The deer will save the tundra from global warming
Climate change affects a variety of plants in the tundra, however grazing animals, such as deer, can mitigate the negative effects of global warming.
This is the conclusion reached by the authors of an article published in the journal Nature Communications.
Eating high and broad-leaved plants, deer give more light to other species that may benefit from a warmer climate.Elina Carlaarena from umeå University, the head of research
Previous studies have shown that the density of vegetation in the tundra warming will increase, however, the forecasts need to take into account the number of herbivores that live on these territories. To check existing assumptions, the researchers conducted experiments in which warmed 1-2°C some parts of the tundra. Some of them have been fenced from deer and rodents, while others are not. The observations were carried out for five years.
It turned out that the fenced areas large plants took advantage of the new conditions, expanded and closed the light smaller. Where the deer and the rodents ate part of the plant, a small species could survive along with the major.