Through meta-analysis of existing literature we investigated the evidence for links between shrub cover and indicators of population performance in arctic and sub-arctic wildlife. Species from greener habitats (higher NDVI) were more likely to respond positively to shrub cover indicators demonstrating the potential for boreal species to expand northward.Populations at leading edges of species ranges with respect to greenness (low NDVI relative to species range) were more likely to respond positively to shrub cover, showing how shifts at leading edges of species ranges may be particularly rapid. To date, few studies assess how arctic specialists might respond to shrub change. The study also highlights the complexities of discriminating between herbivore responses to shrub and herbivore effects on vegetation and the need for further research to evaluate the relative influence of these two processes on shrub-wildlife associations.
Reference: Wheeler, H.C., Høye, T.T., Svenning, J-C. (2018) Wildlife species benefitting from a greener Arctic are most sensitive to shrub cover at leading range edges. Global Change Biology 24:212–223.
Picture: Different herbivores will respond differently to changes in shrub cover (photos: Helen Wheeler)