Response of Arctic ecosystems to climate change: results of long-term field experiments in Sweden and Alaska

Long-term field experiments at Abisko, Sweden, and Toolik Lake, Alaska, reveal both similarities and differences in response of contrasting Arctic ecosystems to changes in temperature, light, and nutrient availability. Five different ecosystems were manipulated for 5–15 years by increasing air temperature with greenhouses, by decreasing light with shading, and by increasing available N and P with fertilizers. The ecosystems at Abisko included evergreen-dominated heath and fellfield sites; at Toolik Lake they included wet sedge tundra, moist tussock tundra, and dry heath tundra. In all ecosystems, fertilizer treatment increased plant growth, production, and/or biomass. Plant responses to warming were smaller and occasionally nonsignificant, Responses to shading were generally nonsignificant after 3–6 years, although after 9 years the tussock tundra showed significant decreases in biomass. In general, the ecosystems at Abisko were less responsive to nutrients and more responsive to temperature than the ecosystems at Toolik Lake. Overall, though, the sites were quite similar in their responses to the perturbations, increasing our confidence in predictions of response to climate change over large areas based on small-area studies.     

Matter and energy flow in Spitsbergen ornithogenic tundra

Investigations were carried out on matter and energy flow through ornithogenic Spitsbergen tundra (Hornsund area, Vestspitsbergen, Svalbard). Data are given on the inflow and dispersion of nutrients in tundra, vegetation, distribution and primary production, organic matter destruction, microfauna abundance and its classification into trophic groups, and the metabolic rate of the dominant species of microfauna. It was found that in the ecosystem examined herbivorous invertebrates are almost lacking, the dominant food chain is detritus type, and the majority of the plant matter produced is removed beyond the system to the sea, in the form of detritus. A qualitative model of matter cycling in the ecosystem is given.     

Potential of Svalbard reindeer winter droppings for emission/absorption of methane and nitrous oxide during summer

Droppings of Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) could affect the carbon and nitrogen cycles in tundra ecosystems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of reindeer droppings originating from the winter diet for emission and/or absorption of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in summer. An incubation experiment was conducted over 14 days using reindeer droppings and mineral subsoil collected from a mound near Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, to determine the potential exchanges of CH₄ and N₂O for combinations of two factors, reindeer droppings (presence or absence) and soil moisture (dry, moderate, or wet). A line transect survey was conducted to determine the distribution density of winter droppings at the study site. The incubation experiment showed a weak absorption of CH₄ and a weak emission of N₂O. Reindeer droppings originating from the winter diet had a negligible effect on the exchange fluxes of both CH₄ and N₂O. Although the presence of droppings resulted in a short-lasting increase in N₂O emissions on day 1 (24 h from the start) for moderate and wet conditions, the emission rates were still very small, up to 3 μg N₂O m⁻² h⁻¹.     

Land use and climate change on the Yamal Peninsula of north-west Siberia: some ecological and socio-economic implications

Compared to climate, land use change is expected to comprise a more important component of global change in the coming decades. However, climate is anticipated to supass land use as a factor later in the next century, particularly in the Arctic. Discussed here are the implications of land use and climate change on the Yamal peninsula of north-west Siberia, homeland of the Yamal Nenets. Since the discovery of super-giant natural gas fields in the 1960s, extensive exploration has resulted in direct withdrawal of large areas for infrastructure development and associated disturbance regimes have led to cumulative impacts on thousands of additional hectares of land. The land withdrawals have pushed a relatively consistent or increasing number of reindeer onto progressively smaller parcels of pasture. This has led to excessive grazing and trampling of lichens, bryophytes and shrubs and, in many areas, erosion of sandy soils via deflation. The low Arctic tundra lies entirely within the continuous permafrost zone and ice-rich substrates are widespread. One implication of this is that both anthropogenic and zoogenic distubance regimes may easily initiate thermokarst and aeolian rosion, leading to significant further losses of pastures. Even without industrial distubance, a slight change of the climate would result in massive thermokarst erosion. This would have negative consequences equal to or greater than the mechanical distubances described above. The synergistic effects of land use coupled with climate, change therefore have profound implication for the ecosystems of Yamal, as well as the future of the Nenets culture, society and economy.     

