Arctagrostis Latifolia Research Articles

Региональное луговодство на основе арктополевицы широколистной сорта Приохотская

The article deals with the topical issue of the formation of the local livestock feed base and the preservation of the productive longevity of sown meadows, based on the variety of broad-leaved arktopolitsa Priokhotskaya (Arctagrostis latifolia), created in 2012 in the Magadan Research Institute of Agriculture (R.Br .) Griseb). The purpose of the research is to create a regional system of seed production of perennial grasses to reduce the volume of the market of imported seeds and the formation of an economically valuable crop of fodder grasses at the expense of their own. The results of research conducted by the Institute's staff for a number of years (from 2012 to the present) give an idea of the full characteristics of the variety, revealing the full potential for plant growth and development, changes in the biochemical composition of feed during the growing season, depending on the phases of development. In extreme soil and climatic conditions of agricultural lands of the Magadan region, located mainly on permafrost tundra soils, the variety has the maximum adaptation over the years to abiotic and biotic factors, which determines the effectiveness of its use in regional meadow farming. A tendency to increase the protein and fat content in the earing phase and a gradual decrease in these indicators in later phases of development due to increased nutrient intake by the plant due to a sharp increase in aboveground mass has been established. The content of fiber, ash and calcium in plant tissues increases gradually and reaches a maximum by the time of maturation. A change in the biochemical composition and a stable reaction to meteorological conditions regulating the duration of phenological phases indicates the unique properties of the development of the variety and its adaptive capabilities in the conditions of the Northeast.

Сообщества с кустарниковыми ивами в подзоне типичных тундр восточноевропейского сектора Арктики

Сообщества с кустарниковыми ивами в подзоне типичных тундр восточноевропейского сектора Арктики

Разнообразие горных тундр с преобладанием в напочвенном покрове лишайников в пределах западного макросклона Приполярного и Северного Урала

В статье приведены данные о разнообразии сообществ горных тундр с преобладанием в напочвенном покрове лишайников ключевых участков Приполярного (хребты Малдынырд, Юаснырд, горы Баркова, Еркусей) и Северного (горный массив Тэлпозиз) Урала. Дана характеристика их структуры, видовой насыщенности, приведены списки доминирующего комплекса видов. Проведена NMS-ординация сообществ, позволившая выделить группы описаний, соответствующие синтаксонам, и показавшая высокую степень зависимости распределения выделенных групп от высоты расположения сообществ. Выявлено 12 синтаксонов лишайниковых тундр ранга ассоциации.

Natural recovery of man-made disturbances in the west Siberian arctic and recommended species for rehabilitation

Vast areas in the Arctic are faced with widespread threats ranging from gas and oildevelopment to tourism (Sippola et al., 1995; Crawford, 1997; Forbes et al., 2001). EastEuropean and West Siberian parts of Russian Arctic have important resources of gas andoil and, thus, experience intensive mechanical impacts. By the mid-1990s, off-roadtransportation connected with geological prospecting had already resulted in severedamage of parts of the Y amal Peninsula. Y amal ecosystems are characterised by extremevulnerability and low restoration potential. The rate and patterns of their natural recoverydepend on the severity of the disturbance, latitudinal position and habitat type. Thoughonly 4.5% of the local flora species in surroundings of Bovanenkovo gas field (centralYamal) can be considered as active colonizers, natural recovery is conducted only byaboriginal species. Adventitious element, wh ich is common at disturbed sites in theBoreal zone, was not found. The main problem of recultivation in the northern parts ofY amal is the absence of appropriate seed material. The planted seeds of southern grassesget completely extinct after 1 or 2 winters. Only local species (Deschampsia glauca, Poaalpigena, Arctagrostis latifolia, Calamagrostis neglecta) should be used. The study ofnatural recovery has showed that recommended sets of species should be site specific.Along with grasses, sowing mixtures should include sedges and forbs (different sets forsandy and loam soils). Transplanting seedlings or vegetatively reproduced young plants(especially for sedges) give good survival results. Use of willow cuttings is verypromising but appropriate species (Salix lanata, S. reptans) should be chosen.

