Congruent responses to weather variability in high arctic herbivores
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https://hdl.handle.net/10037/25456Date
2012-09-26Type
Journal articleTidsskriftartikkel
Peer reviewed
Author
Stien, Audun; Ims, Rolf Anker; Albon, Steve D.; Fuglei, Eva; Irvine, R.J.; Ropstad, Erik; Halvorsen, Odd; Langvatn, Rolf; Loe, Leif Egil; Veiberg, Vebjørn; Yoccoz, NigelAbstract
Assessing the role of weather in the dynamics of
wildlife populations is a pressing task in the face of
rapid environmental change. Rodents and ruminants are abundant herbivore species in most
Arctic ecosystems, many of which are experiencing
particularly rapid climate change. Their different
life-history characteristics, with the exception of
their trophic position, suggest that they should
show different responses to environmental variation. Here we show that the only mammalian
herbivores on the Arctic islands of Svalbard,
reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and sibling voles
(Microtus levis), exhibit strong synchrony in population parameters. This synchrony is due to
rain-on-snow events that cause ground ice and
demonstrates that climate impacts can be similarly
integrated and expressed in species with highly contrasting life histories. The finding suggests that
responses of wildlife populations to climate variability and change might be more consistent in Polar
regions than elsewhere owing to the strength of the
climate impact and the simplicity of the ecosystem.
Publisher
The Royal Society PublishingCitation
Stien A, Ims RA, Albon SD, Fuglei E, Irvine R, Ropstad E, Halvorsen O, Langvatn R, Loe LE, Veiberg V, Yoccoz N. Congruent responses to weather variability in high arctic herbivores. Biology Letters. 2012;8(6):1002-1005Metadata
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Copyright 2012 The Royal Society