Still, approximately 1,700 species of flora call the arctic tundra home. All tundras are also characterized by their lack of precipitation, with levels on par with the world’s deserts .

They include the dwarf birch Betula nana and the black crowberry Empetrum hermaphroditum. Both thrive in arctic-alpine conditions; this makes them typical representatives of tundra vegetation.

Dwarf birch was the only species studied that did not increase in abundance under grazing. In all cases, the presence or absence of large grazing wildlife influenced how the plants responded.

Implications for carbon exchange in a warming, drying tundra Date: February 2, 2021 Source: ... Those conditions favor willow over dwarf birch, the study found, ...

Dwarf birch was the only species studied that did not increase in abundance under grazing. In all cases, the presence or absence of large grazing wildlife influenced how the plants responded.

Dwarf birch is a key species of the low Arctic tundra, where slightly taller shrubs (reaching a person’s knees) can grow in an otherwise cold and inhospitable environment. But dwarf birch doesn’t ...

Arctic wintergreen, a very rare species, grows among birch and willow shrubs near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. (Eric Post/UC Davis) The authors suggest that by constraining the abundance of the two most ...

Baby muskoxen in Greenland. (Eric Post, UC Davis) How willow and birch react to such changes will affect how much carbon can be stored. The more shrubs in the Arctic, the more carbon is absorbed from ...