Slow Recovery of Lichen on Burned Caribou Winter Range in Alaska Tundra: Potential Influences of Climate Warming and Other Disturbance Factors

Lichen regeneration timelines are needed to establish sound fire management guidelines for caribou (Rangifer tarandus) winter range. Paired burned and unburned permanent vegetative cover transects were established after 1981, 1977, and 1972 tundra fires in northwestern Alaska to document regrowth of...

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Vydané v:Arctic, antarctic, and alpine research Ročník 40; číslo 1; s. 89 - 95
Hlavní autori: Jandt, Randi, Joly, Kyle, Randy Meyers, C., Racine, Charles
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:English
Vydavateľské údaje: UCB 450, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0450, U.S.A The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research 01.02.2008
Taylor & Francis
University of Colorado, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
Predmet:
Biological and medical sciences
Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Lichenes
Meteorology
Plant cytology, morphology, systematics, chorology and evolution
Research s
Thallophyta
Warming
Temperature
Environmental factor
Perturbation
Dynamical climatology
Fungi
Climate change
Vertebrata
Mammalia
Rangifer tarandus
Global change
Lichenes
Alaska
Artiodactyla
Tundra
Ungulata
ISSN:1523-0430, 1938-4246
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Popis
Shrnutí:Lichen regeneration timelines are needed to establish sound fire management guidelines for caribou (Rangifer tarandus) winter range. Paired burned and unburned permanent vegetative cover transects were established after 1981, 1977, and 1972 tundra fires in northwestern Alaska to document regrowth of tundra vegetation including caribou forage lichens in the wintering range of Alaska's largest caribou herd. Following fire, lichen had recovered very little compared to unburned transects (1% cover vs.15% cover) after 14 years. After 24 or 25 years, lichen cover in the burns remained low (3–4%), whether or not caribou were present during the recovery period. In addition, lichen cover on unburned transects at one study site had decreased from 14% to 6%. Shrub cover was higher on the burned plots than the unburned plots. Cover of cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum) initially increased following the fire and tussocks quickly became more vigorous than on paired unburned transects, remaining so for more than 14 years. Persistent changes in vegetation following fire likely reflect the cumulative impacts of seasonal caribou use and favorable growing conditions (warmer soils, longer growing season) for rooted vascular species during the recovery period. The actual recovery of forage lichens after fire on our study sites is slower than predictions based on ideal growth potential.
ISSN:1523-0430
1938-4246
DOI:10.1657/1523-0430(06-122)[JANDT]2.0.CO;2