Scale‐dependent effects of herbivory on moss communities in Arctic wetlands: A 25‐year experiment

TL;DR

A 25-year study shows that goose herbivory increases moss diversity and homogeneity in Arctic wetlands, highlighting their role in shaping plant communities.

Contribution

This study reveals the long-term, scale-dependent effects of goose herbivory on moss community composition in Arctic wetlands.

Findings

Goose foraging increased moss species diversity at small spatial scales but not at the exclosure scale.

Herbivory reduced beta diversity by decreasing species turnover across all scales.

Goose foraging enhanced positive interactions between moss species pairs.

Abstract

Arctic ecosystems are undergoing rapid changes, including increasing disturbance by herbivore populations, which can affect plant species coexistence and community assemblages. Although the significance of mosses in Arctic wetlands is well recognized, the long‐term influence of medium‐sized herbivores on the composition of moss communities has received limited attention. We used data from a long‐term (25 years) Greater Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens atlanticus) exclusion experiment in Arctic tundra wetlands to assess changes in the composition of moss communities at multiple spatial scales (cell, 4 cm2; quadrat, 100 cm2; exclosure, 16 m2). We investigated how snow goose grazing and grubbing can alter the composition of the moss community by measuring changes in alpha and beta diversity, as well as in the strength of plant interspecific interactions between moss species. Our results indicate that goose foraging significantly increased species diversity (richness, evenness, and inverse Simpson index) of moss communities at the cell and quadrat scales but not the exclosure scale. Goose foraging reduced the dissimilarity (beta diversity) of moss communities at all three scales, mainly due to decreased species turnover. Furthermore, goose foraging increased positive interaction between moss species pairs. These findings emphasize the critical role of geese in promoting moss species coexistence and increasing homogeneity in Arctic wetlands. This study illustrates how top‐down regulation by herbivores can alter plant communities in Arctic wetlands and highlights the importance of considering herbivores when examining the response of Arctic plant biodiversity to future climate change.

Our study shows the critical role of goose herbivory in promoting the coexistence of moss species and increasing homogeneity. At intermediate levels of herbivory, goose foraging as a driver of spatial patterns in plant communities and may play an important role in the conservation of Arctic tundra wetlands in a context of global change.

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