Large herbivores play a crucial role in maintaining vegetation structure and composition of Arctic ecosystems in times of global change by grazing and trampling on plants and moving nutrients across the landscape. However, the role of herbivores in shaping the size of ecological communities and overall biodiversity in the Arctic is poorly understood.
Measuring ecological communities and
biodiversity is a challenge difficult to overcome because it requires the
extensive participation of researchers with deep taxonomic knowledge to conduct
field inventories. An alternative approach entails employing existing indexes
that indicate the number of organisms that interact with a particular plant
species. In this study, we coupled vegetation data from a network of plots
scattered across the Fennoscandian tundra with an index developed for Swedish
flora to understand how herbivores shape ecological communities and overall
biodiversity.
We found that herbivores reduce the
size of ecological communities by grazing on taller plants which commonly interact
with a higher number of species. Our study highlights the importance of preserving reindeer and
moose populations in the Arctic to conserve the
vegetation structure and biodiversity of the tundra.
The article
is Open Access and you can find the full text here.
Reference: Ramirez, J.I., Sundqvist, M., Lindén, E., Björk, R.G., Forbes, B.C., Suominen, O., Tyler, T., Virtanen, R. and Olofsson, J. (2024), Reindeer grazing reduces climate-driven vegetation changes and shifts trophic interactions in the Fennoscandian tundra. Oikos e10595. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.10595
Text: Juan Ignacio Ramirez; Image generated by AI.
The project includes partners from the University of Helsinki, the Agricultural University of Iceland, Aarhus University, University of Eastern Finland and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and will help set up a TExNet site in W Greenland!
Implications of changes in tundra herbivore diversity – West Greenland in a multiscale circumpolar experiment
Herbivory is a key ecological process modifying arctic ecosystems’ response to climate change, and herbivores are extremely important for the livelihoods of most northern communities, including Greenland. The aim of the project is to understand the drivers and consequences of changing vertebrate herbivore diversity across environmental gradients in the tundra biome. We apply for funding to set up an experimental site in West Greenland following the standardized protocols developed by the Tundra Exclosure Network (TExNet) and contribute to a larger research effort implementing a common sampling design at multiple sites across the Arctic. The project will not only deliver local knowledge for direct management advice to the Ministries, it will also improve our understanding of the role of herbivore diversity in tundra ecosystems, while strengthening circumpolar scientific cooperation.
After 10 years of
contributing to circumpolar research on plant-herbivore interactions, the Herbivory Network is using a horizon scan to
identify research priorities in Arctic herbivory for the coming decade. As part
of this process, the Herbivory Network organized
a one-day in-person workshop, as a pre-conference activity, parallel to the Nordic
Society Oikos conference held in Lund, March 12-15, 2024.
During the workshop,
participants worked on refining the emerging themes and determining key
action points for Arctic herbivory research in the next decade, based on
feedback received from Arctic herbivory experts through an online survey. You
can find more information about the project here.
The workshop
was organized by Isabel C Barrio (Agricultural University of Iceland), Stefaniya
Kamenova (University of Oslo) and Helen Anderson (University of Aberdeen). Registration
for the workshop was open through the portal of the NSO conference, ensuring a
broader participation than from network members alone. A total of 26 researchers
participated in the workshop, many of them early career scientists.
The Herbivory Network workshop was organized as part of the activities of the Nordic Oikos Society conference 2024 held in Lund. The workshop took place in the Ecology Building of the University of Lund. A total of 26 researchers participated in the workshop (photo: Laura Barbero-Palacios)
You can find here some documents relevant to the meeting:
This project has been endorsed by the International Arctic Science Committee as an ICARP IV activity. Funding to support the participation of early career scientistsin this workshop has been made available by the Terrestrial Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Many of the discussions held during the meeting contribute to the TUNDRAsalad project (grant nr. 217754), funded by the Icelandic Research Fund.
As part of the TUNDRAsalad project and as a follow up on the HN work on the systematic map of herbivore studies in the Arctic, we conducted a systematic review to synthesize the effects of herbivore diversity on tundra ecosystem functioning. We first published a protocol for conducting the systematic review that we then used to actually do the review.
