Location of studies and evidence of effects of herbivory on Artic vegetation : A systematic map
Soininen, Eeva M. (University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway (UiT))
Barrio, Isabel C. (Agricultural University of Iceland)
Bjørkås, Ragnhild (Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU))
Björnsdóttir, Katrín (University of Gothenburg)
Ehrich, Dorothee (University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway (UiT))
Hopping, Kelly (Boise State University)
Kaarlejärvi, Elina (University of Helsinki)
Kolstad, Anders Lorentzen (Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU))
Abdulmanova, Svetlana (Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences)
Björk, Robert G. (University of Gothenburg)
Bueno, C. Guillermo (Tartu Ülikool (University of Tartu))
Eischeid, Isabell (University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway (UiT))
Finger Higgens, Rebecca (Dartmouth College)
Sorensen Forbey, Jennifer (Boise State University)
Gignac, Charles (Laval University)
Gilg, Olivier (University of Franche-Comté)
Den Herder, Michael (European Forest Institute)
Søndergaard Holm, Hildur (University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway (UiT))
C. Hwang, Bernice (Umeå University)
Uhd Jepsen, Jane (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research)
Kamenova, Stefaniya (Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU))
Kater, Ilona (University of Cambridge)
Amanda M., Koltz (Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL))
Aagaard Kristensen, Jeppe (Lund University)
Little, Chelsea J. (Simon Fraser University)
Macek, Petr (University of South Bohemia)
Mathisen, Karen Marie (Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences)
Metcalfe, Daniel (Lund University)
Bruun Mosbacher, Jesper (Norwegian Polar Institute)
Mörsdorf, Martin Alfons (University of Freiburg)
Park, Taejin (Bay Area Environmental Research Institute)
Propster, Jeffrey (Northern Arizona University)
Roberts, Aradhana (Lund University)
Serrano Ferron, Emmanuel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
Spiegel, Marcus P. (University of Oxford)
Tamayo, Mariana (University of Iceland - Háskóli Íslands)
Tuomi, Maria W. (University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway (UiT))
Verma, Megha (Institute of Zoology of Zooligical Society of London)
Vuorinen, Katariina Elsa Maria (Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU))
Väisänen, Maria (University of Oulu)
Van der Wal, René (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU))
Wilcots, Megan (University of Minnesota)
Yoccoz, Nigel (University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway (UiT))
Speed, James D. M. (Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU))

Date:	2021
Abstract:	Background: Herbivores modify the structure and function of tundra ecosystems. Understanding their impacts is necessary to assess the responses of these ecosystems to ongoing environmental changes. However, the efects of herbivores on plants and ecosystem structure and function vary across the Arctic. Strong spatial variation in herbivore efects implies that the results of individual studies on herbivory depend on local conditions, i. e. , their ecological context. An important frst step in assessing whether generalizable conclusions can be produced is to identify the existing studies and assess how well they cover the underlying environmental conditions across the Arctic. This systematic map aims to identify the ecological contexts in which herbivore impacts on vegetation have been studied in the Arctic. Specifcally, the primary question of the systematic map was: "What evidence exists on the efects of herbivores on Arctic vegetation?". Methods: We used a published systematic map protocol to identify studies addressing the efects of herbivores on Arctic vegetation. We conducted searches for relevant literature in online databases, search engines and specialist websites. Literature was screened to identify eligible studies, defned as reporting primary data on herbivore impacts on Arctic plants and plant communities. We extracted information on variables that describe the ecological context of the studies, from the studies themselves and from geospatial data. We synthesized the fndings narratively and created a Shiny App where the coded data are searchable and variables can be visually explored. Review fndings: We identifed 309 relevant articles with 662 studies (representing diferent ecological contexts or datasets within the same article). These studies addressed vertebrate herbivory seven times more often than invertebrate herbivory. Geographically, the largest cluster of studies was in Northern Fennoscandia. Warmer and wetter parts of the Arctic had the largest representation, as did coastal areas and areas where the increase in temperature has been moderate. In contrast, studies spanned the full range of ecological context variables describing Arctic vertebrate herbivore diversity and human population density and impact. Conclusions: The current evidence base might not be sufcient to understand the efects of herbivores on Arctic vegetation throughout the region, as we identifed clear biases in the distribution of herbivore studies in the Arctic and a limited evidence base on invertebrate herbivory. In particular, the overrepresentation of studies in areas with moderate increases in temperature prevents robust generalizations about the efects of herbivores under diferent climatic scenarios.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Browsing ; Grazing ; Grubbing ; Defoliation ; Tundra ; Invertebrate ; Vertebrate ; Forest-tundra ; Plant-herbivore interaction
Published in:	Environmental Evidence, Vol. 10 Núm. 25 (2021) , art. 25, ISSN 2047-2382

DOI: 10.1186/s13750-021-00240-0

21 p, 2.5 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Research group Wildlife Ecology & Health
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles