∑

Ecological   research   was   initiated   in   the   surroundings   of  Joatkajávri   8jellstue   in  1977.   Since   then,   we   biologists   have  collected   data   series   on   lemming   and   vole   abundances,  activity   of   predators   such   as   weasels   and   buzzards,   and  studied  the   impact   of  all   these   species   on  tundra  vegetation  and  soil.  These  up  to  40  yr  long-­‐term   data  series  are  unique,  extremely   valuable,   and   allow   us   to   stand   in   forefront   in  monitoring  and   studying   climate   change   effects   on   tundra  ecosystems.

Main  aims  for  ecological  research  at  Joatka  are  to  1)  Gain   understanding  on   the  complex  and   vulnerable  dynamics   of   tundra   ecosystems.   This   is   important   for  preservation   of   tundra   in   the   face   of   climate   change.   For  example,   we   know   now   that   in   some   cases,   reindeer   and  rodent   grazing   can   counteract   climate   warming   effects  on  tundra   vegetation.   Also,   we   have   discovered   reasons   for  why  the  tundra  food-­‐webs  of  Greenland  function  differently  from  the  ones  in  Finnmark.  2)  Produce  and  test  hypotheses.  By  this,  we  contribute  tothe   global   understanding   of   ecological   processes   across  environments.   The   main   theoretical   framework   largely  developed   at   Joatka   (EEH,   Exploitation   Ecosystems  Hypothesis)   is   globally   known   and   used   in   studies  assessing   interactions   between   vegetation/algae,  herbivores   and   their   predators   and   why   they   differ  between   areas   with   different   primary   productivity  (=growth  of  green  plants).

Published   outcomes   and   future  directions.   During   35   years   of  research,   11   researchers   have  Minished   their   doctoral   degrees,   and  a   large   set   of   scientiMic   articles   and  one   textbook   have   been   written.   In  recent   years,  emphasis   has  changed  from   basic   ecosystem   research   to  studying   the   impacts   of   climate  change   on   tundra   environment.  We  now   consider   how   grazers,   such   as  

voles   and   reindeer,   can   help   preserving   the   tundra   as   an  open  landscape,  suitable   for  plants  and  animals  adapted  to  treeless   northern   landscapes.   These   issues   are   pursued   in  the   Nordic   Centre   of   Excellence   Tundra   with   continued  research  at  Joatka.  

HTTP://SITE.UIT.NO/JOATKA(Project home page)

w w w. u t u . f i / e n / u n i t s / s c i / u n i t s / b i o l o g y

(Department of Biology, University of Turku)

w w w. u i t . n o / a m b

(Department of arctic and marine biology, UiT)

ECOLOGICAL

RESEARCH

∂BY UNIVERSITY OF TURKU AND

UIT THE ARCTIC UNIVERSITY OF NORWAY

2014

AT JOATKAJÁVRI FJELLSTUE

∑

Ecological   research   was   initiated   in   the   surroundings   of  Joatkajávri   8jellstue   in  1977.   Since   then,   we   biologists   have  collected   data   series   on   lemming   and   vole   abundances,  activity   of   predators   such   as   weasels   and   buzzards,   and  studied  the   impact   of  all   these   species   on  tundra  vegetation  and  soil.  These  up  to  40  yr  long-­‐term   data  series  are  unique,  extremely   valuable,   and   allow   us   to   stand   in   forefront   in  monitoring  and   studying   climate   change   effects   on   tundra  ecosystems.

Main  aims  for  ecological  research  at  Joatka  are  to  1)  Gain   understanding  on   the  complex  and   vulnerable  dynamics   of   tundra   ecosystems.   This   is   important   for  preservation   of   tundra   in   the   face   of   climate   change.   For  example,   we   know   now   that   in   some   cases,   reindeer   and  rodent   grazing   can   counteract   climate   warming   effects  on  tundra   vegetation.   Also,   we   have   discovered   reasons   for  why  the  tundra  food-­‐webs  of  Greenland  function  differently  from  the  ones  in  Finnmark.  2)  Produce  and  test  hypotheses.  By  this,  we  contribute  tothe   global   understanding   of   ecological   processes   across  environments.   The   main   theoretical   framework   largely  developed   at   Joatka   (EEH,   Exploitation   Ecosystems  Hypothesis)   is   globally   known   and   used   in   studies  assessing   interactions   between   vegetation/algae,  herbivores   and   their   predators   and   why   they   differ  between   areas   with   different   primary   productivity  (=growth  of  green  plants).

