• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Fairbanks
    • UAF Graduate School
    • Biological Sciences
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Fairbanks
    • UAF Graduate School
    • Biological Sciences
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of Scholarworks@UACommunitiesPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsTypeThis CollectionPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsType

    My Account

    Login

    First Time Submitters, Register Here

    Register

    Statistics

    Display statistics

    Biocomplexity Of Nonsorted Circles In The Low Arctic, Alaska

    • CSV
    • RefMan
    • EndNote
    • BibTex
    • RefWorks
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    Kade_A_2006.pdf
    Size:
    6.365Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    Download
    Author
    Kade, Anja N.
    Chair
    Walker, Donald
    Keyword
    Ecology
    Botany
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8894
    Abstract
    The vegetation and soils in many arctic tundra regions are influenced by the distribution of nonsorted circles, unique patterned-ground features that dot the well-vegetated tundra landscape. They are flat to dome-shaped, bare soil patches 0.5 to 3 m across and lack a border of stones. Localized soil disturbance due to cryogenic processes creates unusual micro-environments with unique plant communities, slow soil development and deep active layers. The contrast between barren nonsorted circles and the well-vegetated stable tundra provides an ideal opportunity to examine the complex linkages among vegetation, soil and disturbance through cryogenic processes, offering insight into how the tundra system operates. The central goal of this thesis is to understand the complex linkages of the nonsorted-circle system along a natural climate gradient on the North Slope in the Alaskan arctic tundra at different scales, ranging from plot level to regional changes. This thesis examines the interactions among vegetation, soil and cryogenic regime by treating the nonsorted circles within the stable tundra as a single complex system. The thesis presents a formal description and analysis of the plant communities on and off nonsorted circles along the climatic gradient using Braun-Blanquet classification approach. The thesis also studies the physical effects of vegetation, soil organic mat and snow cover on the microclimate of nonsorted circles and the stable tundra along the same climate gradient. The influence of vegetation on cryogenic processes is examined experimentally by manipulating the plant canopy on nonsorted circles. When compared to the stable tundra, nonsorted circles have minimal vegetation cover, resulting in warm soil temperatures and deep thaw depths in summer and allowing for increased ice-lens formation during freeze-up. The resulting frost heave and needle-ice formation at the soil surface maintain the bare surfaces of the circles through soil disturbance. Cryogenic processes dominate the system at the northern sites, while the warmer climate towards the south allows for thick vegetation mats on and off the nonsorted circles, suppressing cryogenic processes. The strength of the interactions among vegetation, soil and cryogenic regime may change under a warming arctic climate, possibly leading to the local disappearance of nonsorted circles.
    Description
    Dissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2006
    Date
    2006
    Type
    Dissertation
    Collections
    Biological Sciences

    entitlement

     
    ABOUT US|HELP|BROWSE|ADVANCED SEARCH

    The University of Alaska Fairbanks is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution and is a part of the University of Alaska system.

    ©UAF 2013 - 2023 | Questions? ua-scholarworks@alaska.edu | Last modified: September 25, 2019

    Open Repository is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV
     

    Export search results

    The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

    By default, clicking on the export buttons will result in a download of the allowed maximum amount of items.

    To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

    After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.