Decrease of lichens in Arctic ecosystems: the role of wildfire, caribou, reindeer, competition and climate in north-western Alaska

We review and present a synthesis of the existing research dealing with changing Arctic tundra ecosystems, in relation to caribou and reindeer winter ranges. Whereas pan-Arctic studies have documented the effects on tundra vegetation from simulated climate change, we draw upon recent long-term regio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar research Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 433 - 442
Main Authors: Joly, Kyle, Jandt, Randi R., Klein, David R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford, UK Routledge 2009
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Wiley-Blackwell
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Climate warming
disturbance
fire
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
grazing
Lichenes
lichens
Plant cytology, morphology, systematics, chorology and evolution
Rangifer tarandus
Synecology
Terrestrial ecosystems
Thallophyta
Arctic Region
Competition
disturbance
Climate
Temperature
grazing
Environmental factor
Biomass
Climatic zone
Fungi
Seward Peninsula
Ecosystem
Fires
Alaska
fire
Polar region
Climate warming
Ungulata
Warming
Browsing
Fodder
Vegetation dynamics
Perturbation
Dynamical climatology
Climate change
Vertebrata
Mammalia
Rangifer tarandus
Global change
Lichenes
lichens
Vegetation fire
Artiodactyla
Tundra
ISSN:0800-0395, 1751-8369, 1751-8369
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:We review and present a synthesis of the existing research dealing with changing Arctic tundra ecosystems, in relation to caribou and reindeer winter ranges. Whereas pan-Arctic studies have documented the effects on tundra vegetation from simulated climate change, we draw upon recent long-term regional studies in Alaska that have documented the actual, on-the-ground effects. Our review reveals signs of marked change in Arctic tundra ecosystems. Factors known to be affecting these changes include wildfire, disturbance by caribou and reindeer, differential growth responses of vascular plants and lichens, and associated competition under climate warming scenarios. These factors are interrelated, and, we posit, unidirectional: that is, they are all implicated in the significant reduction of terricolous lichen ground cover and biomass during recent decades. Lichens constitute the primary winter forage for large, migratory caribou and reindeer herds, which in turn are a critical subsistence resource for rural residents in Alaska. Thus, declines in these lichens are a major concern for rural people who harvest caribou and reindeer for subsistence, as well as for sport hunters, reindeer herders, wildlife enthusiasts and land managers. We believe a more widely distributed and better integrated research programme is warranted to quantify the magnitude and extent of the decline in lichen communities across the Arctic.
ISSN:0800-0395
1751-8369
1751-8369
DOI:10.1111/j.1751-8369.2009.00113.x