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Research article2003Peer reviewedOpen access

Terrestrial trophic dynamics in the Canadian Arctic

Krebs CJ, Danell K, Angerbjorn A, Agrell J, Berteaux D, Brathen KA, Danell O, Erlinge S, Fedorov V, Fredga K, Hjalten J, Hogstedt G, Jonsdottir IS, Kenney AJ, Kjellen N, Nordin T, Roininen H, Svensson M, Tannerfeldt M, Wiklund C

Abstract

The Swedish Tundra Northwest Expedition of 1999 visited 17 sites throughout the Canadian Arctic. At 12 sites that were intensively sampled we estimated the standing crop of plants and the densities of herbivores and predators with an array of trapping, visual surveys, and faecal-pellet transects. We developed a trophic-balance model using ECOPATH to integrate these observations and determine the fate of primary and secondary production in these tundra ecosystems, which spanned an 8-fold range of standing crop of plants. We estimated that about 13% of net primary production was consumed by herbivores, while over 70% of small-herbivore production was estimated to flow to predators. Only 9% of large-herbivore production was consumed by predators. Organization of Canadian Arctic ecosystems appears to be more top-down than bottom-up. Net primary production does not seem to be herbivore-limited at any site. This is the first attempt to integrate trophic dynamics over the entire Canadian Arctic

Published in

Canadian Journal of Zoology
2003, Volume: 81, number: 5, pages: 827-843
Publisher: NATL RESEARCH COUNCIL CANADA

      SLU Authors

    • Danell, Kjell

      • Department of Animal Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

        • Hjältén, Joakim

          • Department of Animal Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

        UKÄ Subject classification

        Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use

        Publication identifier

        DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/Z03-061

        Permanent link to this page (URI)

        https://res.slu.se/id/publ/690