The nutrient legacy of reindeer carrion in vegetation in the Arctic tundra of Svalbard, RiS ID:11512

Carcass legacy effects on soil chemistry and vegetation nutrient composition will help our understanding of how local ‘disturbances’ (i.e. carcass presence) scale to structuring and functioning of ecological communities at landscape levels. I will revisit carcasses of varying ages and collect aboveground plant biomass of common woody (e.g. polar willow Salix polaris), herbaceous (e.g. Alpine bistort Bistorta vivipara), and graminoid species (e.g. Arctic wood-rush Luzula nivalis) at carcass plots and paired controls during summer 2024. Soil samples will be collected at carcasses that have not been sampled earlier, and proportional cover of plant functional groups will be assessed in a 1*1 m plot (i.e. control variables). I will determine C:N ratios of collected plant biomass by thermal decomposition.