring in combination. There is little experimental evidence on the longevity of these effects. We applied N-fertilization (40 kg urea-N ha−1 year−1 for 4 years) and disturbance (removal of vegetation and organic soil layer on one occasion) in two plant communities in a subarctic forest-tundra ecotone in northern Finland. Within the first four years, N-fertilization and disturbance increased the share of deciduous dwarf shrubs and graminoids at the expense of evergreen dwarf shrubs. Individual treatments intensified the other’s effect resulting in the strongest increase in graminoids under combined N-fertilization and disturbance. The re-analysis of the plant communities 15 years after cessation of N-fertilization showed an even higher share of graminoids. 18 years after disturbance, the total vascular plant abundance was still substantially lower and the share of graminoids higher. At the same point, the plant community composition was the same under disturbance as under combined N-fertilization and disturbance, indicating that multiple perturbations no longer reinforced the other’s effect. Yet, complex interactions between N-fertilization and disturbance were still detected in the soil. We found higher organic N under disturbance and lower microbial N under combined N-fertilization and disturbance, which suggests a lower bioavailability of N sources for soil microorganisms. Our findings support that the effects of enhanced nutrients and disturbance on subarctic vegetation persist over decadal timescales. However, they also highlight the complexity of plant–soil interactions that drive subarctic ecosystem responses to multiple perturbations across varying timescales.

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“…In Finland, the reindeer husbandry area is divided into the Sámi home area in the north, a central area specially intended for reindeer husbandry, and a southern ("other") reindeer management area. In Finland, there are no long-ranging seasonal migrations between winter and summer areas as a consequence of environmental conditions and historical developments (Stark et al 2023). In the Sámi home area, reindeer herds are generally larger, and herding is more commonly the main source of livelihood, whereas in the central and southern area, herding is often combined with other livelihoods.…”

Section: Introduction 11 Reindeer Husbandry In Northern Europementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of winter-feeding on reindeer’s future ability to utilize natural pastures

Rautiainen

2024

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae

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Winter feeding of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) has become an increasingly common management action in reindeer husbandry in Sweden, Finland, and Norway when natural grazing resources are unavailable due to the loss of grazing grounds, disturbances, and icing events. In the short term, feeding increases survival and reproduction, but the long-term effects on reindeer’s ability to utilize natural pastures have not been investigated. Herders have raised concerns that fed reindeer, especially calves, do not utilize natural pastures as efficiently as other reindeer. In this thesis, I investigated the short- and long-term effects of winter feeding on reindeer with focus on habitat selection and future foraging behaviour. Interviews were conducted to collect experience-based knowledge on the effects of feeding among reindeer herders. An experimental study was conducted to test how winter feeding of calves during their first winter affects future habitat selection, foraging behaviour, and body weight. I found that there are several unintended effects of feeding that may compromise reindeer’s ability to use the natural pastures efficiently. In the interviews, the effects identified by herders were related to physical traits or behaviour; the reported effects varied between herders, as did the perception of whether an effect was positive or negative. In the experimental study, I found that reindeer calves which were fed in enclosures during their first winter of life were less likely to select areas with higher lichen abundance when on natural pasture compared to reindeer that had spent their first winter on natural pasture. Although, the control animals were also provided feed on pasture to some extent their first winter. Understanding the long-term impacts of winter feeding on reindeer and their ability to utilize natural pastures and adapt to changes in the environment may be crucial when evaluating the effects of different external forces on reindeer husbandry. Knowledge of the short- and long-term effects of feeding on reindeer is important for herders when evaluating if, when and how to feed their reindeer.

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The ecosystem effects of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in northern Fennoscandia: Past, present and future

Cited by 10 publications

References 151 publications

A keystone grazer drives saltmarsh carbon storage and recovery

A keystone grazer drives saltmarsh carbon storage and recovery

N-fertilization and disturbance exert long-lasting complex legacies on subarctic ecosystems

Effects of winter-feeding on reindeer’s future ability to utilize natural pastures

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