南极典型海洋动物粪氨气挥发过程的实验模拟研究

南极海洋动物粪氨(NH3)的挥发与沉降过程是无冰区苔原生态系统氮素重要来源,对维持苔原生态系统的稳定起着重要作用;但目前对于南极典型海洋动物粪氨的挥发过程仍然很少有研究报道。本文通过室内模拟,研究了低温(4℃左右)与冻融条件下南极帝企鹅粪、阿德利企鹅粪和海豹粪土氨气产生与排放过程及其影响因素,结果表明:帝企鹅粪氨气排放通量最大,变化范围为0.765-17.4mg·kg-1·h-1,平均通量约为6.26mg·kg-1·h-1;阿德利企鹅粪氨气排放通量变化范围为0.652-3.707mg·kg-1·h-1,平均通量约为1.27mg·kg-1·h-1;而海豹粪土氨气排放通量很小,平均通量约0.141mg·kg-1·h-1。冻融过程对帝企鹅粪氨气排放通量影响很大,而对阿德利企鹅粪影响较小。另外,帝企鹅粪和阿德利企鹅粪氨气排放量在通气条件下明显大于封闭条件,表明南极野外大风条件下可能加速海洋动物粪氨的挥发过程。本文模拟的结果对于进一步研究南极生物圈氨的挥发过程及其对南极苔原生态系统氮循环的影响具有重要意义。     

荒漠生态系统C、N、P生态化学计量研究进展

生态化学计量学是通过研究生物有机体主要元素含量及其比值的变化关系,揭示生态系统各组分间元素循环规律的一门学科,生态化学计量也是荒漠生态系统研究的重要内容。因此,综合掌握水分和养分限制环境下C、N、P生态化学计量的关系对揭示荒漠生态系统植物的限制性元素、土壤营养的供给能力、养分的有效性等都具有重要的意义。基于此,回顾和分析了国内外荒漠生态系统C、N、P生态化学计量最新研究和动态,分别从植物、凋落物、土壤、土壤微生物、土壤酶进行较为系统的评述,讨论了植物-土壤-微生物-酶四者的关系,提出了荒漠生态系统C、N、P生态化学计量的未来研究方向,期望为全面理解固沙植被的演变过程、稳定性维持机制及其科学管理提供理论指导。     

Potential and actual trace gas fluxes in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems

This paper provides an overview of results obtained through a number of studies of actual and potential trace gas exchanges in Eurasian and Greenlandic tundra ecosystems. The chief findings include:
i) Long-term accumulation rates of carbon in organic tundra soils, i.e. net uptake of atmospheric CO₂, are strongly controlled by simple climatic parameters (mean July temperature, annual precipitation). Warmer and wetter conditions stimulate carbon sequestration rates in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems.
ii) The release of carbon through ecosystem respiration is also heavily influenced by climate. However, the release of dead organic soil carbon as CO₂ is constraind by the lability of the stored organic compounds. This lability decreases significantly with depth (i.e. age) of the soils; moreover, this in turn decreases the temperature sensitivity of the decomposition process.
iii) Methane emissions from typical tundra habitats in northern Eurasia are slightly lower than from seemingly similar habitats in North America although this difference probably can be attributed to the colder climatic setting of the studied sites compared with the general climatic conditions at the North American sites. There is a strong linkage between CO₂ exchange, CH₄ formation and emission rates in some wet tundra ecosystems.
iv) Atmospheric uptake of CH₄ occurs in some dry and mesic tundra habitats and there are indications that these uptake rates could be affected negatively by atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Emissions of N₂O are rarely seen fromArctic soils but there appear to be a strong potential for denitrification and, hence, N₂O release. This might be due to high rates of denitrification during the spring thaw and possibly associated significant releases of N₂O in this period.     

Research planning in the face of change: the human role in reindeer/caribou systems

Reindeer/caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ) constitute a biological resource of vital importance to the physical and cultural survival of Arctic residents since time immemorial. Recent and possible future economic, social and ecological changes raise concern for sustainability of these resources and the well-being of those who depend on them. In February 1999 eighty scientists, reindeer/caribou users and resource managers gathered in Rovaniemi, Finland, for an interdisciplinary workshop to develop a circumpolar research plan that addressed the sustainability of humanreindeer/caribou systems. Small working groups addressed six themes: hunting systems, herding systems, rengeland/habitat protection, minimizing industrial impacts, maintaining the strength of indigenous cultures, and responding to global change. The resulting Research Plan cells for interdisciplinary comparative studies, advancement of tools for assessing cumulative effects, implementation of regional and a circumpolar monitoring and assessment programmes, and cultural studies on the transmission of knowledge. Cross-cutting directives for future research include:
• improving humans'ability to anticipate and respond to change;
• understanding better the dynamics of human-reindeer/caribou systems;
• developing research methods that are both more instructive and less intrusive;
• facilitating open communication among groups with interests in reindeer/caribou resources;
• organizing researchers into a strong, coordinated network;
• re-framing the conventional research paradigm to be more inclusive of differing cultural perspectives.
Three follow-up initiatives are proposed: 1) development of a web-based resource on the human role in reindeer/caribou systems (www.rangifer.net); establishment of a Profile of Herds database to support comparative research; and 3) convening of working groups to address specific problems identified by workshop participants.     