BARBERO-PALACIOS, L., BARRIO, I.C., GARCÍA CRIADO, M., KATER, I., PETIT BON, M., KOLARI, T.H.M., BJØRKÅS, R., TREPEL, J., LUNDGREN, E., BJÖRNSDÓTTIR, K., HWANG, B.C., BARTRA-CABRÉ, L., DEFOURNEAUX, M., RAMSAY, J., LAMERIS, T.K., LEFFLER, A.J., LOCK, J.G., KUOPPAMAA, M.S., KRISTENSEN, J.A., BJORKMAN, A.D., MYERS-SMITH, I., LECOMTE, N., AXMACHER, J.C., GILG, O., DEN HERDER, M., PAGNEUX, E.P., SKARIN, A., SOKOLOVA, N., WINDIRSCH, T., WHEELER, H.C., SERRANO, E., VIRTANEN, T., HIK, D.S., KAARLEJÄRVI, E., SPEED, J.D.M., SOININEN, E. (2024) Herbivore diversity effects on Arctic tundra ecosystems – a systematic review. Environmental Evidence 13(1):6 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-024-00330-9
BARRIO, I.C., BARBERO-PALACIOS, L., KAARLEJÄRVI, E., SPEED, J.D.M., HEIÐMARSSON, S., HIK, D.S., SOININEN, E.M. (2022) What are the effects of herbivore diversity on tundra ecosystems? A systematic review protocol. Environmental Evidence 11:1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-022-00257-z
Arctic ecosystems are strongly influenced by herbivores, yet the role of herbivore diversity in shaping ecosystem structure and functioning has been overlooked. As Arctic herbivore communities respond to rapid environmental changes, a better understanding of the consequences of changes in their diversity is urgently needed.
We used a systematic review to synthesize available evidence on the effects of herbivore diversity on tundra ecosystems. Greater herbivore diversity led to increased abundance of herbivory marks and soil temperature, and to reduced total abundance of plants, graminoids and forbs, plant leaf size, plant height, moss depth, and litter abundance. In some cases, the effects of different functional groups of herbivores added up or compensated each other, leading respectively to stronger or weaker responses than would be expected for each group separately, and were modulated by environmental conditions.
Herbivore identity modulates the effects of herbivores on tundra ecosystems. In some cases the effects of different groups of herbivores compensate each other, while in others, effects can be additive. Figure: Laura Barbero-Palacios
Current knowledge on the role of herbivore diversity still remains limited and geographically biased towards well-established research locations, with a strong focus on impacts of vertebrate herbivores on vegetation. Future studies should explicitly address the role of herbivore diversity targeting a broader range of ecosystem responses and explicitly including invertebrate herbivores, to refine predictions on whether and where these shifts could mitigate or further amplify the impact of environmental changes on Arctic ecosystems.
The article is open access and you can find it here. You can also see the database as an interactive map. Please feel free to reach out if you have ideas on future projects using this large database!
Reference: Barbero-Palacios, L., Barrio, I.C., García Criado, M. et al. Herbivore diversity effects on Arctic tundra ecosystems: a systematic review. Environ Evid 13, 6 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-024-00330-9
This project is a contribution to the TUNDRAsalad project funded by the Icelandic Research Fund (Grant nr. 217754) and the CHARTER project funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme (Grant agreement nr. 869471).
Are you looking for an exciting PhD position in remote sensing? This might be your opportunity to join the NordBorN team at the University of Eastern Finland!
The UEF NordBorN team coordinated by Prof Timo Kumpula is looking for a highly motivated and skilled PhD researcher. The successful PhD applicant will work with multiple scale (from drones to satellite) remote sensing of shrub encroachment processes and treeline dynamics in tundra ecosystems. The candidate is expected to have skills in remote sensing and machine learning. The position entails both office work and field work.
The UEF NordBorN team welcomes candidates with background in geography, ecology, environmental sciences, geoinformatics and computer sciences. The position will provide a unique opportunity to be part of a large, active international team and participate in project meetings in different countries over the course of the project.
The PhD researcher will be based at the Joensuu campus of the University of Eastern Finland, at the Department of Geography and Historical Studies, and will work closely with Timo Kumpula and Miguel Villoslada and other members of the Digital Geosciences research group.
The deadline for applications is April 15, 2024 and the position will start as soon as possible after May 15, 2024. The position has an initial duration of 20 months. The candidate will actively engage in funding acquisition with supervisors to ensure the full funding of PhD.
Applications should include:
Cover letter that explains how your research interests and experience align with the position
CV or resume, including relevant experience
List of two professional references and their contact information
Applications should be submitted through the electronic system of the University of Eastern Finland.