Зональная растительность равнинных восточноевропейских тундр

Зональная растительность равнинных восточноевропейских тундр

Additions to the Vascular Flora of the Pasvik Strict Nature Reserve, Murmansk Region

Information about 24 vascular plant species found for the first time in the Pasvik strict nature reserve in 2008–2014 is reported. Seventeen of the species: Woodsia glabella , Botrychium multifidum , Equisetum × litorale , Equisetum × trachyodon , Arctagrostis latifolia , Poa lapponica , Carex lapponica , Carex serotina , Eriophorum latifolium , Eriophorum gracile, Dactylorhiza incarnata , Nuphar lutea , Salix reticulata , Saxifraga cespitosa , Ribes nigrum , Ribes spicatum and Alchemilla kolaensis are native; three species: Anthoxanthum odoratum , Alchemilla propinqua and Trifolium hybridum are adventitious; four species: Juncus minutulus , Coccyganthe flos-cuculi , Myosotis nemorosa and Lactuca sibirica are presumably adventitious. Five of these species are rare and listed in the Red Data Book of the Murmansk Region (2014). The patterns of distribution of each species in the Murmansk Region and the area adjacent to the nature reserve, as well as the reasons for classifying some species native in the region as adventitious in the nature reserve are discussed. For many of both native and adventitious species the newly detected habitats are the northernmost in the Murmansk Region.

Effects of experimental warming on nitrogen concentration and biomass of forage plants for an arctic herbivore

Summary In many arctic herbivores, the growth of young depends upon a synchrony between hatching date and seasonal change in plant nutritive quality. If plants respond more quickly than herbivores to climate warming, this may cause a mismatch between the availability of high‐quality food and the hatching of young. This study examines the impact of experimental warming on the main food plants of an arctic herbivore, the greater snow goose (Chen caerulescens atlanticaL.) breeding on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada. During summers 2007–2009, we increased the temperature using small glasshouses (open‐top chambers, OTC) in two habitats, wetlands and mesic tundra. Every 10 days, we measured above‐ground plant biomass and a proxy of nutritive quality, nitrogen concentration, of graminoid plants in warmed and control plots from snowmelt in June until late July. Open‐top chambers increased mean maximum temperature by up to 2.0 °C in wetlands and 4.6 °C in mesic tundra. Annual warming significantly increased biomass of graminoids by up to 29% in wetlands and 20% in mesic tundra. There was no difference in nitrogen concentration of the four plant species sampled (Dupontia fisheri, Eriophorum scheuchzeri, Arctagrostis latifolia and Luzula spp.) early in the season, but the seasonal decline in nitrogen occurred more rapidly in warmed than in control plots (10% to 14% less nitrogen in warmed plots in July). This effect was consistent across the 3 years of the experiment and independent of annual variation in plant phenology. There was either a weak positive effect or no effect of the warming treatment on the nitrogen biomass of plants depending on species or period of the season. Synthesis. Our results show that warming speeds up plant phenology and the seasonal decline in nutritive quality for arctic herbivores. Because young herbivores like geese are highly sensitive to the nitrogen concentration of their food, a warmer climate will likely reduce their growth. Climate warming may therefore have a negative impact on the population dynamic of arctic herbivores by reducing the quality of their summer forage.

Tundra in the rain: differential vegetation responses to three years of experimentally doubled summer precipitation in Siberian shrub and Swedish bog tundra.

Precipitation amounts and patterns at high latitude sites have been predicted to change as a result of global climatic changes. We addressed vegetation responses to three years of experimentally increased summer precipitation in two previously unaddressed tundra types: Betula nana-dominated shrub tundra (northeast Siberia) and a dry Sphagnum fuscum-dominated bog (northern Sweden). Positive responses to approximately doubled ambient precipitation (an increase of 200 mm year(-1)) were observed at the Siberian site, for B. nana (30 % larger length increments), Salix pulchra (leaf size and length increments) and Arctagrostis latifolia (leaf size and specific leaf area), but none were observed at the Swedish site. Total biomass production did not increase at either of the study sites. This study corroborates studies in other tundra vegetation types and shows that despite regional differences at the plant level, total tundra plant productivity is, at least at the short or medium term, largely irresponsive to experimentally increased summer precipitation.

