Emerging priorities in terrestrial herbivory research in the Arctic

Herbivores are an integral part of Arctic terrestrial ecosystems, driving ecosystem functioning and sustaining local livelihoods. In the context of accelerated climate warming and land use changes, understanding how herbivores contribute to the resilience of Arctic socio-ecological systems is essential to guide sound decision-making and mitigation strategies. While research on Arctic herbivory has a long tradition, recent literature syntheses highlight important geographical, taxonomic, and environmental knowledge gaps on the impacts of herbivores across the region. At the same time, climate change and limited resources impose an urgent need to prioritize research and management efforts. We conducted a horizon scan within the Arctic herbivory research community to identify emerging scientific and management priorities for the next decade. From 288 responses received from 85 participants in two online surveys and an in-person workshop, we identified 8 scientific and 8 management priorities centred on (a) understanding and integrating fundamental ecological processes across multiple scales from individual herbivore–plant interactions up to regional and decadal scale vegetation and animal population effects; (b) evaluating climate change feedbacks; and (c) developing new research methods. Our analysis provides a strategic framework for broad, inclusive, interdisciplinary collaborations to optimise terrestrial herbivory research and sustainable management practices in a rapidly changing Arctic.

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Publication Details

Journal
Arctic Science
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2024-0080
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.63

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article

Emerging priorities in terrestrial herbivory research in the Arctic

Benedikt Schrofner‐Brunner, Miguel Villoslada, Mariska te Beest, Anna Skarin et al.
2 citations
Arctic Science
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
5.63
article

Emerging priorities in terrestrial herbivory research in the Arctic

Benedikt Schrofner‐Brunner, Miguel Villoslada, Mariska te Beest, Anna Skarin, Ilona Kater, Emmanuel Serrano, Maja K. Sundqvist, Matteo Petit Bon, Toke T. Høye, Alexander Volkovitskiy, Michael den Herder, J. A. Kristensen, Lauri Oksanen, Mathilde Defourneaux, Kari Klanderud, Fanny Berthelot, Helen C. Wheeler, Ingibjörg S. Jónsdóttir, Niels Martin Schmidt, Risto Virtanen, Juan Ignacio Ramirez, Stefaniya Kamenova, Nicolas Lecomte, Alexandr Sokolov, Jordi Bartolomé, Åshild Ønvik Pedersen, Wolfgang Traylor, Johan Olofsson, Jon Moen, Kristy M. Ferraro, Mariana Tamayo, Anu Eskelinen, Otso Suominen, Amanda M. Koltz, Jan C. Axmacher, Austin Roy, Bruce C. Forbes, Katherine Hayes, Virve Ravolainen, Katariina Vuorinen, Rita Tinoco Torres, Juha M. Alatalo, Kolbrún í Haraldsstovu, Tim Horstkotte, Olivier Gilg, Petr Macek, James D. M. Speed, Natalia Sokolova, Sonya R. Geange, Tarja Oksanen, Mathilde Le Moullec, Torben Windirsch, Mariana García Criado, Ingvild Ryde, Carlos Hernández‐Castellano, Robert D. Hollister, Matthias Siewert, Liyenne Wu Chen Hagenberg, H. Leroy Anderson, Marc Macias‐Fauria, Johannes Lang, Monique J. S. Simmonds, Eric Post, Elisabeth J. Cooper, Katrín Björnsdóttir, Isabel C. Barrio, Paul Grogan, Thomas K. Lameris, David S. Hik, Laura Palacios-Peña, Jennifer S. Forbey, Maarten J. J. E. Loonen, Jeffrey T. Kerby, Alexandra Terekhina, Jerzy Szejgis, Taejin Park, Erica Zaja, Johannes Cunow, Eleanor A. Greer
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Herbivores are an integral part of Arctic terrestrial ecosystems, driving ecosystem functioning and sustaining local livelihoods. In the context of accelerated climate warming and land use changes, understanding how herbivores contribute to the resilience of Arctic socio-ecological systems is essential to guide sound decision-making and mitigation strategies. While research on Arctic herbivory has a long tradition, recent literature syntheses highlight important geographical, taxonomic, and environmental knowledge gaps on the impacts of herbivores across the region. At the same time, climate change and limited resources impose an urgent need to prioritize research and management efforts. We conducted a horizon scan within the Arctic herbivory research community to identify emerging scientific and management priorities for the next decade. From 288 responses received from 85 participants in two online surveys and an in-person workshop, we identified 8 scientific and 8 management priorities centred on (a) understanding and integrating fundamental ecological processes across multiple scales from individual herbivore–plant interactions up to regional and decadal scale vegetation and animal population effects; (b) evaluating climate change feedbacks; and (c) developing new research methods. Our analysis provides a strategic framework for broad, inclusive, interdisciplinary collaborations to optimise terrestrial herbivory research and sustainable management practices in a rapidly changing Arctic.

Arctic ScienceVol. 11
Dartmouth College (US), Agricultural University of Iceland (IS), Boise State University (US), Utah State University (US), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE), Ames Research Center (US), Memorial University of Newfoundland (CA), Russian Academy of Sciences (RU), Université de Moncton (CA), University of Turku (FI), The University of Texas at El Paso (US), University of Iceland (IS), University of Groningen (NL), University of Eastern Finland (FI), Simon Fraser University (CA), European Forest Institute (FI), University of Oslo (NO), Utrecht University (NL), Estonian University of Life Sciences (EE), Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (DE), Czech Academy of Sciences (CZ), Aarhus University (DK), Queen's University (CA), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO), University of Cambridge (GB), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BG), Scotland's Rural College (GB), Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research (NO), Norsk Teknisk Museum (NO), Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (GB), Leverhulme Trust (GB), University of California System (US), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (US), Yale University (US), University of Oxford (GB), Arctic Research Centre (SE), Faroe Islands National Museum (FO), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (GB), Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (NO), Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NL), Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (DE), Finland University (FI), Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (US), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (DE), Memorial (RU), Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology (RU), Grønlands Naturinstitut (GL), Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CZ), Institute of Hydrobiology (UA), Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NO), Groupe de Recherche en Écologie Arctique (FR), Polar Knowledge Canada, Université Marie et Louis Pasteur (FR), University of Bergen (NO), University College London (GB), Anglia Ruskin University (GB), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NO), Qatar University (QA), University of Aveiro (PT), UiT The Arctic University of Norway (NO), University of California, Davis (US), Grand Valley State University (US), The University of Texas at Austin (US), Norwegian Polar Institute (NO), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ES), University of Gothenburg (SE), Umeå University (SE), University of Lapland (FI), University of Oulu (FI), University of Edinburgh (GB), Nelson Mandela University (ZA)
National Science Foundation, Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands, Université de Moncton, NordForsk, Háskóli Íslands, Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, International Arctic Science Committee, Centro de Estudos Ambientais e Marinhos, Universidade de Aveiro, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Natural Environment Research Council, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
5.63
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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