Effects of herbivory on competition intensity in two arctic‐alpine tundra communities with different productivity

Abstract

The effects of long‐term (11 yr) exclusion of vertebrate herbivores on competition intensity and plant community structure were studied using manipulative field experiments in two arctic‐alpine plant communities with contrasting productivity: an unproductive snowbed and a considerably more productive tall herb meadow. In the snowbed, the exclusion of herbivorous mammals resulted in a significant increase in the biomasses of vascular plants and cryptogams, whereas no corresponding response was observed on the tall herb meadow. The intensity of competition, measured with a neighbour removal experiment, did not differ significantly between three of the four habitat×treatment combinations – snowbed exclosures, meadow exclosures and open meadow plots – but was significantly lower on open snowbed plots. Our results thus suggest that the low competition intensity in the unproductive snowbed is caused by herbivorous mammals, which tend to depress plant biomass in relatively unproductive habitats. When herbivorous mammals have been excluded for a sufficiently long time to allow the build‐up of plant biomass even in unproductive habitats, between‐habitat differences in competition intensity disappear.