Trophic relations based on fecal DNA in tundra terrestrial food webs near Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norway

Kim, Jihee; Lee, Won Young

doi:10.1007/s00300-022-03022-7

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Journal of Ecology and Environment (2023)47:01 graminoids, forbs, prostrate plants, and bryophytes, and Salix is the most detected genus in their feces (Kim et al 2022). Animal feces affect carbon and nitrogen cycles in the tundra (Hayashi et al 2014;Olofsson et al 2004) and can be important vectors for the transfer of environmental elements containing high organic matter and metal concentrations (Lin et al 2009;Pacyna et al 2019).…”

Section: Sonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant co-occurrence patterns and soil environments associated with three dominant plants in the Arctic

Son

2023

J Ecol Environ

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Background:The positive effects of Arctic plants on the soil environment and plant-species co-occurrence patterns are known to be particularly important in physically harsh environments. Although three dominant plants (Cassiope tetragona, Dryas octopetala, and Silene acaulis) are abundant in the Arctic ecosystem at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, few studies have examined their occurrence patterns with other species and their buffering effect on soil-temperature and soil-moisture fluctuation. To quantify the plant-species co-occurrence patterns and their positive effects on soil environments, I surveyed the vegetation cover, analyzed the soil-chemical properties (total carbon, total nitrogen, pH, and soil organic matter) from 101 open plots, and measured the daily soil-temperature and soil-moisture content under three dominant plant patches and bare soil. Results: The Cassiope tetragona and Dryas octopetala communities increased the soil-temperature stability; however, the three dominant plant communities did not significantly affect the soil-moisture stability. Non-metric multidimensional scaling separated the sampling sites into three groups based on the different vegetation compositions. The three dominant plants occurred randomly with other species; however, the vegetation composition of two positive co-occurring species pairs (Oxyria digyna-Cerastium acrticum and Luzula confusa-Salix polaris) was examined. The plant species richness did not significantly differ in the three plant communities. Conclusions: The three plant communities showed distinctive vegetation compositions; however, the three dominant plants were randomly and widely distributed throughout the study sites. Although the facilitative effects of the three Arctic plants on increases in the soil-moisture fluctuation and richness were not quantified, this research enables a deeper understanding of plant co-occurrence patterns in Arctic ecosystems and thereby contributes to predicting the shift in vegetation composition and coexistence in response to climate warming. This research highlights the need to better understand plant-plant interactions within tundra communities.

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