Published   outcomes   and   future  directions.   During   35   years   of  research,   11   researchers   have  Minished   their   doctoral   degrees,   and  a   large   set   of   scientiMic   articles   and  one   textbook   have   been   written.   In  recent   years,  emphasis   has  changed  from   basic   ecosystem   research   to  studying   the   impacts   of   climate  change   on   tundra   environment.  We  now   consider   how   grazers,   such   as  

voles   and   reindeer,   can   help   preserving   the   tundra   as   an  open  landscape,  suitable   for  plants  and  animals  adapted  to  treeless   northern   landscapes.   These   issues   are   pursued   in  the   Nordic   Centre   of   Excellence   Tundra   with   continued  research  at  Joatka.  

HTTP://SITE.UIT.NO/JOATKA(Project home page)

w w w. u t u . f i / e n / u n i t s / s c i / u n i t s / b i o l o g y

(Department of Biology, University of Turku)

w w w. u i t . n o / a m b

(Department of arctic and marine biology, UiT)

ECOLOGICAL

RESEARCH

∂BY UNIVERSITY OF TURKU AND

UIT THE ARCTIC UNIVERSITY OF NORWAY

2014

AT JOATKAJÁVRI FJELLSTUE

∑

Ecological   research   was   initiated   in   the   surroundings   of  Joatkajávri   8jellstue   in  1977.   Since   then,   we   biologists   have  collected   data   series   on   lemming   and   vole   abundances,  activity   of   predators   such   as   weasels   and   buzzards,   and  studied  the   impact   of  all   these   species   on  tundra  vegetation  and  soil.  These  up  to  40  yr  long-­‐term   data  series  are  unique,  extremely   valuable,   and   allow   us   to   stand   in   forefront   in  monitoring  and   studying   climate   change   effects   on   tundra  ecosystems.

Main  aims  for  ecological  research  at  Joatka  are  to  1)  Gain   understanding  on   the  complex  and   vulnerable  dynamics   of   tundra   ecosystems.   This   is   important   for  preservation   of   tundra   in   the   face   of   climate   change.   For  example,   we   know   now   that   in   some   cases,   reindeer   and  rodent   grazing   can   counteract   climate   warming   effects  on  tundra   vegetation.   Also,   we   have   discovered   reasons   for  why  the  tundra  food-­‐webs  of  Greenland  function  differently  from  the  ones  in  Finnmark.  2)  Produce  and  test  hypotheses.  By  this,  we  contribute  tothe   global   understanding   of   ecological   processes   across  environments.   The   main   theoretical   framework   largely  developed   at   Joatka   (EEH,   Exploitation   Ecosystems  Hypothesis)   is   globally   known   and   used   in   studies  assessing   interactions   between   vegetation/algae,  herbivores   and   their   predators   and   why   they   differ  between   areas   with   different   primary   productivity  (=growth  of  green  plants).

Published   outcomes   and   future  directions.   During   35   years   of  research,   11   researchers   have  Minished   their   doctoral   degrees,   and  a   large   set   of   scientiMic   articles   and  one   textbook   have   been   written.   In  recent   years,  emphasis   has  changed  from   basic   ecosystem   research   to  studying   the   impacts   of   climate  change   on   tundra   environment.  We  now   consider   how   grazers,   such   as  

voles   and   reindeer,   can   help   preserving   the   tundra   as   an  open  landscape,  suitable   for  plants  and  animals  adapted  to  treeless   northern   landscapes.   These   issues   are   pursued   in  the   Nordic   Centre   of   Excellence   Tundra   with   continued  research  at  Joatka.  

