https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/issue/feed 2021-02-02T21:10:53+01:00 Eva Wiklund rangifer@slu.se Open Journal Systems Rangifer is the world's only scientific journal dealing exclusively with biology and management of arctic and northern ungulates, reindeer and caribou in particular. Rangifer publishes original research papers, review articles and brief communications in all themes and fields related to the animal reindeer/caribou and reindeer husbandry as culture and industry, and also papers on other northern ungulates. https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/view/5340 2021-02-02T21:10:53+01:00 Patrick Walsh patrick_walsh@fws.gov Trevor Goward trevor.goward@botany.ubc.ca

<p>Understanding the recovery rate of overgrazed lichen communities has value to mangers of lands in northern regions.&nbsp; We describe lichen community composition and present recovery rate measurements for a 12-year period following overgrazing by reindeer (<em>Rangifer tarandus</em>) on Hagemeister Island, Alaska.&nbsp; Reindeer were removed from the island in 1993 following overgrazing and average total lichen biomass increased from 504.2 kg/ha (SD 205.4) in 2003 to 795.3 (SD 489.6) in 2015. &nbsp;We estimate time to recovery with three competing growth curves which estimate grazeable biomass may be reached in 34-41 years.&nbsp; However, estimates of full recovery to climax biomass varied among the models, ranging from 71 to 400 years.&nbsp;&nbsp; In 2015, lichen communities were composed of various mixtures of at least 78 lichen taxa, and were dominated by <em>Cladina stygia</em> and other important reindeer forage species.&nbsp;&nbsp; While reindeer overgrazing diminished forage quantity, it did not extirpate preferred forage taxa.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

2021-01-14T00:00:00+01:00 Copyright (c) 2021 Patrick Walsh, Trevor Goward