Cited by 93Peatlands and Wetlands EcologyClimate change and permafrostSoil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics

Large herbivore grazing affects the vegetation structure and greenhouse gas balance in a high arctic mire

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Falk, Julie Maria, Schmidt, Niels Martin, Christensen, Torben R, Ström, Lena·2015·Environmental Research Letters

Abstract

Herbivory is an important part of most ecosystems and affects the ecosystems’ carbon balance both directly and indirectly. Little is known about herbivory and its impact on the carbon balance in high arctic mire ecosystems. We hypothesized that trampling and grazing by large herbivores influences the vegetation density and composition and thereby also the carbon balance. In 2010, we established fenced exclosures in high arctic Greenland to prevent muskoxen ( Ovibos moschatus ) from grazing. During the growing seasons of 2011 to 2013 we measured CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes in these ungrazed blocks and compared them to blocks subjected to natural grazing. Additionally, we measured depth of the water table and active layer, soil temperature, and in 2011 and 2013 an inventory of the vegetation density and composition were made. In 2013 a significant decrease in total number of vascular plant (33–44%) and Eriophorum scheuchzeri (51–53%) tillers were found in ungrazed plots, the moss-layer and amount of litter had also increased substantially in these plots. This resulted in a significant decrease in net ecosystem uptake of CO 2 (47%) and likewise a decrease in CH 4 emission (44%) in ungrazed plots in 2013. While the future of the muskoxen in a changing arctic is unknown, this experiment points to a potentially large effect of large herbivores on the carbon balance in natural Arctic ecosystems. It thus sheds light on the importance of grazing mammals, and hence adds to our understanding of natural ecosystem greenhouse gas balance in the past and in the future.

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Authors
Falk, J. M., Schmidt, N. M., Christensen, T. R., & Ström, L.
Affiliations
  • Lund University (SE)
  • Aarhus University (DK)
Corresponding author
Falk, Julie Maria
Venue
Environmental Research Letters
Published
2015-03-30
Volume
10
Issue
4
Pages
045001
ISSN
1748-9326 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1972156912
Cited by
93
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 4
FWCI
8.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Environmental Research Letters (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Aarhus Universitet
  • Lunds Universitet
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Climate change and permafrost
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
Keywords
Ovibos moschatus, carbon balance, greenhouse gas fluxes, CO2 uptake, methane emissions, vegetation structure, Eriophorum scheuchzeri, tundra vegetation, water table depth, active layer, soil temperature, exclosure experiment, Arctic carbon cycle

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