Are small rodents key promoters of ecosystem restoration in harsh environments? A case study of abandoned croplands on Mongolian grasslands

We focused on the potential contribution of fossorial rodents to recovery of degraded abandoned Mongolian croplands. From field observations and the literature, we determined that plant litter and soil crusting were the main factors preventing establishment or growth of the perennial grass Elymus chinensis (Poaceae) on these croplands. We hypothesized that small fossorial rodents such as Mongolian gerbils promote grass establishment and growth by clearing litter and destroying crusts. We designed a path model linking number of burrows to patch size and plant volume of E. chinensis. As we hypothesized, small rodents increased the patch size of E. chinensis through reduction of litter cover. However, unexpectedly, we could not find significant effects on E. chinensis via crust thickness. Our results suggest that litter removal by the rodents gave E. chinensis suitable space that was free of competitors; this allowed expansion of the E. chinensis patches. Any effect of soil crusting on plant volume could not be explained simply by the variables we used, probably because some other mechanism, such as temporal variation in the crust, was involved. We demonstrate that small rodents are key agents in the recovery of degraded grasslands.     

Inter- and intraspecific variations of the chemical properties of high-Arctic mosses along water-regime gradients

We examined and compared the contents of organic chemical components (lignin-like compounds, total carbohydrates and extractives), carbon and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium) among the mosses Calliergon giganteum, Hylocomium splendens, Racomitrium lanuginosum, and among three populations of H. splendens collected from habitats in contrasting water regimes in the Canadian high-arctic tundra. C:N:P ratios were analyzed among and within moss species. Mosses from hydric habitats had lower total carbohydrate and higher nutrients contents than did mosses from drier habitats; however, we found no intraspecific variations in nitrogen and calcium contents in the different populations of H. splendens along water-regime gradients. The contents in lignin-like compounds, extractives and carbon showed no clear trends along water-regime gradients. Mosses from hydric habitats had lower C:N, C:P and N:P ratios than mosses from drier habitats, although we found no intraspecific variations in C:N ratios in H. splendens along water-regime gradients. These results suggest that chemical properties of mosses, especially nutrient contents, are strongly correlated with water availability in high-Arctic tundra.     

我国南方植物生态学研究述评

我国热带亚热带区域生态系统具有很高的潜在脆弱性,在人类干扰和全球变化的双重影响下,我国南方地区面临着严峻的生态环境问题。本文总结和评述了近年来我国南方植物生态学研究的几个重点领域,包括森林群落生物多样性维持、群落演替机制、养分循环和碳循环,山地丘陵退化生态系统的植被恢复,湿地环境修复、生物多样性保护、生物入侵机制和温室气体排放,城市植物的环境修复、热岛效应缓解及碳源汇功能等,并展望了我国南方植物生态学研究的未来方向,提出修复和重建大面积的退化生态系统,促进生物多样性保护,维护人居环境和人类健康,提高生态系统对全球变化的适应性,增强生态安全保障,是今后我国南方植物生态学研究所肩负的历史使命。     

Source of and potential bio-indicator for the heavy metal pollution in Ny-lesund,Arctic

Three kinds of tundra plant samples including Dicranum angustum(a type of boreal bryophyte),Puccinellia phryganodes(a type of fringy plant),Salix polaris(a type of vascular plant) and surface soil were samples in 200 at Ny-lesund of the Arctic.The levels of eight heavy metal elements(Hg,Pb,Cd,Cu,Zn,Ni,Fe and Mn) and three metal-like elements(As,Se,Sr) in the plant and soil samples of the areas within previous coal mining activities are significantly higher than those of other areas.The relative accumulation of these elements in these tundra plant samples is consistent with the one in the soil samples,especially in the areas affected by previous coal-mining activities.Thus,the pollution is apparently from local coal mining activity.Dicranum angustum has the highest concentrations among those elements,and it can be a good bio-indicator for heavy metal pollution in Ny-lesund.Though Ny-lesund is less polluted by heavy metal than nearby Northern European human living areas,but much more than the tundras of the Alaska,Greenland and the Antarctic.     

