Author
Gunnar Austrheim
Other affiliations: Stockholm University, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, American Museum of Natural History
Bio: Gunnar Austrheim is an academic researcher from Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Grazing & Herbivore. The author has an hindex of 31, co-authored 85 publications receiving 3309 citations. Previous affiliations of Gunnar Austrheim include Stockholm University & Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
Topics: Grazing, Herbivore, Plant community, Biodiversity, Grazing pressure
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
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TL;DR: Changes in landscape pattern and differences in landscape development in two mountain valleys with summer farming activities, in Mid-Norway, over the period 1960s–1990s are focused on and the changes in relation to differential land use and environmental factors are interpreted.
Abstract: The Norwegain mountains have had a central role in the subsistence agroecosystems by providing vast biological resources for humans and their livestock since 4000–3500 BP as indicated by paleoecological records. Later with the development of the summer farming system the use of the mountains was intensified. This long-term use of the mountains has shaped a montane cultural landscape by livestock grazing, mowing for hay, fuel collection and a variety of other uses. The result is a significant increase of the grassland areas at the expense of the forest. Those semi-natural grasslands and heathlands with specific biological diversity have until recently dominated the mountains but are today decreasing due to forest invasion – which in turn is a result of changes in human land use. The present paper focuses on changes in landscape pattern and differences in landscape development in two mountain valleys with summer farming activities, in Mid-Norway, over the period 1960s–1990s, and seeks to interpret the changes in relation to differential land use and environmental factors. This study contributes examples from human shaped ecosystems in mountains where the fragmentation of semi-natural habitats is addressed. A set of landscape pattern indices commonly used in landscape ecological studies is also used here, and their ecological relevance in the present context is dealt with. The implications of changed land use for biodiversity conservation in those mountains and the relationships to future sustainable agriculture is also briefly discussed.
240 citations
University of Copenhagen1, Humboldt University of Berlin2, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology3, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt4, VU University Amsterdam5, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts6, Ghent University7, Norwegian University of Science and Technology8, University of Eastern Finland9, Aix-Marseille University10, University of Edinburgh11, University of Luxembourg12, University of Malta13, Charles University in Prague14, Technical University of Madrid15, Slovak Academy of Sciences16, Stockholm University17, Jagiellonian University18, University of West Hungary19, University of Tartu20, University of Latvia21, Wageningen University and Research Centre22, Spanish National Research Council23, University of the Aegean24, University of Bucharest25, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research26, University of Potsdam27, University of Tirana28
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the evolution of European land management over the past 200 years with the aim of identifying key episodes of changes in land management, and their underlying technological, institutional and economic drivers.
233 citations
01 Jan 2015
229 citations
Aarhus University1, Norwegian University of Science and Technology2, University of Oxford3, University of Bergen4, University College London5, University of Tromsø6, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences7, University of Copenhagen8, Stockholm University9, University of Bremen10, Umeå University11, Norwegian University of Life Sciences12, University of Helsinki13, University of Tartu14, Telemark University College15, University of Agder16, Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute17, University of Oulu18
TL;DR: It is concluded that thermal variability within 1-km(2) units strongly increases local spatial buffering of future climate warming across Northern Europe, even in the flattest terrains.
Abstract: Recent studies from mountainous areas of small spatial extent (<2500km2) suggest that fine-grained thermal variability over tens or hundreds of metres exceeds much of the climate warming expecte ...
193 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss plant diversity patterns in the Scandinavian mountains in a global, regional and local perspective, with a particular focus on grazing, and conclude that grazing is a key process for maintaining biodiversity.
Abstract: There is a long tradition of grazing by semi-domestic reindeer and sheep in alpine and sub-alpine Scandinavian habitats, but present management regimes are questioned from a conservation point of view. In this review we discuss plant diversity patterns in the Scandinavian mountains in a global, regional and local perspective. The main objective was to identify processes that influence diversity at different spatial scales with a particular focus on grazing. In a global perspective the species pool of the Scandinavian mountains is limited, partly reflecting the general latitudinal decline of species but also historical and ecological factors operating after the latest glaciation. At the local scale, both productivity and disturbance are primary factors structuring diversity, but abiotic factors such as soil pH, snow distribution and temperature are also important. Although evidence is scarce, grazing favours local species richness in productive habitats, whereas species richness decreases with grazing when productivity is low. Regional patterns of plant diversity is set by, 1) the species pool, 2) the heterogeneity and fragmentation of communities, and 3) local diversity of each plant community. We suggest that local shifts in community composition depend both on the local grazing frequency and the return-time of the plant community after a grazing session. In addition, an increasing number of grazing-modified local patches homogenises the vegetation and is likely to reduce the regional plant diversity. The time scale of local shifts in community composition depends on plant colonisation and persistence. From a mechanistic point of view, diversity patterns at a regional scale also depend on the regional dynamics of single species. Colonisation is usually a slow and irregular process in alpine environments, whereas the capacity for extended local persistence is generally high. Although the poor knowledge of plant regional dynamics restricts our understanding of how grazing influences plant diversity, we conclude that grazing is a key process for maintaining biodiversity in the Scandinavian mountains.
