Application of Successional Theory to Tundra Restoration: A Review

Recovery of Tundra Vegetation Three Decades after Hydrocarbon Drilling with and without Seeding of Non-Native Grasses + Supplementary Appendices (See Article Tools)

“…Plant communities on these caps share many species with communities occurring in natural disturbances (such as thaw slumps and point bars) in the MDR (Pearce, 1986;Lantz et al, 2009). Seed sources for many sump colonizers likely originate in these naturally disturbed areas (Cargill and Chapin, 1987). The persistence of distinct plant communities on sump caps after three decades of recovery is consistent with results of Johnstone and Kokelj (2008) in the MDR and other studies demonstrating slow recovery of tundra vegetation following industrial disturbance that span multiple decades (Harper and Kershaw, 1996;Forbes et al, 2001;Jorgenson et al, 2010;Rydgren et al, 2011).…”

“…Initial conditions related to the characteristics of a disturbance and the early patterns of colonization and recovery can affect the pathway of succession that is realized at a given site and thus influence future ecosystem attributes (e.g., Lantz et al, 2013). As a result, understanding the role played by management interventions in early post-disturbance recovery is a key element in developing restoration strategies for human-disturbed systems (Cargill and Chapin, 1987;Forbes and Jefferies, 1999).…”

“…In the short term, seeding with non-native species helps to overcome limits on viable seed dispersal during the initial colonization period and the rapid growth of agronomic species may increase litter cover and aid in erosion control on disturbed sites (McKendrick, 1987;Younkin and Martens, 1987). However, establishment of native plant species may be hampered by competition with seeded, non-native species, thereby altering the successional recovery of the native plant community (Cargill and Chapin, 1987;Younkin and Martens, 1987;Densmore, 1992). Seeded non-native species may also spread from treated areas into adjacent natural areas (Conn et al, 2008).…”

Development of Vegetation Communities in a Retrogressive Thaw Slump near Mayo, Yukon Territory : A 10-year Assessment

“…No other published reports of long-term vegetation succession in thaw slumps are known to the authors. Understanding the rate and composition of vegetation sequences during primary succession is of assistance in managing restoration of artificially disturbed sites (e.g., Cargill and Chapin, 1987;Wilson et al, 1996). STUDY AREA Mayo (63˚35'N 135˚35'W; 504 m a.s.l.)…”

Six Strategies for Rehabilitating Land Disturbed by Oil Development in Arctic Alaska

“…Studies of the patterns of disturbance (Lawson et al, 1978;Walker and Walker, 1991) and natural revegetation (Chapin and Shaver, 1981;Abele et al, 1984;Everett et al, 1985;Gartner et al, 1986;Cargill and Chapin, 1987;Ebersole, 1987;Kershaw and Kershaw, 1987;McKendrick, 1987;Felix and Raynolds, 1989) have contributed to our knowledge of rates of ecosystem recovery. Similarly, advantages and limitations of various revegetation techniques have been determined by numerous investigators (Klebesadel, 1971;Mitchell, 1979;Native Plants, 1980;Johnson, 1981;McKendrick, 1986;Younkin and Martens, 1987;Wright, 1987;McKendrick, 1991;Densmore, 1992;Jorgenson et al, 1994).…”