Agricultural University of Iceland

Grazing abandonment in Iceland: unearthing the consequences for root biomass and community-level root functional traits

Abstract Background and aims In northern ecosystems, plants allocate biomass predominantly to roots, which are central to the transfer of recent photosynthate from plants to soil and thus soil carbon accumulation. Grazing typically modifies above-ground vegetation composition and...

People, Pasture and Plant Use: The Environmental Archaeology of Helgusel Shieling Site, SW-Iceland

Shielings were a vital part of the agricultural system in Iceland for a millennium. They were sites of seasonal habitation where people brought domestic animals for grazing and to spare the infields for haymaking. In this paper, the site of Helgusel shieling in Mosfellsdalur is t...