176 citations
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University of Alberta1, Université de Sherbrooke2, University of Lapland3, University of Victoria4, Wageningen University and Research Centre5, University of Alaska Fairbanks6, University of Oxford7, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières8, Laval University9, St. John's University10, University of Amsterdam11, University of Vermont12, Aarhus University13, University of Zurich14, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research15, University of Edinburgh16, La Trobe University17, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution18, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory19, University of British Columbia20, University of Tromsø21, University of Alaska Anchorage22, Queen's University23, University of Virginia24
TL;DR: This article used repeat photography, long-term ecological monitoring and dendrochronology to document shrub expansion in arctic, high-latitude and alpine tundra.
Abstract: Recent research using repeat photography, long-term ecological monitoring and dendrochronology has documented shrub expansion in arctic, high-latitude and alpine tundra
1,153 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2009
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive review of the function of plantation forests as habitat compared with other land cover, examine the effects on biodiversity at the landscape scale, and synthesise context-specific effects of plantation forestry on biodiversity.
Abstract: Losses of natural and semi-natural forests, mostly to agriculture, are a significant concern for biodiversity. Against this trend, the area of intensively managed plantation forests increases, and there is much debate about the implications for biodiversity. We provide a comprehensive review of the function of plantation forests as habitat compared with other land cover, examine the effects on biodiversity at the landscape scale, and synthesise context-specific effects of plantation forestry on biodiversity. Natural forests are usually more suitable as habitat for a wider range of native forest species than plantation forests but there is abundant evidence that plantation forests can provide valuable habitat, even for some threatened and endangered species, and may contribute to the conservation of biodiversity by various mechanisms. In landscapes where forest is the natural land cover, plantation forests may represent a low-contrast matrix, and afforestation of agricultural land can assist conservation by providing complementary forest habitat, buffering edge effects, and increasing connectivity. In contrast, conversion of natural forests and afforestation of natural non-forest land is detrimental. However, regional deforestation pressure for agricultural development may render plantation forestry a ‘lesser evil’ if forest managers protect indigenous vegetation remnants. We provide numerous context-specific examples and case studies to assist impact assessments of plantation forestry, and we offer a range of management recommendations. This paper also serves as an introduction and background paper to this special issue on the effects of plantation forests on biodiversity.
783 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used three land-use/land-cover maps (from 1960 to 2000) covering the Italian peninsula to analyze the pattern of land use/land cover change.
Abstract: Land-use/land-cover change is the most important factor in causing biodiversity loss. The Mediterranean region has been affected by antropic disturbance for thousands of years, and is, nowadays, one of the most significantly altered hotspots in the world. However, in the last years a significant increase in forest cover has been measured. These new patterns are independent from planned conservation strategies and appear to have a substantial impact on landscapes and biodiversity. We used three land-use/land-cover maps (from 1960 to 2000) covering the Italian peninsula to analyze the pattern of land-use/land-cover change. We measured an increase in forests, especially in mountains, an increase in artificial areas, especially in coastal zones, and a decrease in pastures. Intensively cultivated areas showed a limited decrease while extensively cultivated ones showed a marked decrease. In the same period mammal and bird species followed a similar pattern, with forest birds, ungulates and carnivores increasing, and typically Mediterranean species decreasing. We suggest that our results may provide important information, which could be useful for conservation planning in the entire Mediterranean hotspot. We suggest that an increasing conservation effort should be made to protect the Mediterranean-type forests and scrublands, as well as traditional agricultural practices. Moreover, future conservation efforts should consider the broad socio-political and ecological processes that are most likely to occur across the whole hotspot, especially along coastal areas, and the network of protected areas should be functionally integrated in a conservation strategy that includes the human-dominated landscape.
616 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors suggest that landscape structure influences speci ccies loss, regionally and globally, and that landscape structures are one of the main drivers behind species loss, both locally and globally.
Abstract: Transformation of landscapes is considered to be one of the main drivers behind species loss, regionally and globally. Theory and empirical studies suggest that landscape structure influences speci ...
612 citations
TL;DR: The fossil record suggests that most species persisted through past climate change, whereas forecasts of future impacts predict large-scale range reduction and extinction, but responses are highly variable.
Abstract: As climates change across already stressed ecosystems, there is no doubt that species will be affected, but to what extent and which will be most vulnerable remain uncertain. The fossil record suggests that most species persisted through past climate change, whereas forecasts of future impacts predict large-scale range reduction and extinction. Many species have altered range limits and phenotypes through 20th-century climate change, but responses are highly variable. The proximate causes of species decline relative to resilience remain largely obscure; however, recent examples of climate-associated species decline can help guide current management in parallel with ongoing research.
565 citations