The ecologo-geographical framework for the protection and recovery of taiga reindeer populations within the Konda river basin (Western Siberia)

The key aspects of reindeer ecology within the Konda river basin are considered. The study revealed the factors governing the characteristics of calving reindeer pastures determined by the structure of forest-bog landscapes of a different generalization level. A deficit of such pastures is regarded as the factor of differentiation of reindeer groups with respect to migrants and residents. It is shown that the individual geocomplexes have a multifunctional role. Of particular significance among them are the aufeis glades with outcrops of salt-saturated groundwater, and the dark-coniferous forests along river valleys rich in epiphytic lichens (beard lichens).     

Reindeer Herders Without Reindeer. The Challenges of Joint Knowledge Production on Kolguev Island in the Russian Arctic

Kolguev Island in the Russian Arctic has a unique tundra ecosystem and an indigenous Nenets population whose livelihood is traditionally based on reindeer herding. The Nenets faced a major crisis in 2013–2014 when the reindeer population collapsed. Widely different explanations for this collapse were put forward. This lack of a shared perspective points at the failure of genuine joint knowledge production (JKP) in the island’s UNEP–GEF’s ECORA project (2004–2009). The ECORA project aimed to achieve integrated ecosystem management by stimulating dialog and mutual learning among indigenous people, state agencies, and scientists. This paper analyses the failure of ECORA’s JKP, using a recently developed framework of conditions for successful JKP. The results suggest that ECORA met none of these conditions. It failed at bringing the scientific and indigenous knowledge systems together, and the produced knowledge did not resonate with indigenous people’s perception of living in Kolguev.     

黑河流域荒漠生态系统地面土壤动物群落的组成与多样性

以中国西北内陆干旱区黑河流域典型的戈壁荒漠生态系统为研究对象,采用国际通用的陷阱法在6月和9月对天然戈壁荒漠草地土壤动物群落进行了调查,探讨了荒漠生态系统土壤动物群落组成与多样性及其季节变异特征。研究发现:①共捕获地面土壤动物3 407头（只）,隶属1门2纲14目31科,优势类群是长椿科和蚁科,常见类群有拟步甲科、象甲科、平腹蛛科、皿网蛛科、赤螨科、长角跳科和蝗总科。②依据体型大小将捕获的土壤动物划分为大、中、小型3个类群,分别占群落总个体数的94.1%、5.6%和0.3%;依据取食类型将捕获的土壤动物划分为捕食性、植食性、腐食性、菌食性和杂食性5个功能群,分别占群落总个体数的10.8%、38.5%、18.2%、4.7%和27.8%。③土壤动物群落组成、数量及多样性表现了明显的季节变异,主要体现在群落结构与多样性以及不同类群个体数量的季节变异等方面。研究结果为进一步开展戈壁荒漠生态系统土壤动物生态学的研究奠定了基础。     

A review of snow manipulation experiments in Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems

Snow cover is one of the most important factors controlling microclimate and plant growing conditions for Arctic and alpine ecosystems. Climate change is altering snowfall regimes, which in turn influences snow cover and ultimately tundra plant communities. The interest in winter climate change and the number of experiments exploring the responses of alpine and Arctic ecosystems to changes in snow cover have been growing in recent years, but their outcomes are difficult to summarize because of the large variability in manipulation approaches, extents and measured response variables. In this review, we (1) compile the ecological publications on snow manipulation experiments, (2) classify the studies according to the climate scenarios they simulate and response variables they measure, (3) discuss the methods applied to manipulate snow cover, and (4) analyse and generalize the response in phenology, productivity and community composition by means of a meta-analysis. This meta-analysis shows that flowering phenology responded strongly to changes in the timing of snowmelt. The least responsive group of species were graminoids; however, they did show a decrease in productivity and abundance with experimentally increased snow covers. The species group with the greatest phenological response to snowmelt changes were the dwarf shrubs. Their abundance also increased in most long-term snow fence experiments, whereas species richness generally declined. We conclude that snow manipulation experiments can improve our understanding of recently observed ecosystem changes, and are an important component of climate change research.     