Range shifts and
changes in dominance of species in communities are among the major predicted
impacts of climate change on ecosystems, supported by numerous modeling
studies. While climate is changing particularly rapidly in the Arctic, little
observational data is available to document predicted changes in the
composition of communities, in particular from the large Russian tundra areas.
In their recent
article in Global Change Biology, Natalia Sokolova and coauthors outlined
changes over 60 years in occurrence of nine species of small rodents along a
latitudinal gradient spanning from the forest-tundra ecotone to the high Arctic
tundra on Yamal Peninsula.
They found that the occurrence of lemmings, specialized arctic endemics, decreased in the southern parts of the peninsula, whereas the occurrence of voles, representing boreal or wide-spread species, increased and expanded northwards.
Sokolova et al’s study reports declines in arctic specialist species like the Siberian lemming, especially in the southernmost areas of Yamal peninsula, while widespread species like the narrow-headed vole increased strongly in tundra.
Reference: Sokolova, N. A., Fufachev, I. A., Ehrich, D., Shtro, V. G., Sokolov, V. A., & Sokolov, A. A. (2024). Expansion of voles and retraction of lemmings over 60 years along a latitudinal
gradient on Yamal Peninsula. Global Change Biology, 30, e17161. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17161
The project “Herbivores in the tundra: linking diversity and function (TUNDRAsalad)” was a three-year project (2021-2023) funded by the Icelandic Research Fund, that investigated the role of herbivore diversity in tundra ecosystems. The project was led by Isabel C Barrio at the Agricultural University of Iceland.
Partners included Elina Kaarlejärvi (University of Helsinki), Eeva Soininen (UiT The Arctic University of Norway), James Speed (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), David Hik (Simon Fraser University), Mathilde Defourneaux (Agricultural University of Iceland), Laura Barbero Palacios (Agricultural University of Iceland), Noémie Boulanger-Lapointe (University of Iceland), Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir (University of Iceland), Toke Hoye (Aarhus University), Sasha Sokolov (Russian Academy of Sciences), Johan Olofsson (Umeå University), Emmanuel Pagneux (Agricultural University of Iceland), Bryndís Marteinsdóttir (Soil Conservation Service of Iceland), Kari Anne Bråthen (UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Dorothee Ehrich (UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Jón Guðmundsson (Agricultural University of Iceland), Bruce Forbes (University of Lapland) and Timo Kumpula (University of Eastern Finland).
As part of the TUNDRAsalad project, Mathilde Defourneaux developed her PhD project focusing on the effects of changing herbivore communities in Iceland. Mathilde’s PhD, titled “The impacts of spatio-temporal shifts in vertebrate herbivore communities on the functioning of the Icelandic tundra” is available here.
Mathilde Defourneaux defended her PhD at the Agricultural University of Iceland in December 2024
You can read more about the TUNDRAsalad project here.
Publications from the TUNDRAsalad project
DEFOURNEAUX, M., BARBERO-PALACIOS, L., SCHOELYNCK, J., BOULANGER-LAPOINTE, N., SPEED, J.D.M., BARRIO, I.C. (2025) Capturing seasonal variations in faecal nutrient content from tundra herbivores using Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy. Science of the Total Environment 981: 179548 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179548
BARBERO-PALACIOS, L., BARRIO, I.C., GARCÍA CRIADO, M., KATER, I., PETIT BON, M., KOLARI, T.H.M., BJØRKÅS, R., TREPEL, J., LUNDGREN, E., BJÖRNSDÓTTIR, K., HWANG, B.C., BARTRA-CABRÉ, L., DEFOURNEAUX, M., RAMSAY, J., LAMERIS, T.K., LEFFLER, A.J., LOCK, J.G., KUOPPAMAA, M.S., KRISTENSEN, J.A., BJORKMAN, A.D., MYERS-SMITH, I., LECOMTE, N., AXMACHER, J.C., GILG, O., DEN HERDER, M., PAGNEUX, E.P., SKARIN, A., SOKOLOVA, N., WINDIRSCH, T., WHEELER, H.C., SERRANO, E., VIRTANEN, T., HIK, D.S., KAARLEJÄRVI, E., SPEED, J.D.M., SOININEN, E. (2024) Herbivore diversity effects on Arctic tundra ecosystems – a systematic review. Environmental Evidence 13(1):6 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-024-00330-9
DEFOURNEAUX, M., BARRIO, I.C., BOULANGER-LAPOINTE, N., SPEED, J.D.M. (2024) Long-term changes in herbivore community and vegetation impact of wild and domestic herbivores across Iceland. AMBIO 53(8): 1124–1135 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-024-01998-6
BOULANGER-LAPOINTE, N., ÁGÚSTSDÓTTIR, K., BARRIO, I.C., DEFOURNEAUX, M., FINNSDÓTTIR, R., JÓNSDÓTTIR, I.S., MARTEINSDÓTTIR, B., MITCHELL, C., MÖLLER, M., NIELSEN, Ó.K., SIGFÚSSON, A.Þ., ÞÓRISSON, S.Þ., HUETTMANN, F. (2022) Herbivore species coexistence in changing rangeland ecosystems: first high resolution national open-source and open-access ensemble models for Iceland. Science of the Total Environment 845:157140 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157140
SOININEN, E.M., BARRIO, I.C., BJØRKÅS, R., BJÖRNSDÓTTIR, K., EHRICH, D., HOPPING, K.A., KAARLEJÄRVI, E., KOLSTAD, A.L., ABDULMANOVA, S., BJÖRK, R.G., BUENO, C.G., EISCHEID, I.,, FINGER-HIGGENS, R., FORBEY, J.S., GIGNAC, C., GILG, O., DEN HERDER, M., HOLM, H.S., HWANG, B.C., JEPSEN, J.U., KAMENOVA, S., KATER, I., KOLTZ, A.M.,, KRISTENSEN, J.A., LITTLE, C.J., MACEK, P., MATHISEN, K.M., METCALFE, D.B., MOSBACHER, J.B., MÖRSDORF, M., PARK, T., PROPSTER, J.R., ROBERTS, A.J., SERRANO, E., SPIEGEL, M.P., TAMAYO, M., TUOMI, M.W., VERMA, M., VUORINEN, K.E.M., VÄISÄNEN, M., VAN DER WAL, R., WILCOTS, M.E., YOCCOZ, N.G., SPEED, J. D. (2021) Location of studies and evidence of effects of herbivory on Arctic vegetation: a systematic map. Environmental Evidence 10:25 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-021-00240-0
Despite the importance of herbivory for ecosystem functioning, the direct assessment of plant-herbivore interactions is still not part of current monitoring efforts. Our preliminary analysis of Svalbard reindeer diet revealed considerable discrepancy in the estimated proportion of ingested plant species using micro-histology of plant fragments, compared to modern DNA metabarcoding and stable isotopes methods, thus calling for the rigorous assessment of these three methods.
The PIECEMEAL project, led by Stefaniya Kamenova at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) was funded by the Svalbard Science Forum, and brought together six international experts from Norway, France, Spain, Finland, USA and Sweden in each of the three diagnostic techniques, with colleagues in both the Norwegian Polar Institute in Ny-Ålesund and UNIS in Longyearbyen. Taking advantage of a rare opportunity of working on the same physical samples, they were able to provide a cost-efficient and ultimately non-invasive way, to reliably characterise Svalbard reindeer diet. These data allow better mechanistic models of both reindeer population growth, Svalbard plant community dynamics, and tundra ecosystem processes, as the climate continues to warm. Finally, by comparing three key methods for identifying the plant ingested by reindeer, our combined network and workshop project led to the establishment of a “gold standard” toolbox for diet analysis, relevant not only to Svalbard reindeer, but also to large herbivores in general.
The PIECEMEAL project compares different methods to assess diet of Svalbard reindeer (photo credit: Erik Ropstad)
Are you, or someone from your group, planning tundra fieldwork for summer 2024? We are too!
Summer 2024 will be the last opportunity to contribute to our observational study on herbivore diversity in tundra. This is a one-time, low-effort sampling campaign across multiple tundra sites, where your effort will contribute to a growing database including 12 sites already. The sampling protocol is simple, and the work can be done by a student or a field assistant.
What we offer:
Clear field protocols, tested across a range of tundra sites.
Co-authorship in 1-2 manuscripts assessing the large-scale drivers of herbivore diversity across tundra.
Opportunity to use the dataset for your own research questions.
What we ask:
2-4 person days of field work anywhere in tundra during peak of the growing season. Exact time commitment depends on herbivore abundance at your site.
Data entry to the database by October 2024.
More information on background, study questions and methods can be found here. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Elina Kaarlejärvi or Isabel Barrio.