Directional change in upland tundra plant communities 20‐30 years after seismic exploration in the Canadian low‐arctic

AbstractQuestion: What is the disturbance response of low‐arctic plant communities two to three decades after seismic exploration.Location: Mackenzie River Delta, low‐arctic, northwestern Canada.Methods: Plant communities in two upland tundra vegetation types were compared between winter seismic lines, created between 1970 and 1986, and adjacent “reference” tundra. Also, we used aerial surveys to quantify the total area impacted by visible linear features.Results: Vascular plant cover was significantly higher, and lichen cover significantly lower, on seismic lines than in reference tundra. The increase in vascular plant cover was attributable to deciduous shrubs and graminoids. There were significant differences in plant community composition between seismic lines and reference tundra but no differences in species diversity or richness. Betula glandulosa and Arctagrostis latifolia were significant indicator species for seismic lines, while Saussurea angustifolia was a significant indicator for reference tundra. Based on the aerial surveys, these effects apply to at least 90% of seismic lines from two‐dimensional programs in these habitat types during the 1970s.Conclusions: Vegetation composition and structure on 20‐30‐year‐old seismic lines differs from reference upland tundra despite no persistent differences in organic layer depth or depth to permafrost. We propose that this reflects: (1) successional redevelopment following changes in soil conditions and nutrient availability arising from the disturbance, and/or (2) disturbance‐initiated succession towards a community reflecting current climatic conditions.

Seasonal variation in plant nutritive quality for Greater Snow Goose goslings in mesic tundra

Variation in nutritive quality over time and among forage plants is important for herbivores such as geese. We examined the seasonal variation of some nutritive attributes (nitrogen, neutral detergent fibre, and phenolic compounds) of five plant species consumed by Greater Snow Geese ( Chen caerulescens atlantica ) L. in mesic tundra, a habitat where goose feeding ecology has been little studied compared with wetlands. We sampled ungrazed, aboveground plant tissues five times at 10–14 d intervals between 1 July and 15 August 2003 on Bylot Island, Nunavut. The species were Arctagrostis latifolia (R. Br.) Griseb. (Gramineae), Luzula nivalis (Laest.) Beurl. (Juncaceae), Oxytropis maydelliana Trautv. (Leguminosae), Oxyria digyna (L.) Hill, and Polygonum viviparum L. (both Polygonaceae). All species showed a seasonal decline in nitrogen content in both leaves and flowering heads (includes flowers and fruits) but the amplitude was variable among species (from 10% to 62% decline depending on the species). Neutral detergent fibre concentration in leaves remained stable or increased slightly over time in contrast to flowering heads where it increased in all species (from 7% to 94%). Fibre content was higher in flowering heads than in leaves. The total content of phenolic compounds varied throughout the summer. In some cases, the content of phenolic compounds remained stable but in others it initially increased and then decreased later on, or it increased throughout the summer. Seasonal variations in plant nutritive quality were smaller than interspecific differences. The nitrogen content of forbs (especially Oxytropis ) was high and their fibre content low compared with the grass and rush species (Luzula), particularly during the early summer.

Performance of High Arctic tundra plants improved during but deteriorated after exposure to a simulated extreme temperature event.

Arctic ecosystems are known to be extremely vulnerable to climate change. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenarios project extreme climate events to increase in frequency and severity, we exposed High Arctic tundra plots during 8 days in summer to a temperature rise of approximately 9°C, induced by infrared irradiation, followed by a recovery period. Increased plant growth rates during the heat wave, increased green cover at the end of the heat wave and higher chlorophyll concentrations of all four predominating species (Salix arctica Pall., Arctagrostis latifolia Griseb., Carex bigelowii Torr. ex Schwein and Polygonum viviparum L.) after the recovery period, indicated stimulation of vegetative growth. Improved plant performance during the heat wave was confirmed at plant level by higher leaf photochemical efficiency (Fv /Fm ) and at ecosystem level by increased gross canopy photosynthesis. However, in the aftermath of the temperature extreme, the heated plants were more stressed than the unheated plants, probably because they acclimated to warmer conditions and experienced the return to (low) ambient as stressful. We also calculated the impact of the heat wave on the carbon balance of this tundra ecosystem. Below- and aboveground respiration were stimulated by the instantaneous warmer soil and canopy, respectively, outweighing the increased gross photosynthesis. As a result, during the heat wave, the heated plots were a smaller sink compared with their unheated counterparts, whereas afterwards the balance was not affected. If other High Arctic tundra ecosystems react similarly, more frequent extreme temperature events in a future climate may shift this biome towards a source. It is uncertain, however, whether these short-term effects will hold when C exchange rates acclimate to higher average temperatures.

Establishment of a Vegetation Cover on Tundra Kimberlite Mine Tailings: 2. A Field Study

Abstract High erosion potential of dewatered kimberlite mine tailings after diamond extraction has prompted research at the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Canadian subarctic heath tundra ecosystem. Greenhouse and field studies aimed at establishing a permanent vegetation cover on these dewatered tailings began in spring 2000. Coarse texture, no organic component, lack of available macronutrients, and a serpentine chemistry are the principal limitations of kimberlite tailings to plant colonization. Structure‐improving (peat moss, lake sediment, and sewage sludge) and nutrient‐providing (fertilizer, rock phosphate, calcium carbonate, and gypsum) amendments were tested to ameliorate these conditions, facilitating the establishment of a permanent vegetation cover, which stabilizes surface materials and promotes natural colonization by the surrounding tundra vegetation. Seven native grass species (Arctagrostis latifolia, Calamagrostis canadensis, Poa glauca, Poa alpina, Deschampsia beringensis, Deschampsia caespitosa, and Festuca rubra) were used to measure amendment success. With the addition of structure‐improving and nutrient‐providing amendments, plant growth on these kimberlite tailings under field conditions was significantly improved over unamended tailings material. Tailings properties, including cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, and macronutrient availability, were also improved with amendment addition.

Establishment of a Vegetation Cover on Tundra Kimberlite Mine Tailings: 1. A Greenhouse Study

Abstract High erosion potential of dewatered kimberlite mine tailings after diamond extraction has prompted research at the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Canadian subarctic heath tundra ecosystem. Coarse texture, no organic component, lack of available macronutrients, and a serpentine chemistry are the principal limitations of these kimberlite tailings to plant colonization. Structure‐improving (peat moss, lake sediment, sewage sludge, Agri‐Boost, and composted papermill sludge) and nutrient‐providing (fertilizer, calcium carbonate, gypsum, and rock phosphate) amendments were tested in the greenhouse to ameliorate these limitations, thereby facilitating the field establishment of a permanent vegetation cover, which would stabilize the surface materials and promote natural colonization by the surrounding tundra vegetation. Seven native grass species (Arctagrostis latifolia, Calamagrostis canadensis, Poa glauca, Poa alpina, Deschampsia beringensis, Deschampsia caespitosa, and Festuca rubra) were used to measure amendment success. With the addition of structure‐improving and nutrient‐providing amendments, plant growth on kimberlite tailings was significantly enhanced. Tailings properties, including cation exchange capacity, percentage of organic carbon, and macronutrient availability, were also improved by amendment addition.

Effects of Salmon-Borne Nutrients on Riparian Soils and Vegetation in Southwest Alaska

Spawning Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) contribute marine-derived nutrients to riparian ecosystems, potentially affecting characteristics of the associated soils and vegetation. We quantified these effects by comparing soil and vegetative characteristics upstream and downstream of natural migratory barriers on ten spawning streams in southwest Alaska. Mean δ15N values—indicative of salmon-borne nutrients—were significantly higher in the O horizon and surface mineral soils downstream of barriers (near spawning reaches) than in soils upstream of barriers (near non-spawning reaches). However, the mean total N concentration in surface mineral soil was lower downstream than upstream. Mean foliar δ15N values were higher downstream for three plant species (Picea glauca, Salix alaxensis and Arctagrostis latifolia) with contrasting physiognomies. Mean overstory stem density was 100% higher downstream, primarily due to a fivefold difference in the density of large-diameter willows (Salix spp.). Mean understory stem density was 47% lower downstream, also driven by a difference in willow density. Mean ground layer non-vascular and dwarf shrub species covers were 28% and 73% lower downstream, respectively. Of the ten soil and vegetative characteristics that differed upstream to downstream, two (O horizon and Picea glauca δ15N) were correlated with the density of spawning salmon. Collectively, the data suggest that salmon-borne nutrients alter riparian soils and vegetation, while factors unrelated to salmon are responsible for the ultimate expression of many community characteristics.

Observations of change in the cover of Polargrass, Arctagrostis latifolia, and Arctic Lupine, Lupinus acticus, in upland tundra on Hershel Island, Yukon Territory

Observations of change in the cover of Polargrass, Arctagrostis latifolia, and Arctic Lupine, Lupinus acticus, in upland tundra on Hershel Island, Yukon Territory

The vegetation types of Northeast Greenland. A phytosociological study based mainly on material left by Th. Sørensen from the 1931-35 expeditions

Based on 347 vegetation analyses carried out in 1931-35 by Th. S0rensen in the 72°- 74°N area, supplemented by 136 recent analyses from 74½0N and field observations northwards to 79°N, the vegetation types of Northeast Greenland are described. Further to phanerogams, the mosses and a few lichens are determined in 274 of the 347 analyses.
 The most characteristic vegetation types present in this middle-arctic area are: 1. Dwarfshrub heaths dominated by Cassiope tetragona, Salix arctica, Vaccinium uliginosum ssp. microphyllum or Betula arctica, depending on soil and duration of snow cover. 2. Grasslands, drying out during summer, characterised by Arctagrostis latifolia, Carex bigelowii, C. misandra, and Eriophorum triste. 3. Permanently wet fens with Carex stanus, Eriophorum scheuchzeri, and Arctagrostis latifolia. 4. Snowbeds, the late ones characterised by Phippsia algida, the moderately late by Salix herbacea, and the few early herb-slope like snowbeds by Trisetum spicatum and Erigeron humilis. 5. Open, graminoid Dryas-heaths and fell-fields on dry soil with Carex nardina, C. rupestris, and Kobresia myosuroides. 6. Fell-fields with Calamagrostis purpurascens and Carex supina ssp. spaniocarpa. 7. Species rich communities on wet ground, covered by organic crust, characterised by Koenigia islandica and Festuca hyperborea. 8. Halophytic vegetations with Puccinellia phryganodes and Carex subspathacea.
 Soil samples have been analyzed for nine factors for the major part of the 347 analyses. The plant to soil relationship is illustrated for the 109 most frequent phanerogam species, for 40 of these lo all nine factors, for 69 only to pH and conductivity. 
 Sørensen arranged his analyses in 41 phytosociological groups according to his similarity coefficient - the "Sørensen index''. These groups form the basis of the phytosociological classification according to the Braun-Blanquet system. The vegetation units are grouped into 13 associations, of which 7 are new, subdivided into a number of new, lower phytosociological units. These are grouped in the alliances Saxifrago-Ranunculion nivalis, Caricion atrofusco-saxatilis, Dryadion integrifoliae, Veronico-Poion glaucae, and Puccincllion phryganodis. Two synoptical tables summarizes the frequency of 135 phanerogams and 99 cryptogams, mainly mosses, in 42 phytosociological units.

Intense, Natural Pollution Affects Arctic Tundra Vegetation at the Smoking Hills, Canada

Long—term, natural emissions of sulfur dioxide and acidic aerosols have had an impact on remote tundra at the Smoking Hills. The emissions have caused plant damage by SO2 toxicity, and have severely acidified soil and freshwater. At the most intensively fumigated locations closest to the sources of emission, pollution stresses have devegetated the terrestrial ecosystem. The first plants that are encountered along a spatial gradient of decreasing pollution stress are Artemisia tilesii and Arctagrostis latifolia, which dominate a characteristic, pollution—tolerant community. Farther away at moderately polluted sites there are mixed communities with floristic elements of both fumigated and reference, unfumigated tundra. This pattern of ecosystem response to a concatenation of stresses caused by natural air and soil pollution is qualitatively similar to the damage that occurs in the vicinity of anthropogenic point sources of air pollution, such as smelters.

Role of the seed bank in providing colonizers on a tundra disturbance in Alaska

Numbers of germinable seeds in soils from four undisturbed communities at an Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain site ranged from 70 to 600 m−2 and numbers of distinct taxa were two to nine. Stratified soils contained more germinable taxa than unstratified soils, suggesting that seed banks in Alaskan tundra are more diverse than shown by earlier studies using unstratified soils. In contrast to temperate seed banks, which often contain early successional species no longer present in the vegetation, all seed bank taxa at this site occur within a short distance of the sample sites because of long persistence of the communities. Of the common colonizers on a nearby 30-year-old disturbance, Betula nana, Poa arctica, Salix spp., and Arctagrostis latifolia are absent or present in only small amounts in the seed bank and apparently colonize mainly from seeds dispersed following disturbance. Eriophorum angustifolium, another common colonizer, is present in the seed bank of wet areas and Carex bigelowii and C. aquatilis are abundant in the seed bank of several communities. Germination from the seed bank is an important means of colonizing disturbances for these taxa. No trend in seed bank size with intensity of disturbance (cryoturbation) was found, and comparison with other studies shows that seed bank size in Eriophorum vaginatum tussock tundra decreases with latitude.

Successful Plant Colonizers on Disturbances in Tundra Areas of Northwestern Canada

Sample sites were selected from four regions within the Dempster Highway (N = 22) and CANOL Project (N = 58) corridors. Physical characteristics of the study areas varied considerably: they span 4? of latitude (63? 18' to 67? 15') and 1285 m of elevation (425 to 1710 m a.s.l.); occupy various types of substrates within the Selwyn, Mackenzie, Ogilvie, and Richardson Mountains (glaciated and unglaciated, acidic to basic, coarse to clastic); and were found within various tundra plant communities (tall shrub to epilithic lichen). Surface disturbances of various ages (5-6, 13, 22, and 35 growing seasons) had a number of colonizing plant species in common despite substantial site differences. Of the 433 taxa recorded from the 80 borrow pits surveyed, 18 had naturally colonized pits of all four major geographic regions and age groups. These were Arctagrostis latifolia, Betula glandulosa, Empetrum nigrum, Epilobium angustifolium, E. latifolium, Equisetum arvense, Hedysarum alpinum, Poa arctica, P. glauca, Populus balsamifera, Salix alaxensis, S. glauca, S. planifolia, Vaccinium uliginosum, Cetraria cucullata, Polytrichum commune, P. juniperinum, and P. piliferum. Although most of these broadly successful colonizing species were herbaceous, several woody plant species especially of the genus Salix were most successful in terms of both mean cover and percentage of sites colonized. There were 50 plant taxa that were locally successful colonizing species found in either the CANOL or Dempster corridors with greater than 2%o cover or on at least 20%o of the sites sampled. These species included 15 forbs, 14 graminoids, 5 decumbent shrubs, 2 erect shrubs, 11 lichens, and 3 bryophytes. Salix alaxensis, present in approximately 75?%o of the 80 pits was one of the most successful woody plants with mean cover values of 2.7, 24.5, 0.8, and 2.0% on 5-, 13-, 22-, and 35-yr-old disturbances. Salix alaxensis had colonized within 0.4, 0.6, 0.3, 1.1, 4.9, and 8 growing seasons on 5-, 6-, 8-, 13-, 22-, and 37-yr-old disturbances, respectively.

Plant Succession on Disturbed Sites, North Slope, Alaska, U.S.A.

Early plant succession was examined on a crude-oil damaged wet-sedge meadow, abandoned silt loam roads, and on drilling pads at exploratory wellsites on Alaska's North Slope. Phosphorus fertilization encouraged Carex aquatilis and Dupontia fisheri recolonizing and replacing of seeded Puccinellia borealis where crude-oil damage had occurred 14 yr earlier. After 10 yr, plant cover of graminoids and moss was sufficient to reduce active layer depth about 3.0 cm. On barren, reworked silt loam, phosphorus fertilization promoted natural recolonization. Without fertilization, canopy cover averaged about 65%; with phosphorus fertilization canopy cover averaged over 100%. Bare ground (absence of litter basal and/or plant cover) averaged about 40% without phosphorus fertilization, and with phosphorus, bare ground averaged 12%.Twelve drilling pads constructed 5 to 8 yr earlier were examined for colonizing species. Various combinations of Arctagrostis latifolia, Poa glauca, Poa pratensis, and Festuca rubra had been se...