The article explores long-term stability of reindeer-induced vegetation shifts by addressing “Historical Milking Grounds” (HMGs): patches in the Scandinavian tundra that were subject to high reindeer concentrations until 100 years ago,but still show a striking similarity to actively grazed areas. Next to providing a detailed description in terms of vegetation, soil and reinvasion rate of the surrounding tundra, the study reveals that several ecological drivers, such as increased nutrient turnover rates and a preference of rodents to feed on shrubs inside the HMGs, contribute to the stability of this vegetation type.
You can access the full publication here. This paper is the first chapter of Dagmar’s PhD thesis to be published. She defended her PhD thesis, called ‘Long-Lasting Ecological Legacies of Reindeer on Tundra Vegetation’ recently. Please find here a link to the PhD thesis, or email Dagmar if you are interested in the full PDF or a paper copy.
Reference: Egelkraut, D., Aronsson, K.-A., Allard, A., Åkerholm, M., Stark, S., Olofsson, J. (2018) Multiple Feedbacks Contribute to a Centennial Legacy of Reindeer on Tundra Vegetation. Ecosystems 21: 1545–1563