Dispersal of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes by Ctenomys cf. knighti (Rodentia) in the northern Monte Desert of Argentina

In arid and semi-arid environments, root-associated fungi may play a key role in plant communities (e.g., seedling establishment, nutrient acquisition, plant survival and heat tolerance). Several studies have shown the importance of small mammals as consumers and dispersal agents of mycorrhizal fungi spores in tropical and temperate ecosystems. However, little is known about the dispersal of infective propagules of endophytic fungi in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. This study analyzed the potential role of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys cf. knighti as a dispersal agent of root-associated fungi. In order to demonstrate this role, we analyzed: (1) the incidence of colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark septate endophytes on representative plant species of the Monte Desert; (2) the presence of fungal structures of arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark septate endophytes in C. cf. knighti fecal samples; and (3) the infectivity of the fungal propagules contained in the scat and their growth effects on nine native plant species. Data strongly suggest that this South American subterranean rodent may play a key role as a dispersal agent of arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark septate endophytes fungi in the arid environment of the northern Monte Desert of Argentina.     

Regional effects of climate change on reindeer: a case study of the Muotkatunturi region in Finnish Lapland

Few studies have investigated current climate changes for high latitude regions, and the impact of such changes on reindeer and indigenous people. Previous work by other authors has identified snow and ice conditions in winter as being critical in determining the availability of forage for reindeer. Deep snow makes it difficult to access food. Lack of food weakens the herd and can reduce the allocation of nutrients to the development of the foetus in the female deer. Climate data for Lapland, northern Finland, and Karasjok, northern Norway, are examined, together with reindeer calf numbers for the period 1977 to 1994 for the Muotkatunturi region (68°N 25°30'E). Between 1883 and 1993, precipitation increased but temperatures showed no clear warming or cooling trend. However, since the late 1980s, temperatures have increased. A regression analysis on the climate and reindeer data found that the warmer the winter prior to the rut, the fewer the live calves recorded the following year (r = 0.529, p < 0.05). Also, the wetter the winter prior to the rut, the fewer the calves recorded (r = 0.427, p < 0.10). In contrast, the warmer the autumn prior to their birth, the greater the number of calves recorded (r = 0.474, p < 0.10). These results suggest that as climate changes and winters become warmer and wetter with increased snowfall, calf numbers will decline. These findings have important implications for the Saami people who are heavily dependent on the reindeer for their livelihood.     

High voltage transmission lines and their effect on reindeer: a research programme in progress

We review literature on high voltage transmission lines and their effect on wild reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ) migration patterns and area use. We conclude that reliable knowledge is lacking on the effects of transmission lines on reindeer ecology. This condition relates to the lack of long-term monitoring of reindeer migration patterns in relation to existing lines. It is also related to the fact that nothing is known about hearing in reindeer (or any other deer species in Norway) in relation to transmission line noise, which is considered an obstacle for migrating reindeer.
We then outline a research programme that includes a laboratory study to determine the audiogram in reindeer and two field studies to examine the proximate effects of transmission lines - independently as well as combined with ambient environmental variables - on reindeer behaviour. The audiogram in two yearling male reindeer has been determined; this part of the study will be completed this year with the determination of a corresponding audiogram in two female yearlings. The behaviour study of domestic reindeer under high voltage transmission lines was completed in September 1999. The behaviour study of wild reindeer in the area crossed by a 420 kV power line will continue this year and its completion is anticipated in 2001.     

Pollen analysis of faeces as a method of demonstrating seasonal variations in the diet of Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus)

Analysis of the pollen and spore content of 40 fresh samples of faeces collected from Svalbard reindeer during 1994/5 and 1996 shows variations among and within seasons, with distinct species/pollen types dominating each season. Winter samples were characterized by high amounts of Salix and moss spores , while spring samples contained decreasing amounts of the plants grazed in winter and increasing values of species grazed in summer, such as Oxyria digyna and Pedicualaris spp. Summer samples had a large quantity of pollen and a great number of pollen types. Autumn samples indicated that grasses are the most important forage species in this period. The seasonally varying proportions of pollen types are related to such factors as plant phenology, abudance, palatability and nutritional quality, as well as the prefereence of reindeers for grazing in low, wet areas in the summer but on higher, wind-blown ridges during the winter. The results mostly confrim other studies of Svalbard reindeer diet and grazing behaviour. The advantages and limitations of the pollen analysis method for such investigations are discussed.