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Article: Shrub line advance in alpine tundra of the Kluane region: mechanisms of expansion and ecosystem impacts.(InfoNorth)(Technical report)
- Article from:
- Arctic
- Article date:
- December 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Arctic Institute of North America of the University of Calgary. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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INTRODUCTION
WITH A WARMING CLIMATE, northern ecosystems will face significant ecological changes such as permafrost thaw, increased forest fire frequency, and shifting ecosystem boundaries, including the spread of tall shrubs into tundra. In northern mountain ranges such as those in the southwestern Yukon, the shrub line will likely advance up mountain slopes with climate warming (Danby and Hik, 2007). This loss of alpine tundra will decrease the success of obligate tundra species such as hoary marmot (Marmota caligata), collared pika (Ochotona collaris), and ptarmigan (Lagopus sp.) (Martin, 2001). Vegetation changes in northern ecosystems are also likely to ...