Pleistocene Arctic megafaunal ecological engineering as a natural climate solution?

ABSTRACT: Natural climate solutions (NCS) in the Arctic hold the potential to be implemented at a scale able to substantially affect the global climate. The strong feedbacks between carbon-rich permafrost, climate and herbivory suggest an NCS consisting of reverting the current wet/moist moss and shrub-dominated tundra and the sparse forest-tundra ecotone to grassland through a guild of large herbivores. Grassland-dominated systems might delay permafrost thaw and reduce carbon emissions-especially in Yedoma regions, while increasing carbon capture through increased productivity and grass and forb deep root systems. Here we review the environmental context of megafaunal ecological engineering in the Arctic; explore the mechanisms through which it can help mitigate climate change; and estimate its pot

SUBMITTER: Macias-Fauria M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7017769 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature