Abstract

Background: Evergreen ericaceous dwarf shrubs form a dominating component of low arctic and low alpine vegetation. They typically produce high contents of secondary chemicals such as phenolics. The primary function of these chemicals may be to defend the shrubs by making them less palatable to herbivores.Question: Does the production of secondary chemicals carry a fitness cost in terms of low growth rate and, therefore, low capacity to recover from past herbivory?Methods: In 2000, we constructed vole-proof exclosures on low arctic islands where vegetation had, since 1991, been heavily impacted by grey-sided voles. In 2000 and 2003, we surveyed the vegetation of the exclosures, of unfenced plots on the same islands, and of control plots on a vole-free island. We used the point-frequency method for vegetation surveys.Results: In the exclosures, the biomasses of most plant species increased, by and large, at the same pace. The two woody species, which increased most rapidly, were the maximally palatable bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and the phenolics-laden, maximally unpalatable northern crowberry (Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaprhoditum). The recovery rates of these species were similar.Conclusions: The high concentrations of phenolics typical for evergreen arctic dwarf shrubs do not carry any obvious cost in the form of reduced capacity for compensatory growth. The principle of trade-offs does not help to explain the variation in plant palatability.

Keywords

arctic; herbivory; multiple benefits; Myodes rufocanus; resistance; tolerance; trade-offs; tundra; vegetation recovery; voles

Published in

Evolutionary Ecology Research
2009, Volume: 11, number: 8, pages: 1205-1216

SLU Authors

• Dahlgren, Jonas

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Umeå University

UKÄ Subject classification

Physical Geography
Ecology


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/27474