Reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus tarandus ) feeding on lichens and mushrooms: traditional ecological knowledge among reindeer-herding Sami in northern Sweden

摘要

The study was performed in four reindeer-herding districts (Sami villages) in northern Sweden. Reindeer herding Sami, born in 1950 or earlier, were interviewed about reindeer foraging behaviour on lichens and mushrooms, especially relating to non-summer grazing habits, and about characteristics of a good winter feeding ground. The informants claimed that lichens are preferably grazed in the wintertime, but that they also may be eaten in the summertime when the weather is cold and humid. Mushrooms were chosen in the autumn months August and September, but according to some informants mushrooms may also be eaten during late autumn (from Oct.) when frozen and under the snow. The reindeer herders had different names for lichens, which in general terms describe their appearance and habitat. For mushrooms they only used one Sami name. Ground lichens preferred by reindeer are Cladonia species, while the nitrogen-fixing lichen species such as Nephroma arcticum and Stereocaulon pascale were said not to be preferred by the reindeer. Snow conditions are very important, and the less snow (and the softer it is), the better. Habitats where reindeer herders know from experience that snow conditions tend to be problematic, e.g. in moist and open areas with small trees, are used early in the winter (Oct.–Jan.), before too much snow has accumulated. A good winter grazing area should have lichens. It is preferably a dry pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) forest heath with large, old and wide-crowned trees to shelter the ground from snow and thereby ease the cratering by reindeer. Abstract in Swedish / Sammanfattning: Renens ( Rangifer tarandus tarandus ) bete av lavar och svampar: Traditionell ekologisk kunskap bland rensk?tande samer i norra Sverige Studien genomf?rdes i fyra rensk?tseldistrikt (samebyar) i norra Sverige. Totalt 22 rensk?tande samer, f?dda 1950 eller tidigare, blev intervjuade om renens betande av lavar och svampar, renens vinterbete och om vad som karakt?riserar ett bra vinterbetesland. Informanterna h?vdade att lavar f?retr?desvis betas under vintern, men ?ven kan betas under sommaren d? v?dret ?r kallt och fuktigt. Svampar betas under h?stm?naderna augusti och september, men enligt n?gra informanter kan svamp ?ven betas senare p? h?sten (fr?n oktober) n?r den ?r frusen och under sn?n. Rensk?tarna har namn p? lavar som i generella termer beskriver deras utseende och v?xtplats. F?r svampar anv?nder de enbart ett samiskt namn, guoppar. Av de marklevande lavarna ans?g informanterna att renarna f?redrar Cladonia -arter (renlavar), medan kv?ve-fixerade arter som Nephroma arcticum (norrlandslav) och Stereocaulon pascale (p?skrislav) inte ans?gs f?redras av renarna. Sn?f?rh?llandena ?r mycket viktiga, och ju mindre sn? (och ju l?sare den ?r) desto b?ttre. V?xtplatser d?r rensk?tarna vet av erfarenhet att sn?f?rh?llandena kan bli problematisk, t.ex. i fuktiga och ?ppna omr?den med sm? tr?d, anv?nds till bete tidigt under vintern (oktober-januari) innan f?r mycket sn? har fallit. Ett bra vinterbetesomr?de ska ha gott om lavar. Det b?sta ?r en torr tallhed ( Pinus sylvestris ) med stora och gamla tr?d med vida kronor som f?ngar upp sn?n som upplega och p? det viset skyddar marken fr?n sn?, vilket g?r det l?ttare f?r renarna att gr?va.