---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '19442'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "1. Climate change is expected to induce shifts in the composition, structure
    and functioning of Arctic tundra ecosystems. Increases in the frequency and severity
    of tundra fires have the potential to catalyse vegetation transitions with far-reaching
    local, regional and global consequences.\r\n2. We propose that post-fire tundra
    recovery, coupled with climate change, may not necessarily lead to pre-fire conditions.
    Our hypothesis, based on surveys and literature, suggests two climate–fire driven
    trajectories. One trajectory results in increased woody vegetation under low fire
    frequency; the other results in grass dominance under high frequency.\r\n3. Future
    research should address uncertainties regarding possible tundra ecosystem shifts
    linked to fires, using methods that encompass greater temporal and spatial scales
    than previously addressed. More case studies, especially in underrepresented regions
    and ecosystem types, are essential to broaden the empirical basis for forecasts
    and potential fire management strategies.\r\n4. Synthesis. Our review synthesises
    current knowledge on post-fire vegetation trajectories in Arctic tundra ecosystems,
    highlighting potential transitions and alternative ecosystem states and their
    implications. We discuss challenges in defining and predicting these trajectories
    as well as future directions."
acknowledgement: We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the data providers
  who carried out fieldwork in different regions of the Arctic and published their
  data, which we used for our meta-analysis. We recognise the hard work and dedication
  of these individuals, without whom this paper would not have been possible. We are
  grateful to the editor and the anonymous reviewer for their time and valuable feedback
  on this manuscript. We particularly appreciate the detailed and constructive comments
  provided by reviewer Mara Baudena, which significantly strengthened our work. We
  also acknowledge the Indigenous peoples and rural communities of the Arctic, whose
  traditional knowledge, rights, and interests are integral to the stewardship and
  study of these ecosystems. This work was funded in part by the U.S. National Aeronautics
  and Space Administration (NASA) grant 80NSSC22K1256 (GVF). Open Access funding enabled
  and organized by Projekt DEAL.
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: review
author:
- first_name: Ramona Julia
  full_name: Heim, Ramona Julia
  last_name: Heim
- first_name: Adrian V.
  full_name: Rocha, Adrian V.
  last_name: Rocha
- first_name: Vitalii
  full_name: Zemlianskii, Vitalii
  last_name: Zemlianskii
- first_name: Kirsten
  full_name: Barrett, Kirsten
  last_name: Barrett
- first_name: Helga
  full_name: Bültmann, Helga
  last_name: Bültmann
- first_name: Amy
  full_name: Breen, Amy
  last_name: Breen
- first_name: Gerald Verner
  full_name: Frost, Gerald Verner
  last_name: Frost
- first_name: Teresa Nettleton
  full_name: Hollingsworth, Teresa Nettleton
  last_name: Hollingsworth
- first_name: Randi
  full_name: Jandt, Randi
  last_name: Jandt
- first_name: Maria
  full_name: Kozlova, Maria
  last_name: Kozlova
- first_name: Anastasiya
  full_name: Kurka, Anastasiya
  last_name: Kurka
- first_name: Mark Torre
  full_name: Jorgenson, Mark Torre
  last_name: Jorgenson
- first_name: Simon M.
  full_name: Landhäusser, Simon M.
  last_name: Landhäusser
- first_name: Michael Mark
  full_name: Loranty, Michael Mark
  last_name: Loranty
- first_name: Eric A.
  full_name: Miller, Eric A.
  last_name: Miller
- first_name: Kenji
  full_name: Narita, Kenji
  last_name: Narita
- first_name: Evgeniya
  full_name: Pravdolyubova, Evgeniya
  id: 0b30719b-13f0-11ed-ab2a-94498bc6a278
  last_name: Pravdolyubova
- first_name: Norbert
  full_name: Hölzel, Norbert
  last_name: Hölzel
- first_name: Gabriela
  full_name: Schaepman-Strub, Gabriela
  last_name: Schaepman-Strub
citation:
  ama: Heim RJ, Rocha AV, Zemlianskii V, et al. Arctic tundra ecosystems under fire—Alternative
    ecosystem states in a changing climate? <i>Journal of Ecology</i>. 2025;113(5):1042-1056.
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70022">10.1111/1365-2745.70022</a>
  apa: Heim, R. J., Rocha, A. V., Zemlianskii, V., Barrett, K., Bültmann, H., Breen,
    A., … Schaepman-Strub, G. (2025). Arctic tundra ecosystems under fire—Alternative
    ecosystem states in a changing climate? <i>Journal of Ecology</i>. Wiley. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70022">https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70022</a>
  chicago: Heim, Ramona Julia, Adrian V. Rocha, Vitalii Zemlianskii, Kirsten Barrett,
    Helga Bültmann, Amy Breen, Gerald Verner Frost, et al. “Arctic Tundra Ecosystems
    under Fire—Alternative Ecosystem States in a Changing Climate?” <i>Journal of
    Ecology</i>. Wiley, 2025. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70022">https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70022</a>.
  ieee: R. J. Heim <i>et al.</i>, “Arctic tundra ecosystems under fire—Alternative
    ecosystem states in a changing climate?,” <i>Journal of Ecology</i>, vol. 113,
    no. 5. Wiley, pp. 1042–1056, 2025.
  ista: Heim RJ, Rocha AV, Zemlianskii V, Barrett K, Bültmann H, Breen A, Frost GV,
    Hollingsworth TN, Jandt R, Kozlova M, Kurka A, Jorgenson MT, Landhäusser SM, Loranty
    MM, Miller EA, Narita K, Pravdolyubova E, Hölzel N, Schaepman-Strub G. 2025. Arctic
    tundra ecosystems under fire—Alternative ecosystem states in a changing climate?
    Journal of Ecology. 113(5), 1042–1056.
  mla: Heim, Ramona Julia, et al. “Arctic Tundra Ecosystems under Fire—Alternative
    Ecosystem States in a Changing Climate?” <i>Journal of Ecology</i>, vol. 113,
    no. 5, Wiley, 2025, pp. 1042–56, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70022">10.1111/1365-2745.70022</a>.
  short: R.J. Heim, A.V. Rocha, V. Zemlianskii, K. Barrett, H. Bültmann, A. Breen,
    G.V. Frost, T.N. Hollingsworth, R. Jandt, M. Kozlova, A. Kurka, M.T. Jorgenson,
    S.M. Landhäusser, M.M. Loranty, E.A. Miller, K. Narita, E. Pravdolyubova, N. Hölzel,
    G. Schaepman-Strub, Journal of Ecology 113 (2025) 1042–1056.
date_created: 2025-03-23T23:01:27Z
date_published: 2025-05-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-12-30T08:09:47Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '550'
- '570'
department:
- _id: NiBa
doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.70022
external_id:
  isi:
  - '001443422900001'
file:
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fulldoi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70022
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '       113'
isi: 1
issue: '5'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '05'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 1042-1056
publication: Journal of Ecology
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1365-2745
  issn:
  - 0022-0477
publication_status: published
publisher: Wiley
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Arctic tundra ecosystems under fire—Alternative ecosystem states in a changing
  climate?
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 113
year: '2025'
...