Marcus Spiegel

Influence of reindeer herbivory on Arctic ecosystem structure and functioning across spatial and temporal scales

Marcus completed his degree in 2023. He is interested in how ecosystems are changing at the interface between local societies and earth system processes. His DPhil research focused on the Yamal Peninsula, West Siberia, Russia, where the Indigenous Nenets manage the world's largest domesticated reindeer herds. He is studying how reindeer, the only large herbivore still widespread in the Arctic, affect tundra vegetation, with implications for local and global carbon cycle feedbacks. His work uses remote sensing imagery, carbon flux chamber measurements, and spatial modeling, and he collaborates with field anthropologists.

Journal Articles

• Ettinger, J., McGivern, A., Spiegel, M.P., King, B., Shawoo, Z., Chapin, A. and Finnegan, W. (2023) Breaking the climate spiral of silence: lessons from a COP26 climate conversations campaign. Climatic Change, 176(22).
• Duporge, I., Spiegel, M.P., Thomson, E.R., Chapman, T., Lamberth, C., Pond, C., Wang, T., Macdonald, D. Klinck, H. (2021) Determination of optimal flight altitude to minimise acoustic drone disturbance to wildlife using species audiograms. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 12(11)(2196 - 2207).
• Soininen, E.M., Barrio, I.C., Bjørkås, R. et al. (2021) Location of studies and evidence of effects of herbivory on Arctic vegetation: a systematic map. Environmental Evidence. Environ Evid, 10(25).
• Thomson, E.R., Spiegel, M.P., Althuizen, I.H.J., Bass, P., Chen, S., Chmurzynski, A., Halbritter, A.H., Henn, J.J., Jónsdóttir, I.S., Klanderud, K., Li, Y., Maitner, B.S., Michaletz, S.T., Niittynen, P., Roos, R.E., Telford, R.J., Enquist, B.J., Vandvik, V., Macias-Fauria, M. and Malhi, Y. (2021) Multiscale mapping of plant functional groups and plant traits in the High Arctic using field spectroscopy, UAV imagery and Sentinel-2A data. Environmental Research Letters, 16(5). 055006.