Reindeer carcasses modulate vegetation composition and greenness in High-Arctic tundra

Milder winters over High Arctic regions have dramatic impacts on local biodiversity on Svalbard, with rain-on-snow events directly correlated with reindeer mortality. Vertebrate carrion can have disproportionately larger impacts on vegetation in nutrient-limited systems, compared with warmer biomes. We conducted a ground survey on the cover of five plant functional groups at paired carcass and control sites and analysed the relationship between cover and carcass presence with generalised linear mixed effect models. Vegetation indices from RGB imagery captured by drones complemented this, assessing plant productivity in terms of ‘spectral greening’. We modelled the relationship between vegetation index values and carcass distance with generalised additive models. We show that graminoids capitalised most from carcass presence, whereas bryophytes and lichen showed decreases in cover. Woody plants and herb covers were not significantly impacted by carcass presence. The Red Green Blue Vegeta..., 33 reindeer carcasses were visited in Adventdalen (and surrounding valleys) Svalbard, in August 2021. Carcasses were of varying ages, ranging from approximately half a year to four years (n = 8 [reindeer dead in 2021] (termed ‘new’); and n = 3 [2020], n = 20 [2019] and n = 2 [2017] (termed ‘old’). There were two forms of data collection. 

Vegetation surveys, where a 5m × 5m grid was laid over the carcass site and a nearby control (paired surveys per site)
Drone imaging surveys over the carcass and its surroundings

The 5 × 5 m grid was further subdivided into 1 × 1 m grid cells (subplots), with the central cell over the carcass 'centre', i.e. the rumen content/abdomen. The paired control sites were placed 30 – 50 m away from the carcass. Total cover (to the nearest 5%) was estimated for five functional groups, namely; forbs, graminoids, woody plants, bryophytes, and lichens, within each subplot. The subplots were categorised into three ‘bands’ describing their position within the ..., , # Reindeer carcasses modulate vegetation composition and greenness in High-Arctic tundra.

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In August 2021, 33 reindeer carcasses were visited in Adventdalen (and surrounding valleys) Svalbard. These carcasses were of varying ages, ranging from approximately half a year to four years. A each carcass site, two primary forms of data collection were conducted, i.e.:

1. Vegetation surveys, where a 5m × 5m grid was laid over the carcass site and a nearby control (paired surveys per site)
2. Drone imaging surveys over the carcass and its surroundings

**Vegetation surveys:** The 5 × 5 m grid was subdivided into 1 × 1 m grid cells (subplots), with the central cell over the carcass 'centre', i.e. the rumen content/abdomen. A paired control plot was placed 30 – 50 m away from the carcass plot. Total cover (to the nearest 5%) was estimated for five plant functional groups, namely; forbs, graminoids, woody plants, bryophytes,...,