HTTP://SITE.UIT.NO/JOATKA(Project home page)

w w w. u t u . f i / e n / u n i t s / s c i / u n i t s / b i o l o g y

(Department of Biology, University of Turku)

w w w. u i t . n o / a m b

(Department of arctic and marine biology, UiT)

ECOLOGICAL

RESEARCH

∂BY UNIVERSITY OF TURKU AND

UIT THE ARCTIC UNIVERSITY OF NORWAY

2014

AT JOATKAJÁVRI FJELLSTUE

Fences

You   may  wonder  what   all   the   fences   you   see   in   the   landscape   are  good  for.  We  want  to  know  if  grazers  such  as  voles  and  reindeer  can  help  keeping   the   Finnmarksvidda  as an  open  landscape.  For  us  to  see  the   effect   of   grazers   on   the   vegetation,   we   need   to   compare   vegetation  where  grazers  have  no  access  to  vegetation  they  can  eat.   The   fences   are   erected   to   protect   vegetation   patches   from   being   eaten.  Importantly,  when  there  is  a  fence,  there   is   always  a   marked   vegetation  patch  next  to  the  fence,   the   “control”   –  and   it  is  equally  important.  We   need  this  patch   to  see   if  there   are  differences  in  the   vegetation  due  to  the  lack  of  grazing.  

Planted  trees

You   may   Mind   unexpected   tree   species   growing   in   and   around  Iešjávri   (red   dots   on   the   map).   We   wanted   to   know   why   the  mountain  birch  is  the  northernmost  tree  species  here  in  Scandinavia  and  not  spruce,  larch  or  pine  as  in  other  northern  areas  of  the  world.  Therefore,  we  planted  all  these  species  around   Iešjávri  around  year  2000.  Since   the  tree  growth  is  so  slow,  it  will   take  a   long   time,  more  than  a  decade,  to  obtain  results.

Trapping

One   goal   of   our   research   is   to   Mind   out   how   vole   and  lemming   abundances   vary   in   time   and   how   variation  depends  on  vegetation  patterns  and  predator  activity.  In  order  to  monitor  the   Mluctuations  in  rodent  abundances,  we   trap  rodents  with  snap-­‐traps   in  established   patches  twice   a  year.  The   trapping  patches  are  marked  by  sticks,  and   form   a   line   through  the  Joatka   landscape  (blue   dots  on  the  map).  

Tubes

What  are  those  big,  black  tubes  you  can  see  on  the  heaths  and   in   the   forest?   When   abundances   of   voles   and  lemmings   are   high,   we   want   to   know   the   numbers,  species,   and   age   and   gender   ratios   of   rodents   that   are  present   at   different  times  of  the   year  in  areas  that  differ  in   primary   productivity.   This   data   may   tell   us   what  causes  the  rodents  to  increase   in  numbers  and  why  they  suddenly   die.   We   trap   rodents   in   different   areas   with  established  live-­‐traps  for  a   few  days  several   times  during  a   year,   also   in   winter.  To   ensure   access   to   the   traps   in  deep   snow,   they   have   been   covered   with   big,   hooded  tubes.  This  way  we   can   trap   rodents  also  during   winter.  Some   of   the   rodent   trapping   requires   permits   from  ethical   science   commission,   and   those   are   applied  whenever  necessary.

Research area

Why  Joatka?  The  area   around  Joatkajávri  Mjellstue   is  characterized  by  three  different  environments  in  terms  of  primary  productivity:  1)  the  barren  highland,  2)   lush  forested  slope  and  3)  Mlat  lowland,  the  Finnmarksvidda.   It   thus   provides   a   useful   natural   setting   for  exploring  how  and  why  interactions  between  vegetation,  grazers  and  predators  depend  so  much  on  primary  productivity.   In  addition,  the  proximity  of  Iesjavri  has   enabled  us  to  conduct  unique   experiments  on   its   small   isolated   islands   and   ask   speciMic   questions   about   how  rodents  impact  vegetation  and  soil  nutrients.  Long  collaboration  with  Joatkajávri   Mjellstue   and   other   local   entrepreneurs   has   enabled   our  research  and  is  vital  for  the  continued  success  of  our  research  efforts.If  you  see  researchers  working  on  tundra,  don’t  hesitate  to  come  and  ask  for  further  information!

Joatkajávri