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dc.contributor.authorGonzalez, Victoria
dc.contributor.authorLindgård, Bente
dc.contributor.authorReiersen, Rigmor
dc.contributor.authorHagen, Snorre
dc.contributor.authorBråthen, Kari Anne
dc.date.accessioned2021-08-11T08:05:15Z
dc.date.available2021-08-11T08:05:15Z
dc.date.issued2021-02-04
dc.description.abstractClimate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events in northern ecosystems. The outcome of these events across the landscape, might be mediated by species effects, such as niche construction, with likely consequences on vegetation resilience. To test this hypothesis, we simulated an extreme event by removing aboveground vegetation in tundra heathlands dominated by the allelopathic dwarf shrub Empetrum nigrum, a strong niche constructor. We tested the hypothesis under different climate regimes along a 200-km long gradient from oceanic to continental climate in Northern Norway. We studied the vegetation recovery process over ten years along the climatic gradient. The recovery of E. nigrum and subordinate species was low and flattened out after five years at all locations along the climatic gradient, causing low vegetation cover at the end of the study in extreme event plots. Natural seed recruitment was low at all sites, however, the addition of seeds from faster growing species did not promote vegetation recovery. A soil bioassay from 8 years after the vegetation was removed, suggested the allelopathic effect of E. nigrum was still present in the soil environment. Our results provide evidence of how a common niche constructor species can dramatically affect ecosystem recovery along a climatic gradient after extreme events in habitats where it is dominant. By its extremely slow regrowth and it preventing establishment of faster growing species, this study increases our knowledge on the possible outcomes when extreme events harm niche constructors in the tundra.en_US
dc.identifier.citationGonzalez, Lindgård, Reiersen, Hagen, Bråthen. Niche construction mediates climate effects on recovery of tundra heathlands after extreme event. PLOS ONE. 2021;16(2)en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 1912556
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0245929
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/21986
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_US
dc.relation.journalPLOS ONE
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2021 The Author(s)en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480en_US
dc.titleNiche construction mediates climate effects on recovery of tundra heathlands after extreme eventen_US
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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