The Tundra Exclosure Network (TExNet) is a coordinated research initiative that aims at understanding the role of herbivore diversity on the functioning of tundra ecosystems. To do this, TExNet has established a network of experimental sites across the tundra, where herbivore diversity is manipulated using size selective exclosures that allow isolating the effects of different herbivores. Setting up an experimental site requires an initial investment and a commitment of at least five years, which can limit the number of participating sites. To expand the geographical spread of the study, an observational protocol was proposed, that required a single visit to the sites, while still collecting data comparable to data collected in the first year of the experiment.
During 2022-2024 data has been collected at six TExNET experimental sites and at 21 additional sites using the observational protocol. Last May 14-19, 2025, part of the TExNet team got together in Nuuk to compile and start analysing the first dataset collected across TExNet sites. The workshop was hosted by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. The workshop took place in Nuuk for the first two days at the facilities of GINR, while the last three days part of the team went on a writing retreat to Kapisillit.
During the workshop, the team compiled and curated the database, which is now almost ready for analyses. The different possibilities for analyses were discussed, as well as the opportunities for future data collection and collaboration across the network.
Funding to organize this workshop was provided by the 2024 UArctic Project Call for Networking Activities on UArctic Research and Education, for the project: “Implications of changes in tundra herbivore diversity -West Greenland in a multiscale circumpolar experiment” led by Mathilde Le Moullec. This project will also help set up two TExNet experimental sites in West Greenland. Support for early career researchers to travel to the workshop was provided by the Nordic Borealization Network (NordBorN) funded by NordForsk (project nr. 164079).
You can read more about the workshop in the TExNet workshop report.