Spatiotemporal changes in vegetation following range expansion in Svalbard reindeer

In 1978, Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarundus platyrhynchus) were re-introduced by humans to the Ny-Ålesund area following ca 100 yrs of absence due to excessive hunting. The population irrupted and gradually expanded its range to include other areas such as Sarsøyra and Kaffiøyra. This natural experiment offers a unique opportunity to study how a large herbivore modifies its own food base in the absence of predators. Thus, in this master project I will study how vegetation varies spatially and temporally in relation to different population densities of reindeer in the Ny-Ålesund area. This will be achieved by performing vegetation analyses in fixed sites along the gradient of accumulated reindeer grazing pressure represented by Brøggerhalvøya, Sarsøyra a nd Kaffiøyra. I will compare these vegetation analyses with previous measurements from the same sites (since 2000) and relate the observed spatiotemporal variation in vegetation to changes in reindeer grazing pressure. I will also re-analyse data collecte d during the first two decades following reindeer re-intoduction. Finally, I will do vegetation analyses outside and inside reindeer exclosures put up close to Ny-Ålesund at the time of reindeer re-introduction. Combining these different sources of existi ng and new data, the current project will provide novel information on how changes in reindeer density affect vegetation abundance and structure in this high-arctic ecosystem.