Posted on 10/14/2021 12:45:51 PM PDT by Red Badger
Researchers have studied whether browsing by moose counteracts the effect of a warmer climate on forest growth. Credit: mlorenz / Shutterstock / NTB
==============================================================================
Fast-growing deciduous trees can respond more quickly to a warmer climate than conifers, so climate change will influence the composition of forests through increased deciduous tree growth. But deciduous species are also the most vulnerable to browsing.
"We studied how moose modify the climatic effect on boreal trees on two continents," says biologist Katariina Vuorinen, who defended her dissertation earlier this year.
Vuorinen took her doctorate at NTNU, focusing on herbivore browsing in 47 demarcated sites in Norway and 15 sites in Canada.
Many assistants supported her in taking the annual spring measurements in the relevant areas.
Moose prefer deciduous species
Vegetation growth in fenced areas where moose were excluded was compared with the surrounding vegetation. The researcher modeled causal relationships that took into account different climatic factors, various tree species, competition between tree species, tree height, time, food availability and presence of herbivores as well as browsing intensity.
Reduced growth
Moose browsing led to less growth in rowan and birch trees in Canada and in birch and pine in Norway. In Canada, rowan grew 12 cm less and birch 13 cm less than in the fenced-in plots. In Norway, birch grew 8 cm less and pine 3 cm less than in similar exclusion plots.
Vuorinen concluded that moose browsing counteracts the effect of a warmer climate on forest growth. But her research also shows that the foraging impact varies depending on other factors in each ecosystem, such as snow, which protected the trees from browsing moose.
I looked....Nope....Not the Bee.
Stupid Meeses.
A moose once bit my sister.
She gets a Purple Heart in the War of Climate Change!....................
As good as they are, the fine folks at Babylon Bee cannot compete with reality!...................
Moose gotta eat
That and the fact that moose can't climb ladders.
Better set out some Moose Traps.
Yes but moose is definitely FR
“Moose” is the name of my new browser. While it doesn’t pass on the URLs you may have visited, it does leave big tracks in the dirt outside and can get downright ornery during rutting season.
“The researcher modeled causal relationships that took into account different climatic factors, various tree species, competition between tree species, tree height, time, food availability and presence of herbivores as well as browsing intensity.”
Moose cannot even spell “deciduous”.
Moose models. We’re definitely on the right track!
Ahhhhhh…..
Good to know.
Note to self: include ladder in wilderness safety kit.
A mööse once bit my Salix.
Ouch.
But, don't expect even the moose can maintain this for long!
But what about the Moose Farts? Everyone know moose flatulence is the single greatest greenhouse gas source in all of Canada?
Why don’t we just let Mother Nature do her thing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.