Media Category: Sites

Climate models of changes in ecosystem carbon and nitrogen with increases in temperature. Black, dotted line represents a model where vole effects are “Aggregated” with other biogeochemical processes. Red dashed line represents a model with constant vole density (100 voles per hectare). Blue solid line represents a model with a simulated “Vole cycle,” in which vole abundance fluctuates with peaks every 3-4 years based on demographic patterns observed in wild populations. When voles aren’t explicitly accounted for (aggregated, dotted black line), the model underestimates shifts in carbon and nitrogen stocks.